Restoring my van headlights - PICS INSIDE

[G-MAN]

I replaced both of my van headlights about five years ago with new ones. Over the past year or so, the UV coating had started deteriorating resulting in the familiar hazing seen on most cars with Lexan headlights with any age on them.

This afternoon I pulled the lights out and went through my now familiar routing for restoring them. I didn't think about taking any pictures until after I'd gotten started, so I don't have any true "before and after" shots, but trust me, they were pretty bad.

Here is what they look like after cleaning them up with 1000 grit paper (wet sanding with an orbital sander):

Next, here is what they look like after polishing with 2000 grit paper (wet sanding with an orbital sander):

Next, here is what they look like after polishng with ordinary rubbing compound:

Next, after polishing with Blue Magic plastic polish:

And finally, finishing up by going over the lenses with Mother's "Back to Black":

About two hours of work and the lights look almost like brand new again.

 

[1sttruck]

I've had good luck with some 1000 grit paper, rubbing compound, polishing coumpound, and then Nufinish, not that it's optimum process, just what I had on hand.

 

[DJStillman]

Very nice results!!

 

[stogiedude]

Very cool, thanks for posting the pics!

Great results and a lot less than replacing them I'm sure. Headlights on one of my cars are like $350 for the pair I think. Why they don't make them out of glass anymore puzzles me.

I replaced a glass sealed headlamp recently on my '91 Dodge Stealth for like $10. Pain in the butt to disassemble because of the retractable headlights, but somehow I got it apart and back togheter without breaking anything.

 

[PRND3L]

Nice write-up G-Man.

Following your instructions on the recent 'headlight lenses' thread gave me similar results and saved me the expense of replacement. Thanks!

 

[Jim 5]

Nice work!

I like to hit my plastic headlights and tail-lights once every few years with the meguiar's plastic cleaner and then the meguiar's plastic polish.

Crystal clear plastic lenses result, and they are the kind of thing that makes the car look brand new. I did this routinely on my last truck. I waxed if often as well. Many people told me it looked brand new.....and I think the reason was due to crystal clear lenses (even if they didn't realize it).

I think it's a great detailing "secret weapon"!

 

[ScottB]

Well done!
Nice timeline in pics.

Scott

 

[JHZR2]

nice! Yeah, I dont understand either why they dont make them of glass anymore...

It seems that price-wise, they are the same anyway, and plastic is just as succeptible to brakage from rocks, etc.

The only plastic headlights I've seen that dont haze adn turn yellow are the 'guide' branded lights found on many GM vehicles. The headlights on my 98 Chevy are clear as new, though theyve been out in the sunlight for all their life!

JMH

 

[G-MAN]

Well, these are Guide headlights in my Olds van, and they hazed over from oxidation.

 

[Jim 5]

The guide plastic headlights on my '98 chevy were in good shape when I sold it this year. I cleaned and polished them every two years ago using meguiars.

My wife's acura has plastic headlights and they look great today. We bought that car new in 2002 and have done nothing at all to them.

All of our cars sit outside all the time. Can't bear to give up space in my garage unless a car is actually being worked on there.

 

[fitzz47]

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/classic-motoring/BB-PLE-Gde.pdf

 

[psudaytona]

I have used Plast-X on my headlights, works well.

 

[Dave H]

G-Man,

Good work. Looks like you saved yourself some cash by doing it yourself. New ones are just too expensive nowadays.

Like Jim 5 said, polished lenses are one of a detailer's secret weapons. They really set a car apart, and most people don't key in on exactly what is making the car look so good. I routinely polish mine with whatever polish I'm using on the rest of the car (usually something in Meg's Pro line). Once the major scratches and pits are out (by wet-sanding), I've found most paint polishes work fine for maintaining lenses, especially when using a PC. Topping with a quality sealant containing UV protection enhances their "pop", and really protects them nicely. NXT and 4 Star Ultimate Paint Protection are both well-suited for this. I've never used Zaino (due to the long process), but wonder how it would fare on lenses. Zaino reportedly has an extremely high gloss, which would be perfect for lenses.
Along with the lenses, detailing a vehicle's trim ranks up there as another secret weapon. Especially on lighter colored vehicles where the contrast adds that extra "pop". 303 is perfect for mine, giving it a long-lasting black satin finish. And if applied properly, it doesn't streak in the rain like some others do. And it's UV protection is probably the best you can get for rubber.

Dave

 

[PRND3L]

I finally finished my '00 Voyager's lights based on your info GMAN. They were heavily crazed on the upper halves when I started (sorry no before pics). This is the result of progressive wet sanding by hand with 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit paper, followed by Meguiar's Plast-X and finally topped off with some Finish 2001 (UV protectant). I think they came out great!

 

[G-MAN]

Quote:

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I finally finished my '00 Voyager's lights based on your info GMAN. They were heavily crazed on the upper halves when I started (sorry no before pics). This is the result of progressive wet sanding by hand with 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit paper, followed by Meguiar's Plast-X and finally topped off with some Finish 2001 (UV protectant). I think they came out great!

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Top job! Just remember to keep some sort of UV protectant on them and they should stay clear like this for a long time.

 

[ProV1]

the oval headlights in my 97 Mercedes are faded and cloudy. I had bought PlastX and tried it but it made very little difference. I'm going to try wetsanding with 1500 grit by hand, and then I'll try PlastX again.

 

[97tbird]

That looks great.
I'm glad to see that you did the wetsanding by hand; I was afraid to do it, because I thought it had to be done by machine...I guess I'll try the same thing that you did, only I'm going to use 3M plastic cleaner/polish after the sanding...

 

[PRND3L]

Thanks and good luck 97tbird. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[ProV1]

worked on my Mercedes headlights last nigiht - wetsanded with 1500grit, cleaned them real good with a damp terry cloth, and then applied PlastX.

i was nervous sanding away a $60,000 mercedes at first.. lol. i think the lights came out much better! the OEM lenses are fluted, not clear, so they don't look as "clean" as the clear ones no matter how much you polish them