my headlights used to have that yellow haze on them really ugly and i never found any of those headlight refurbish kits usefull so i tried experimenting with other sanding materials, valve lapping compound works really well since its kind of like greasy sand paper it applys smooth and cleans up nice. Give it a try if your sick of looking at dingy lights.

items you need:

1:valve lapping compound(found at any kragen or any toher car part stores)
2:rags
3:wax on wax off skills


step one:

apply valve lapping compound to headlight fairly thick with a rag rub it in until the whole headlight is nice and greasy.

step two:
use a new clean rag to clean it up always in a circular motion.

step three:
clean headlights

This sounds like a great idea to clear up the lenses permanently.

Meguiars PlastX did a pretty good job at taking out the haze of my headlights, but it must be reapplied everytime the lenses get wet. Not a big deal when I'm washing/detailing the car, but it's a pain to do after a freezing winter rainstorm.

Thanks for the tip!

I prefer using a polish compound and a drill buffer attachement. Works great and less work.

i forgot to ad that it lasts about a year you can wash wax get dirt on it it stays clean

This sounds like a great idea to clear up the lenses permanently.

Meguiars PlastX did a pretty good job at taking out the haze of my headlights, but it must be reapplied everytime the lenses get wet. Not a big deal when I'm washing/detailing the car, but it's a pain to do after a freezing winter rainstorm.

Thanks for the tip!


Why do you have to "reapply" after it gets wet? Doesn't it have a mild abrasive to "remove" scratches? :confused I used it 2 months ago and it made an improvement, but I haven't noticed it getting worse after it gets wet!

Why do you have to "reapply" after it gets wet? Doesn't it have a mild abrasive to "remove" scratches? I used it 2 months ago and it made an improvement, but I haven't noticed it getting worse after it gets wet!


Here's what I've observed; the lenses are crystal clear when PlastX is first applied, but after about a week, or after a good soaking, they are slightly dull. They won't become opaque like they were before, it's more like a haze develops on the lenses. This really isn't noticable on some cars, but on the E36 it obscures the details of the individual reflectors ; of course it's possible I'm running into this because my lenses were in such terrible shape (read: yellow ) to begin with.

I can vouch for the abrasives, when I first began my lenses were almost opaque and the grime was lifted off into the applicator pad (kind of like using an abrasive rubbing compound).

I use valve lapping compound and I also use some plastic polish which I think gets the smaller things off, but the compound is better for bigger things.

so this is for the plastic USDM lenses right?

so this is for the plastic USDM lenses right?yes

Glass lenses FTW :D

1500 > 2000 grit sandpaper > strong wax > regular wax worked great for my plastic lenses

I use the "3M" cutting compound, its works too. But I will try the valve lapping paste, as suggested next time, and see if it improves any over the 3M... Cheers!

Spray the lens after cleaning/polishing with Clear Coat or Lacquer.

How long do they stay clean looking?

Edit: Nevermind I see the OP said ~1 year.

you can also use toothpaste and a rag..

I just did this today and I feel it worked pretty well, about 30 mins with taping. I used a porter cable with Menzerna intensive at 6k, then Klasse AIO at 4k, came out pretty nice.

thanks for the info thats been bothering me for a while mine arent to bad but any flaw makes me crazy

Is it for inside or outside the headlight?
pic pic of the "tools"? ;)

I used Presto! on my headlights about 2 years ago and I never had to retreat them again. Technically, it's meant for scratches in clear coat but I accidentally got some on my lenses when I was applying it to my hood and I liked how well it loooked that I ended up doing it on both headlights.

to echo the same q, is this for the inside or the outside of the lense or both, pls?

actually, this is the REAL way to restore your headlights.

http://autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/38972-plastic-lighting-restoration-guide.html

yes, there are some cremes out there that help, but nothing works like a real resurfacing.

that procedure looks excellent, thanks so much for the link. my question is, i look at the clear plastic cover on my headlights, and i see massive fogging along the top and sides. it almost looks like there's a dried condensation on the inside of the covers. is this the procedure for cleaning up those, and is that on the inside or outside of the cover?

thanks!

i know this is a dumb question, but how do you get the lens off the headlight. I must of tried for an hour to figure it out today

They are "sealed" right. One piece

Cover is not supposed to come off or let water in,,, but yah, right...