headlight restoration

**mammoth713** · 08-14-2009, 11:17 AM

bought meguiars plastx and wanted to try and fix my headlights a bit from what they were... figured i'd share with you guys how it came out

all i did was buy the $7 bottle and use paper towels for a half hour...

most of the headlight looks good but there are some spots that were stubbord to get off.... i'll get at it later

Before:

After:

Other side After(forgot to take a before for the other side):

**BaltimoreZ28** · 08-14-2009, 11:34 AM

yea it looks a lot better,, I wonder if you used a buffer or power drill with some sort of attachment , it would come out cleaner

**Mean Green Z28** · 08-14-2009, 11:35 AM

I wet sanded my headlights ... 600, 1000, 2000 then polished it with swirl and haze remover and a coat of polish/wax to seal it up

**Mean Green Z28** · 08-14-2009, 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by BaltimoreZ28

yea it looks a lot better,, I wonder if you used a buffer or power drill with some sort of attachment , it would come out cleaner

be real careful with power tools on plastic, if you're not careful, it'll burn really quick and be a royal pita. Some good elbow grease is best for plastics if you're not experienced with it.

**c5z28** · 08-14-2009, 11:51 AM

I used an electric power drill with a power ball on mine(really have to fall asleep to worry about heat). The bitch with sandpaper is if you rub it to rough it takes forever to get the deep scratches out over just the oxidation. There is a plastic company that referred me to a polish they have so as to not use sandpaper, next time I get some unsanded lights i'll see if there shit really works.
This is my result with sandpaper then powertool polishing with meguiars plasticx.
http://www.ls1.com/forums/album.php?albumid=123

keep it up op.

**Z28_Driver** · 08-14-2009, 12:05 PM

Turtle wax rubbing compound with a buff pad on my drill. Then Polishing compound. Sealed with liquid Ice wax. Worked good.
Mine had a bit more haze than yours but you have pretty good results for just using paper towels.
Plastx looks worth a try.
Masking tape around the headlight on the paint and seal help with cleanup.

**bluefields88** · 08-14-2009, 02:28 PM

I wet sanded mine. Here's before and after.

**hamburger68** · 08-14-2009, 02:44 PM

how do you guys get your headlights that blind in the first place?!? mine are crystal clear, after 100,000 km!

**bluefields88** · 08-15-2009, 12:52 AM

California sun?

**hamburger68** · 08-15-2009, 01:03 AM

Originally Posted by bluefields88

California sun?

...but mammoth is from upstate new york, the weather there is pretty much the same as here.

**bluefields88** · 08-15-2009, 01:12 AM

......... I dunno then. haha. Do you keep yours in a garage? because mine's outside 24/7.

**hamburger68** · 08-15-2009, 01:35 AM

Originally Posted by bluefields88

......... I dunno then. haha. Do you keep yours in a garage? because mine's outside 24/7.

yeah, i actually do. another possibility is salt. do you live near the sea?

**bluefields88** · 08-15-2009, 01:55 AM

Originally Posted by hamburger68

yeah, i actually do. another possibility is salt. do you live near the sea?

I live 7 miles from the beach... I dunno how many KM's that is. probably around 11 or 12. I think just being outside is what does it. Happens to alot of cars once they get past a certain age. Garaging them helps keep them clean way longer.

**hamburger68** · 08-15-2009, 08:56 AM

Originally Posted by bluefields88

I live 7 miles from the beach... I dunno how many KM's that is. probably around 11 or 12. I think just being outside is what does it. Happens to alot of cars once they get past a certain age. Garaging them helps keep them clean way longer.

7 miles would be around 11km, correct. my point is that upstate NY means freezing winters, meaning salt on the road. the headlights get pretty warm, salt burns into the surface. being near the sea means salt in the air. sun burns it in.
i wonder if people in - say - kentucky or tenessee don't have these problems?

**mammoth713** · 08-16-2009, 08:28 AM

hahaha yeah i live in the binghamton area of new york, little south of syracuse.. my headlights were this bad cuz the guy i bought it from totally neglected the car

so i'm trying to get it back to how it should look haha..

thanks for the comments

**Z28_Driver** · 08-16-2009, 12:27 PM

The headlights were pretty beat when I bought that particular vehicle. Its a 4x4 for the bad winter days so I wasn't concerned about the looks. After I had it a while I figured out that the lights were dim, so I fixed the problem.
It had 110,000 miles on it when I bought it, a lot of then hard miles as I have learned.

**dfillmore827** · 08-17-2009, 04:29 PM

ive been fighting this for a while now. best solution is the 3M kit. it has a polish and sealant. sand the light with a mini da so the scratches arent visible. the kit has 500, 800 1200 1500 and 3000