I have been told by another forum member that i have one of the original lot cars. I was wondering if the 3m works on the my hed lights.

 

You'd be surprised how low tech this all is. No magic involved.

Even the worst lens covers can be restored with 400/600/1500 grit papers - depending upon the severity of damage - finished off with finer liquid rubbing compounds and polish. A cheap orbital buffer helps with the elbow grease, obviously. There are a lot of expensive 'kits' on the market for lens restoration, but that's really all the 'science' behind it.

If it costs a lot, it . must . be good.

Save your money.

 

I'm sorry-that was a "ball park" figure. The general rule of thumb is it takes 3 monolayers of any material to be visible. 3 layers of whatever atoms, that is.

I hope you get my point-the eye can detect extremely small imperfections.

 

mikep330 - You are talking about the 3M plastic cleaner correct? If your lenses are lightly hazed or etched that will work fine as well a product from Meguiars, Plastx. I've used both, I like the Meguiars product. If the lenses are pitted or extremely hazed and etched you will have to, at a minimum use something like a Porter Cable buffer. If they are really bad sanding may be your only alternative. Mine started hazing (only the drivers side?) about a year after I had my car. I used the 3M product and elbow grease and it worked fine. After about 6 months the hazing and etching returned. I now use Plastx, the Porter Cable and a "cutting pad" . After 5 minutes the headlights sparkle. I still can see a bit of haze and etch when the headlights are on. I clean mine this way once a month when I wax the car. Also make sure I polish them as well. I also use a detail spray after my weekly wash. These plastic cleaners seem to be a very mild rubbing compound with some polish added.
At one time I thought I could get any headlight looking new, I've done quite a few for fellow Crossfire owners but I have now seen a few that the only route is the sanding method. So it depends on what degree yours are hazed and or etched as to what treatment will work for you.
Good luck

 

I used 3M 1500 grit sand paper and Meguiars Plastx with the porter cable yesterday and they came out great...pics in gallery.

 

I had the foggy hazy headlights. They felt rough and crackled. I found the 3M Headlight restoration kit and they look like new now. This was for the outside though, not inside.

Not bad for $20 kit and 2 hours of time. Pickup up kit at Autozone but saw it at Walmart too.

Here's a link to the kit and video by 3M: Restoring a Headlight 3M

Here's some before and after photos. The overcast day put a grainy look to the after shots but they're shiny and way better than before!

 

I went to Autozone to pick up Meguiars Plastix but they were out....Bought the turtle wax headlight restore system and followed the directions to a T. Ended up screwing them up further than what they were originally. Went back to another autozone and got plastix by meguiars and it looks better, was even able to clean up the turtle wax disaster. I think the lenses are beyond restoration though, the previous owner didnt keep up with the maintenance obviously.

Pics before and after

 

After reading this thread, I wonder:

After properly cleaning/sanding the plastic back to near factory-finish, would covering with 3M paint protection (plastic film) prevent these imperfections from re-occuring? If ultraviolet light is to blame, would the film really help?

 

I know that after cleaning mine with the turtle wax and plastic they still have a nasty haze that is smearing the light, and it appears that I cant do anything about it. I have read about the TSB's for this, is it true that if I take this to a chrysler dealer they "should" install new ones or did I interpret that incorrectly? Me being the second owner and the car is an 04 with 40k?

 

Gonna give this a shot.....

Pittman Original One Step Acrylic Lens Restorer (A L R)

and here...

Pittman Original One Step Acrylic Lens Restorer

Also, the vaporwax looks interesting

 

Im interested to know how that stuff works