Have you seen the clear headlight polish in the auto store for $20 for a small 2oz bottle? I found some at home depot that works pretty well, and is made by 3M. It is $5 for 8 oz. at home deopt. It was near the screen doors, and some lexan sheets. I did both headlights and only used about 1/8 of the bottle. My headlights seem to have a clear coat on them, and would not polish up 100%, but they are only 3 years old. This was on my hyundai. I think the new lenses have a clear coat. Eventually it wears off and that is why they get hazy. You can see the difference. Two things...

It takes a LOT of rubbing, I got tired after doing one, and mine were not that bad.

Two, use newspaper for the polish rag. It seems to polish a little more than just a rag. I think newspaper is very slightly abrasive, so finish with a soft rag if needed. I did not.

http://community.webshots.com/album/512037962oliThu/0

There are more pics on the second page.

Derek.

 

The lights on my F150 were to the point of not being able to hardly see at night. I used Plast-X and it did a satisfactory job, I will try again with the newspaper though, hadnt thought about it. It does take a bunch of work and rubbing and rubbing some more. Speaking of newspaper, what was that "stuff" on Nora Jones' picture in the newspaper?

 

Nora Jones can polish my headlights and tail lights anytime.

use an electric orbital car wax polisher....works great to polish those $200 plastic headlight buckets

 

hi guys, you should all try this product I got from the auto stores. It is called 5 minute optical polish and is made by BPS Innovations LLC, It sell's for $9.88 It has 6 polishing pads and a back up pad that fits in a drill. I am not claming it is fantastic but it did take some of the hazing off on my van's head lights and they were really bad, because here in florida it is the sand in the air that hazess them. It is a very light abrasive that takes out the scratches in the plastic lens and at $9.88 it should not break the bank and is worth a try.

 

I am in Florida too, and I think its the sun that causes a lot of the plastic problems.

 

I've heard the tooth paste works. Don't need the whitener

 

For years now, I have wondered why the Feds have not outlawed lenses that fade or cloud up, even if exposed to direct sunlight? Seems like a big safety factor to me. I understand why the car makers use them. Lightweight, and they can fit a variety of designs. Oh, no question, they look nice on brand new cars, pick-ups and vans, on the dealers' showroom floors. A decade or less later, they look terrible, especially in sunny western states. Is there anyone out there besides me, who still much rather have the common, seal-beam glass halogen headlights? The H6052, 7" round, H6054 square (rectangular) dual headlights, and the smaller 4 headlight rect. and square lights?!! Even in junkyards, those glass headlights are still clear! For example too, I am glad Ford & GM still offer the familier glass headlights on their Super Duty trucks, Work Trucks, and various cargo vans.

 

EPA gas mileage air flow and weight reduction comes before night time vision safety....also auto manuf's could not make those sexy curvy front end shapes with old school flat headlights

 

Derek,

What year Hyundai is that? I seem to recall seeing early Hyundais with flush mount headlight lenses made of glass. The ones in the salvage yards had rusted bodies, but their headlights were pristine. I considered adapting them to my Mustang, but the fit was wrong.

The plastic headlight covers come from the factory with some kind of UV protective coating, which wears off after a couple of years It's mostly UV that damages the plastic. (Ever seen those sun glasses that say "absorbs 100% of UV"?) All those high energy photons get absorbed by the polycarbonate, and the energy has to go somewhere. It's usually to start a chemical process in the plastic. When you polish the lenses, it only removes the surface layer of deteriorated plastic. When the lenses are old enough, the damage goes deeper, and you can't polish it out anymore.

There are companies selling these clear plastic covers that self-stick onto plastic lenses to protect them from stone hits. It turns out they also absorb UV, and can make the lenses last a little longer. But that's only delaying the inevitable.

I've often wondered why the DOT hasn't done anything about these horrible headlight covers. The sad thing is, I think it was Ford who lobbied Congress to pass the law to allow the use of flush mount headlights with separate light bulbs and reflector/lens housings around 1986. Before then, all headlights on American passenger cars had to be sealed beams. It's too bad that the auto manufacturers exploited the law to further fashion, and ignored function, or in this case, safety. The legal reaction to this may be a return to glass sealed beam lights.

 

Toothpaste works well for mortorcycle windshields. I havn't tried it on headlights

 

The same people who make Plast-X (which is good stuff, it even cleans CD's) make some stuff called Color-X. I haven't tried it but they were all sold out of it so I bought the Plast-X. It brings the surface to like new, but it didn't do much for the color. It's a good plastic polish though, and worked good on the chrome trim on the grill (even the Ford logo). Permatex makes a repair kit too.

 

sorry guy's but I do think it is sunlight here in florida that yellows the plastic lenses on head lamps, it is the sand in the air that scratches up the lense, I know this because I have used the product I talked about before many times and it does work and if like you say it is UV that yellows clear plastic then why has my green house not gone yellow yet, it is 4 years old and has pelxiglass panels in it?. I am guessing here but I would think that plexiglass and car head lamps are one and the same material or if not they are very similar?.
Bye for now cbr900.

 

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I think how a vehicle is cared for makes a huge difference as well. For example, my '87 Aerostar's windshield glass, is smooth, clear, with no cracks or chips. My van is garaged nightly, and when not in use. It's kept clean, and I've used Rain-X every so often on the large front windshield. The glass actually feels smooth, and strong to the touch. Then compared to a neighbors' '98 GMC Safari van. It sits outside, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The windshield glass on this van feels light a light grit of sandpaper! No cracks, but stone chips, pits, and hard water stains. Rough, hard, and much different than my Aerostar, which is older, but still retains the factory tint strip at the top of the windsheild. The factory tint (XLT van) still looks like new. My point being, abrasives in wind, sun, hail, sleet, frost, rain, etc. take their toll on vehicles left outside all the time. I was raised in a family that always kept their vehicles in a garage, even beater rides! The neighbor who has the Safari van could park it in the garage. But they are the type who has a 3 car garage, and it's all full of junk, cluttler, small furniture, and more junk! The plastic parts on cars (headlights as we're discussing here) will last much longer, if garaged. Ed

 

I hate the plastic lenses. They look nice when new, but after a few years, yellow. It is a safety issue. My Hyundai is a 2003, and I think they all have plastic now. My aero has the glass lights, and its perfect. Only have to change if water gets in and corrodes the mirror, or burns out. Oh ya, they are only a few bucks vs the hundreds for the new lenses.

I know that eventually the plastic will be ruined, but keeping them polished should keep the yellowing from eating it away. I have seen them so bad that you cannot see through it. Mine were not that bad yet, but hopefully by keeping the surface smooth it will last longer.

 

Nice find that bottle. I usually ask my local Schmucks guys what to use then do the same thing, look in the hardware stores for the same crap and sometimes find it for cheap. I found some dielectric grease cheap like that, I think at a ace hardware. found a big tube of the stuff for same price as a .5 ounce of it at Schmucks. I use it for the rubber seals.

An orbital waxer works great for that. I have a small 6" waxer I use and used clearcoat polish for the headlights, but that stuff you found looks like it may work better.

L8R

Aaron