Is there any advantage or disadvantage to waxing your plastic headlight lens?
Wax on headlights
- Thread starter Jonny Z
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It is fine if the wax your are using says it is safe for plastic, and it should protect them, however if it says it isn't safe, or doesn't say at all, don't do it. The bugs come off easier for me.
I use Blue Coral plastic cleaner/polish on my plastic headlamp lenses about once every 2 months. If for no other reason, I just like the way it seems to improve the lense clarity.
What about Meguiar's Cleaner Wax? I accidentally got some on a headlight, wiped it off and it looked great. I proceed and waxed both headlights and the fogs. Seemed to have taken away some of the clouds in the lens due to aging. The bottle does not warn against plastic.
I've used Klasse All-in-One (AIO)on headlights & tailights (side and rear windows too) with no negative side effects. AIO keeps the plastic sparkling clean and protected.
Anyone that drives where it snows knows the advantage of waxing the headlights....
Probably less chance of snow/ice "sticking" to the headlights, as well as just generally cleaner headlights overall.
It works for me, but obviously everyone's experiences will be a bit different depending on climate, vehicle, wax/polish used, etc.
I still contend that a layer of wax/polymer-wax (think Klasse AIO) will help to "shed" liquid off of the headlights similar to what Rain-X does to your windshield which provides a sort of cleaning effect (granted, probably a small one). YMMV.
Originally posted by kenw:
and that would be??
Well what happens, here where we have seasons of the year, is that in winter when it snows, after the snow starts to melt you get a slurry that contains salt, grit, general road grime and likely some calcium chloride. As this mess dries on an untreated headlight the light output is greatly reduced, I would venture to say by atleast 50% or more in some cases. I have found that since I started using Klasse or Rain-X on my headlights that this slurry simply beads up and is, for the most part, blown off before it has a chance to dry.
I am sure you have seen the mini wipers on the headlights of some of the higher end automobiles,they are not just for looks.
I have used plastic polish and it is good for what it is intended for which is removing blemishes/scratches from plastic, it doesnt work well when used in place of a Klasse/Rain-X type product.
and that would be??
Well what happens, here where we have seasons of the year, is that in winter when it snows, after the snow starts to melt you get a slurry that contains salt, grit, general road grime and likely some calcium chloride. As this mess dries on an untreated headlight the light output is greatly reduced, I would venture to say by atleast 50% or more in some cases. I have found that since I started using Klasse or Rain-X on my headlights that this slurry simply beads up and is, for the most part, blown off before it has a chance to dry.
I am sure you have seen the mini wipers on the headlights of some of the higher end automobiles,they are not just for looks.
I have used plastic polish and it is good for what it is intended for which is removing blemishes/scratches from plastic, it doesnt work well when used in place of a Klasse/Rain-X type product.
It does not snow in Central Texas. But I can wipe off dead bugs and bird poops off the headlights with one finger. Yay.
My Rain-X bottle warned against using on lights tho...
My Rain-X bottle warned against using on lights tho...
Funny, mine says: For exterior use only: Automotive glass and windshields, exterior side and rear windows, fog lights and headlights.
Most car finish waxes will actually cause your headlights to yellow much quicker in the sunlight. Try a good plastic polish on your headlights. I've used a product from a company called Novus that worked awesome. They sell a heavy/medium/fine/polish kit that works great. I've turned yellow nasty looking headlights into ones that looked almost as good as the day the vehicle rolled off the assembly line.
Where did you buy it?
i read a little on the net about Novus, however, they recommend it only on TAIL lights...I wonder why?
did you use all 3 steps on your headlights?
thanks.
Novus plastic polish:
http://www.noscratch.com/novus/
http://www.noscratch.com/novus/
There is a local store in Tampa that sells Novus. My brother would use it on motorcycle face masks... so I knew it was good.
How did I do it.... on one car I actually wet sanded using 800 then 1500 grit paper then did the 3 step novus process. It took some time and you definately need a power tool for buffing... but the results were absolutely amazing. A neighbor saw that my headlights were looking awesome so he ended up paying someone to do the job... costs him $175 to do both headlights on his Lexus RX 300. I should have done it for him for $150.
One of the fellows on an LS1 forum actually gave me the idea of wet sanding and he has pictures from his entire process.... Please see link below.
http://public.fotki.com/jaime302/cars/z28/polished_headlight/
How did I do it.... on one car I actually wet sanded using 800 then 1500 grit paper then did the 3 step novus process. It took some time and you definately need a power tool for buffing... but the results were absolutely amazing. A neighbor saw that my headlights were looking awesome so he ended up paying someone to do the job... costs him $175 to do both headlights on his Lexus RX 300. I should have done it for him for $150.
One of the fellows on an LS1 forum actually gave me the idea of wet sanding and he has pictures from his entire process.... Please see link below.
http://public.fotki.com/jaime302/cars/z28/polished_headlight/
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