Cleaned up the headlight lenses again..

[dblshock]

I just do it once a year now gets out any minor scratches and keeps them crystal clear...Meguiars aluminum polish and a Makita buffer

 

[wemay]

Looks Great. I agree with the regimen. Anyone who thinks it's a one-time deal is mistaken.

 

[mclasser]

The aluminum polish is safe for headlights? Looks good, though. Make sure to apply some good wax or sealant afterward.

 

[dblshock]

couple years ago watched a guys youtube with the aluminum polish..yep, works great.. just keep the rpms low or the lens burns.

 

[Gimpy1]

Have you given any thought to clear coating the lenses, a lot of folks do, and it seems to add longevity to the headlamp. Another option is to use headlight armor which is a type of overlay for headlamps. You should check them out https://www.headlightarmor.com I've also seen that people polish the outside of the lens but fail to do the inside. I've read about this and I am going to try it on my GTO the process involves using pure methanol to clean the inside of the lens without having to disassemble it. Given that GTO headlamps cost north of $500 bucks each its worth a shot.

 

[grampi]

I used the 3M kit to do mine the first time, and now I just do them by hand once every 3 or 4 months using Meguiar's 105...saves me from having to tape off the headlights every time I do them and the stay looking nice and clear....

 

[Dave1027]

Originally Posted By: dblshock

couple years ago watched a guys youtube with the aluminum polish..yep, works great.. just keep the rpms low or the lens burns.

I might try this on my Tacoma's headlights which are starting to get cloudy.

 

[gathermewool]

I’m more interested in the before pics. Even just-sanded, wet lenses will look nice...for a few seconds, anyway!

 

[dblshock]

no films no paint just hit'm up once a year when the buffers out anyway..should have hit the tail lights now that I think about it but they look new not being in harms way. btw that pic is current, lenses dry.

 

[dblshock]

4Runner is outside all the time and the lens is quite horizontal toward the top so thats where it clouds first...anyway, otherwise a good looking light like many and clouded lenses really detract from a clean car..a must do.

 

[FlyPenFly]

Just use automotive clear coat after a polish. Lasts years in my experience. If you're doing your polish yearly, I would just use Meg ultimate compound, works well when it just needs a buff.

 

[Artem]

So if next you'll see some guys on YouTube use a freshly squeezed turd and SWEAR it works, you'll run outside and try your luck with turd goo on the buffer? Just because the aluminum polish has similar diminishing abrasive properties as a dedicated plastic polish compound, doesn't mean it's ok to use it, let alone endorse it for others to do the same. Just because you can run your engine with olive oil doesn't mean you should. Lol.

 

[Y_K]

Immortal Scotty

 

[FastEddie]

Originally Posted By: Y_K

Immortal Scotty

Ohy, Ol Scotty dishing out more misinformation about a subject he knows nothing about.

 

[RooflessVW]

Scotty KillMe's voice is like a bottled migraine. How do people watch that trash - and then follow his "advice?"

 

[dblshock]

lenses seem plenty thick probably to absorb stone impacts and should take many polishings...Artem clearly not feeling well, again.

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: FlyPenFly

Just use automotive clear coat after a polish. Lasts years in my experience. If you're doing your polish yearly, I would just use Meg ultimate compound, works well when it just needs a buff.

The problem with putting on a clear coat is that the lenses WILL still go bad again, and then the clear coat has to be removed before they can be repolished. It's much easier just to leave them uncoated and repolish them by hand every few months or so. This way you don't have to go through taping them off and using a buffer on them, which is both messy and time consuming....

 

[meep]

If the clearcoat blocks UV this isn't true, or isn't dramatically true. I had to polish yearly until I clearcoated mine with a $20 can of UPOL clear from amazon. After a few years they very very slightly had a tint starting to move towards yellow, but it was negligable and beat yearly polishing for me. I've also read that the outdoor helmans polyurethane makes an excellent UV-blocking clear. IIRC it was to be diluted 50/50.

 

[HYUNDAIFAN0001]

Originally Posted By: meep

If the clearcoat blocks UV this isn't true, or isn't dramatically true. I had to polish yearly until I clearcoated mine with a $20 can of UPOL clear from amazon. After a few years they very very slightly had a tint starting to move towards yellow, but it was negligable and beat yearly polishing for me. I've also read that the outdoor helmans polyurethane makes an excellent UV-blocking clear. IIRC it was to be diluted 50/50.

My wife's car (Honda Accord) is now 5 1/2 years old and shows no sign whatsoever of turning color away from clear. The only treatment ever done is a quality Meguiar's Ultimate Wax sealant (which includes added UV protection) as part of an overall car "wax job". It's actually a polymer sealant as opposed to a wax, but adds long-lasting protection that most actual wax products. During intermittent washes/spray waxes...it gets treated (along with the whole car, including glass) with a Chemical Guys spray wax - also with UV protection. The 30 seconds it takes to add the headlights to the spray wax process while doing the rest of the whole car anyway isn't any big deal. The new SUV we have gets the same Meguiar's / Chemical Guys product treatments. We have NEVER had to do any other headlight treatment on this car. Even the 18-year old Mercedes we sold in January NEVER needed headlight-yellowing-correction treatment.

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: grampi

The problem with putting on a clear coat is that the lenses WILL still go bad again, and then the clear coat has to be removed before they can be repolished. It's much easier just to leave them uncoated and repolish them by hand every few months or so. This way you don't have to go through taping them off and using a buffer on them, which is both messy and time consuming....

I have the same car in Scotty's video down to the color. Last year I sprayed them with Meguiars headlight clear coat and it didn't last a year. Probably about 10 months tops. So won't be using that again. It seems like clear coat sprays vary in quality. I know Trav has recommended UPOL so probably go with that for next time or just polish them every few months by hand. That does seem easier.