A friend of mine in the car business says he uses steel wool and running water to restore plastic headlight covers. Specifically, he said he uses an SOS pad, then metal polish.

I've tried the wetsanding route on my e39 with some degree of success, but really want to get the shine back. Any suggestions? Anyone ever try the steel wool approach?

Good lord, I would never use steel wool on plastic headlights. That sounds like a good way to scratch them beyond the reach of polish.

Get a bottle of Meguiar's #17 (plastic cleaner) and a bottle of Meguiar's #10 (clear plastic polish). Use a cotton rag, like an old t-shirt, to rub the #17 into the lens, then buff it off. Repeat with the #10. That combo works very well on headlights, tail lights, cell phones, or anything else with clear plastic. You can get both bottles in a "kit" from autogeek for pretty cheap. Shipping is amazingly fast in Florida too. If you order tonight, it gets processed tomorrow, and shows up Thursday. I love that.

yeah, all you need to do is rub a little plastic cleaner & polish with an old washcloth on them every few months to keep them clear & shiny.

yeah, all you need to do is rub a little plastic cleaner & polish with an old washcloth on them every few months to keep them clear & shiny.

Wish it were that simple, but the original covers had a crapload of wear on them. It was cheaper for me to wetsand them down, but still a few deeper pitts and haze to get rid of. Just thought the steel wool might break through the hazy layer better then I could wetsand it up to a high shine.

I'll get the Meguiars kit and try it. I can always use it later on new covers or on my other vehicles.

Thanks,
JJ

In guyana, they used steel wool to make amazing fireworks. cheap and lovely. my 2 cents.

i'd wetsand before I'd use steel wool on them. Steel wool is WAY too coarse.