help on sanding headlight

Y

yudalicious

New member
hey I have a 1996 240sx and the healights have jsut a tiny bit of yellow on them (plastic lights).... so after googling and I decided to sand my headlights:
here is what I did:
started w/ 600 grit then a 1500 then a 2000 grit sandpaper sanding the headlight by hand (for about ~5 min each grit paper) at the same time wetting the headlight w/ soapy water.
w/ 600 the headlight was very hazy and when I got done w/ the 2000, it was clear, transparent when it was wet. Then I used Turtlewax Rubbing compoound and followed w/ meguair's #10 clear plastic polish... wow it was beautiful, the lense had no yellow, was clear, and looked almost new.

the problem:
then I rinsed the healdight w/ water, and it seems the polish washed off, and the headlight is VERY hazy, not clear and less transparent than before cleaning (other headlight).

What should I do? at it's present state the headlight (although no yellow discoloring) is very hazy and doesn't let much light out.
Thanks!
 
Try a Good Metal Polish on the other headlight and see if that cleans it up, don't know if it will work on the hazy light though. Plexus is a good product for cleaning & protecting plastic might be worth a try as well.
 
i do the same process as you but after the 2000 grit i buff the lens with a small white buffing wheel mounted to my 3/8 air drill then buff with medium compound .. follow with polish and sealer ..
 
ugh.. I tihnk tomorrow I'm going to get some 3m rubbing compound, which I know is made to deal w/ 2000 grit paper....

but the thing is I know ther sohuldn't be a need for wax for it to be clear/transparent... argh..
 
I have used Blue Coral metal polish on a mid 90s mustang with success. The headlights were yellowed and faded. I applied them it with a cotton towel. Cleaned them up rather well.
 
for all the time and effort in polising these out, have you thought about just going to an automotive recycler and purchasing a good set of used ones???

I have a couple of local yards I deal with, and could, if ya like get you a quote...
PM me if you're interested
 
thanks for the offer, the trouble is used headlights are alll worse off than my! (liek I stated earlier, my are actually in pretty good condition for a car that hasn't been garaged)... I was goingt o buy new ones and found some actually at a decent price, but thought this would be a last resort before shelling out $ for enw ones ;]
 
For things like this I start with a high speed rotary with a 3 inch wool cutting pad, and light cut compound.
I then use Novus plastic cleaner and polsih to finish then top with sealant
I have yet to run into any lights that I have not been able to get the haze off.
What I find is your taking the haze layer off and getting down to the clean plastic layer
 
Poorboy's Pro Polish is great on plastic too. Plus, you can use it on the rest of your car when you're done.
 
Yuda,

What you need after the final sanding step but before the Plexus or Megs topper is to open the pores of the plastic (we like to use Superior Restoration's Pre-treatment, followed by several light coats of Shine Restorer (UV protectant).

This will clear up any haze leftover after the final sanding step, THEN you can top with Plexus.

:showpics

Check out these before and after pics:
 
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