I saw an advertisement for a Headlight/Plastic resurfacing kit mad by Symtech. The symtech site (www.symtechcorp.com) says that the kit will "eliminate the hazing and yellow from the headlamps and bring them to a like new appearance" and that "just 3 easy steps and about 15 minutes is all it takes to restore most headlamps". Has anyone had any experience with this product?
I used Blue Magic Plastic & Plexiglass cleaner and light Scratch remover (only thing Auto Zone had) on my Subaru. Dumped a bunch on my Porter Cable buffer cranked it up to 6 got rid of the yellow and I'm getting alot more light.
It depends on what's wrong with the lights. I used a very similar product called scratch off http://www.properautocare.com/scoffplpokit.html on my Sisters Intrepid. She has clear lenses like the Tundras and Sequoias. It looked like somebody put a really strong cleaner on them trying to get them clear (but nobody will admit it) and her lights were SHOT. They were a pitted UV cracked hazy mess and had almost NO light coming through them. The scratch off kit worked good (not great) on the first light but took a lot more than 15 minutes. After giving the other light a closer inspection you could see that there was a WHOLE LOTTA plastic that would need to come off if I wanted clear. I went to work on the second light with 600 grit wet sand paper for a couple minutes which ended up being a vast improvement from where it was . I then went to 1,000 grit then 1500 then 2,000. At this point the lights were almost clear already. I used the finest polish from the kit and the foam pad they supplied (with an electric drill, not cordless due to rpm and duration). It could probably use a little more sanding by the edges but the main part is clear and she can see again.
My Dad and Sister were like WTF if we didn't see you do it with sandpaper we would NEVER have believed it. New lights even from ebay were $500+ . Do I think that any of my "normal" polishes I use for the paint would work just as good? YUP, but you definitely need to get them close with the sand paper first.
I've used fine rubbing compound before on plastic lenses. It worked great on them. I polished them by hand. I'm a little wary of using power tools on delicate parts. (these were fog lights from my 7)
The 600-1000-2000 sandpaper in steps works fantastic. Have repaired numerous acrylic aquairums this way too. My fog lights looked like they were sandblasted, they were and now they are new. I would add that a soft sponge backing pad for the sandpaper helps keep the cutting action level where your hand might make it groved. Finish off with a foam polishing wheel and they will be new. You just have to cut off all the damaged material.
I have been using Meguairs PlastX, its a polish/cleaner for clear plastic. It works quite well and is simple to use, just dab some on a paper towel and work it in small areas at a time, then wipe off. The only problem is that the cloudy/yellowness starts to come back after not too long. Not sure if this is attrubited to the DRL, the polish or the type of plastic used. Either way you'll have to repolish them occasionally to keep them looking new.
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The 600-1000-2000 sandpaper in steps works fantastic. Have repaired numerous acrylic aquairums this way too. My fog lights looked like they were sandblasted, they were and now they are new. I would add that a soft sponge backing pad for the sandpaper helps keep the cutting action level where your hand might make it groved. Finish off with a foam polishing wheel and they will be new. You just have to cut off all the damaged material.
I borrowed the Novus Plastic stuff we had at work and within about 15 minutes had my headlights looking like new.
NOVUS Plastic Clean & Shine No. 1
NOVUS Fine Scratch Remover No. 2 <-----(This is the one I used)
NOVUS Heavy Scratch Remover No. 3
Just used a cotton towel and light circular rubbing and it cleaned up really nice.
The 600-1000-2000 sandpaper in steps works fantastic. Have repaired numerous acrylic aquairums this way too. My fog lights looked like they were sandblasted, they were and now they are new. I would add that a soft sponge backing pad for the sandpaper helps keep the cutting action level where your hand might make it groved. Finish off with a foam polishing wheel and they will be new. You just have to cut off all the damaged material.
where do you get this sandpaper grit from home depot didnt carry this grit?
You can get it at most auto parts stores. If you have no luck there, call up the local bodyshops and see if they will sell you some or get the number of their supplier. Should be able to find the wet sanding paper near the auto body repair stuff. HTH.
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http://www.1001headlights.com/produc...EPID&Year=1999 doubles the price (and they have come down) she's happy with results of the sanding and polish and learned the valuable lesson of wash and wax with some UV blocking type stuff regularly. She had the same problem on her old Mustang and couldn't figure out why my Explorer didn't have the problem when many did. She didn't listen then either.
Ok, I tried the Meguiars Plast-X. It worked for a little while and the yellowing came back.
I was at my local Advance Auto parts and saw a little kit called the "5 Minute Optical Polish" by NicSand. It said that it "permanently, safely & easily restores clarity to all lenses". I figured that I would give it a try. It was a kit that included 6 pads that contained a polishing formula that was applied to the head lights using the backing pad provided and a drill. I will say that it really worked! It cost $9.88 and is available on the PartsAmerica website using the model number POL100.
Headlight resurfacing kit
got rid of the yellow and I'm getting alot more light.
. I then went to 1,000 grit then 1500 then 2,000. At this point the lights were almost clear already. I used the finest polish from the kit and the foam pad they supplied (with an electric drill, not cordless due to rpm and duration). It could probably use a little more sanding by the edges but the main part is clear and she can see again.
Ditto. Then use PLEXUS
Linear Mode
