Anyone have any experience restoring cloudy plastic headlamps? These are on a 1999 Dodge Caravan. Not yellowed, just really really cloudy.

Any success stories/ideas? I tried a polishing compound a year or so ago, didn't fix them too well. I don't have time to go to a junkyard, but am looking for some sort of compound, steps, or "magic" formula that will fix these lights. A google search turned up, well, many different sorts of sites, but nothing that seemed like a real proven solution.

Thankfully my MINIs headlamps are in good shape, though I will be buying a pair of headlight protectors soonish.

Thanks!

John

 

ask octanguy

 

Good point...

Chad at Detroit Tuned suggested this stuff:

http://www.meguiars.com/estore/produ...ectionID=15101

which I might as well give a shot.

 

^^ but i thought you already tried compounding it?

 

A while ago, and I'm not too sure what I used (some sort of metal polish) was really appropriate. New lamps cost 150ish, and I don't think I'm up to (then again, maybe I am) going to the junkyards for a set.

 

oh i see. I would definitely give that polish a try then.

yah, not worth spending $150 on lamps if they are still functional.

 

It depends. Most of the time Meguiar's PlastiX will be the solution. However, I've also had moderate success using a PC (dual action orbital polisher on speed 5) with M80 (Speed Glaze polish used for paint) or rotary buffer with the same.

The problem with plastic is that it heats up and deforms if done improperly, so the PC is the safest way to go since it won't get hot.

You can also try a Mothers Powerball with a plastic cleaner like PlastiX and use a drill to see if you can polish out the lenses.

I wouldn't advise using anything too abrasive. I've seen some people use sandpapers to restore the headlights, but it really depends on how it was made and what materials were used, and whether there is any protective or optical coating that you might be compromising by removing material.


Richard

 

Hmmm, well, I have a polishing disc that attaches to a drill, with soft hairs. I could give the PlastiX a go first, and if not, try the M80.

Thanks!

John

 

The Powerball is basically a ball of foam fingers. I'd be really careful of a disc, as my experience with polishing discs has been less than satisfactory--maybe youre experience will be different.

The M80 with a PC will probably offer major improvement over what exists.

Richard

 

and there you have it folks.

 

"The Master has spoken"

 

^^ i call him the doc...

 

I think I am going to follow this thread:

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...=fogged+lights

as I've already tried a polishing compound. This time around, I think I will sand first.

Thanks!

PS - should I spend the money on those vinyl headlight covers for my MINI? I've been debating, but am not too sure they are worth it. I don't know if I will sell my MINI in a few years to get a newer MINI or not, depends on if I can afford repairs after the warranty runs out :D.

 

Hey Ururk,

Glad you found the thread I referenced on MOL. But remember that you're going to have to do it by hand. Personally I would use the rotary and be done with it, but that's only if you have one and have the skill. Several thread posters said the same thing.

Wetsanding plastics can work very well, just remember that after it's been sanded it'll be foggy and now you have to remove that fogginess. What you are doing is sanding off the outer layer and replacing it with a very finely scratched surface. That scratched surface needs to be polished using PlastiX. And as the writeup shows, it can be done by hand, but you gotta make sure you use the 1500 - 3000 Unigrit and not just any sandpaper. Unigrit is specific in that every abrasive particle is uniform so when it comes time to remove the sanding marks, you won't have isolated defects or pits.

And as my partner Mike Phillips mentioned in post#5, you may be sanding off any UV protection the lens had in the first place--which means that the fogginess may return in less time than it did in the first place, but atleast you can probably repeat the process without harm.

Good luck and show pix!

Richard

 

On another list (Merkur) some people have been successful using a toothbrush and toothpaste.

You could try Rapido headlight refreshing kit P/N 10-0107. It was easy, and worked well. One part is solvent that melts the pits off the surface and clears it up.