hazed look to plastic headlights lens/covers....?

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southernjeeper

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decided to use a cheaper and simple way to remove that haze....

So I google'd' it and one of the first 'cool' ways to clean this haze was this

toothpaste


Don't use any special toothpaste like the ones that have whitening agents or mint flavor, but use just plain ole regular paste.

Put a dab on a towel. Wipe onto surface of the headlight plastic cover/lens in small circles. Wash off with a water hose and wet towel.

SIMPLE and IT WORKS!!

toothpaste

just thought to pass this along.
 
Toothpaste works at least 90% as well as those expensive 3M kits. I feel like people that fail vehicle inspections for hazed headlights should be told that the haze can be removed with toothpaste.
 
Yeah but the kits that comes with the drill adapter is very useful. It took 20 minutes of running the drill to get my headlights looks better. Imagine doing that much wiping by hand....
 
The aircraft industry sells plexiglass polish ("Perspec" for you Brits) which works as intended, but just about any sort of clearcoat car polish (not wax) contains enough abrasive to take off the haze. Starting with some 1500 to 2000 grit sand paper helps in the worst cases, but keep it wet, and expect to use a "polish" on it thereafter to buff out the tiny marks left by the paper. Don't get to carried away with a 3/4 inch drill, either, you can get that plastic hot enough to melt streaks into it.
 
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Originally Posted By: soyeahiknow
Yeah but the kits that comes with the drill adapter is very useful. It took 20 minutes of running the drill to get my headlights looks better. Imagine doing that much wiping by hand....


It took only 3 minutes per light using common household products. Hydrogen peroxide with arm & hammer sodium bicarbonate. I wet sand paper with peroxide, sprinkle a little a&h onto THE BACK SIDE of the sand paper, and rub cover in a circular motion. Then rinse with a large water soaked sponge. Repeat every 3 - 4 months.
 
I find Turtle Wax Premium Rubbing Compound (in the squeeze bottle) works wonders for headlights with very little effort. For a really good shine and protection you can three step this with Turtle Wax Premium Polishing Compound and then follow with Collinite 845.

Keep in mind that polycarbonate headlights have a protective coating on them, once it hazes that's a sign the protective coating has worn off so you'll be polishing headlights every season or so.
 
I use Aim gel....but only on opaqued headlights...and then wax with FW1 racing formula wax but any waxing with UV protectant is necessary after using any abrasive as they remove the existing UV sealant...
 
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Originally Posted By: Towncivilian
dvldoc also had great results using toothpaste.


Cool, I was going to post that I removed yellow haze with paper towel moistened with isopropyl alcohol.

Toothpaste sounds even better.

Yes, it works only temporarily, but cleaning headlights with alcohol or toothpaste twice a year is not a big deal.

I bought a 3M cleaning kit, but it's sitting in a shelf. No need for that.
 
Meguiars makes a polish called PlastX that works great on headlights. Costs about 5 bucks and a bottle of it lasts a long time. I polish my headlights and tail lights with it several times a year, which keeps them nice and clear.

I also found out by accident that it works great on chrome too. Got some on my grille and noticed how shiny it was when I wiped it off, so I did the whole grille, bumpers, and wheels with it. It works so well that I've had a few people ask what I did to get the chrome so shiny.
 
Please note that headlamps are UV resistant coated for longer clarity against UV rays. When this hazing effect occurs, its because that protective layer is no longer functioning. While you perform this removal of oxidized layer this leaves the plastic unprotected still from UV rays and eventually it will haze up again. Could be weeks to months depending on your climate.
 
Originally Posted By: KD0AXS

I also found out by accident that it works great on chrome too. Got some on my grille and noticed how shiny it was when I wiped it off, so I did the whole grille, bumpers, and wheels with it. It works so well that I've had a few people ask what I did to get the chrome so shiny.


Interesting. Thanks for the tip.
 
I spent a fair amount of time polishing the headlights on my truck, since they were somewhat hazed (although not nearly as bad as a lot of vehicles I see out and about). When I was done, they looked great. I thought they looked like new, and the difference at night was quite noticeable.

Then, I had to replace one of the headlights. Put a new headlight next to a "polished" old unit and guess what, they look awful. Without a comparison old to new, I (and everyone I had showed) would have told you that my old headlights looked just like new.

With headlight assemblies ranging from $50 to $1000+ these days, I'm not suggesting that everyone skip polishing and just buy new headlights. I do think it's considering before you delve into a "polish every 3 months for headlights that will still be probably 25-50% worse than new" routine. Once they get that haze, you'll fight it for the rest of their life. New headlights seem to last a good 5-10 years without any serious haze.
 
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