Headlight restoration

[Brin]

Headlight restore?

Hi,
iv split my headlights to detango and all that, but cos i was gettin a lot of condensation in my headlight i have quite a dull fady clear plastic headlight cover

Any ideas how to restore the shine and get rid of some of the scratches on the headlight??

iv tryed some window wax and polish but no luck

CHeers
Brin

 

[The Black Box]

Re: Headlight restore?

i did my cinq rear lights a while a go and use about 2000 grit wet and then normal tcut came out brilliantly.

 

[Brin]

Re: Headlight restore?

i did my cinq rear lights a while a go and use about 2000 grit wet and then normal tcut came out brilliantly.

wen i did wet and dry then i used t cut and i still got slight scuff marks left from the wet and dry lol

is ther any other fomulars or owt put il give it a go again

i used black t cut scratch remover which t cut would be best??

 

[Adrian Bravo]

Re: Headlight restore?

Is the punto lense plastic? I used 2000grit wet then rubbing compund on my rear light which is plastic. It now looks new.

 

[Brin]

Re: Headlight restore?

Is the punto lense plastic? I used 2000grit wet then rubbing compund on my rear light which is plastic. It now looks new.

yeh the lense plastic cover, i have the wet and dry but what try of cuttin compound shold i get??

Can you link me to the right cuttin compound i havnty got a clue

Cheers
Brin

 

[Adrian Bravo]

Re: Headlight restore?

I just used this one it cost one pound something a tin. Tetrosyl Rubbing compound, any will do though

 

[Brin]

Re: Headlight restore?

thanks loads mate il try it should go good yeah, wet the plastic and rub with wet and dry 2000 grit then dry it and use rubbing compound on it.

then it will looks new yeah

 

[Brin]

Re: Headlight restore?

right am not impressed:bang: i used halfords rubbing compound as it as the only one they had, i sanded with fine wet and dry it turned my hole headlight cloudy white then i used the rubbing compound made it completely whitew now i have a completely white headlight lense.

i tryed washin off no luck, then i used some t cut i already had it was black scratch remover but it seemed to clear up the whiteness but now i have a very very dull headlight lense and very blury how can i fix this and dont say rubbin compound that stuffs like white paint

 

[paul12345]

Re: Headlight restore?

get a polish pad attached to a drill, also you could try some tooth whitening paste if you can't get a fine cutting compound

 

[Brin]

Re: Headlight restore?

get a polish pad attached to a drill, also you could try some tooth whitening paste if you can't get a fine cutting compound

right iv ordered a dremel buffing atachment thingy off ebay and im jus pissed off i wud of rather left it a bit dull ish ratehr than all of it dull lol

BTW are you justing to use toothpaste???

i tryed load of different products on it just wont seem to shine backup, i tryed cutting compound, t cut, furnisher polish, glass polish, headlight polish, soap, fairy

nothing seemed to make much difference the tt cut made the most difference i feel

 

[Scoobysnacks]

Re: Headlight restore?

The cutting compounds are slightly abrasive, so they make tiny scratches. What you see as a "clear" lense is just one where the scratches are very very tiny!

T-cut isn't really fine enough to get a good clear finish on plastic. Works well with paint where reflection is what is required but no good where light transmission is what's called for.

If you can get hold of some of the stuff they use to re-condition cd's and dvd's, that should be fine enough. Really important to use a good fine, soft cloth for polishing too. Tissue is too abrasive, and the tiniest bit of grit or dirt on the cloth will just make more scratches.

Toothpaste also has slight abrasive properties, generally the more expensive, the finer the abrasive compounds!

A specialist glass cutting compound might work, though they can be a bit hard for use on plastic. The stuff for cd's and dvd's is designed to take out gross scratches and such from relatively soft plastic so are ideal.

Don't know if I'm supposed to link (feel free to remove the link mods, the op only needs to go to the Maplin site and search for "DVD restoring polish") but Maplin do something that might do what you want.

maplin cd/dvd restoring polish kit

 

[Brin]

Re: Headlight restore?

my headlights are like a cloudy white and ery dull cant see thru it now, i havent tryed the cd cleaner yet but is ther any hope that it will become clear again or am i just wastin time and i should go get a new headlight??

how ever the cutting compound has made it really smooth tho lool

 

[mahol]

Re: Headlight restore?

my headlights are like a cloudy white and ery dull cant see thru it now, i havent tryed the cd cleaner yet but is ther any hope that it will become clear again or am i just wastin time and i should go get a new headlight??

how ever the cutting compound has made it really smooth tho lool

Just buy some meguiars plastx it's design just for what you want it for there's a guide on the net as well just do a search on goggle 'plastx headlight guide' or something like that I've got it bookmarked somewhere if you need a link.

Plastx is usually £6.99

 

[mahol]

Re: Headlight restore?

Here's that link :How To: PlastX Headlight Restoration (Step by w/ Pics)

 

[jimboy]

Re: Headlight restore?

Actually the secret here as said previously, is the use of a drill & mop attachment. There are a load of creams, abrasives on the market, but if you finish off with a very fine polish using a drill as said you should be fine.

 

[paul12345]

Re: Headlight restore?

tooth whitening paste is very fine, maybe water it down slightly.

Do not use a dremmel unless you've got one that can do very low speed, as it will probably melt the plastic.

 

[Brin]

Re: Headlight restore?

Just buy some meguiars plastx it's design just for what you want it for there's a guide on the net as well just do a search on goggle 'plastx headlight guide' or something like that I've got it bookmarked somewhere if you need a link.

Plastx is usually £6.99

cheers mate,

where can i buy this meguias plastx form i have never heard of it?

btw the link of the guide doesnt work

iv ordered a buffing attachment off ebay will try it wen it arrives


can you put some simple steps up hereswhat i think to do:

*wet lense
*sand with fine wet and dry
*wash and dry the lense
*apply plastx or cutting compound what evers gonna work
*rub with soft cloth in circular motion for a while with pressure
*Use the buffing attachment on medium speed on a drill
*wash and dry lense and should be perfect hopefully

 

[Brin]

Re: Headlight restore?

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20994

is that the guide you ment??

 

[paul12345]

Re: Headlight restore?

Should get away with a quick wash to remove dirt etc.

apply cutting compound etc maybe wet it a bit if its to dry

start the drill on slow applying the compound all over then speed up the drill

check to see if the plastics starting to get clear, if not then probably going to slow.

Shouldn't need to sand it down (unless its very bad)

 

[Brin]

Re: Headlight restore?

Should get away with a quick wash to remove dirt etc.

apply cutting compound etc maybe wet it a bit if its to dry

start the drill on slow applying the compound all over then speed up the drill

check to see if the plastics starting to get clear, if not then probably going to slow.

Shouldn't need to sand it down (unless its very bad)

its very bad lol its practically all white now lmao

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Meguiars-Plas...arts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item5185124aac

is that the right stuff yeah