Removing scratches from plastic headlights

M

mark2003

New member
I might be purchasing some plastic jdm headlights for my 93 prelude, but they seem to have a couple of big scratches on them, and then a bunch of real small hairline scratches. Im wondering if I would be able to remove the scratches, if so, what products would be best to get rid of the scratches, especially the bigger ones. The scratches aren't real deep from what I have seen in the pics, just big.



If I can't do this myself, is there any kind of place that is able to remove the scratches with something else?



Thanks for any advice
 
If you can feel the scratch with your fingernail you'll need to wetsand the scratch out. Use 1000 to 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper, than buff out the sanding marks with a fine compound like FI2. End the process with a SMR and a protectant. I like to ues Klasse AIO and SG as protectants for light lenses.
 
If the scratches aren't deep enough that you can feel it with your finger nail, what are some store bought products I can get to remove them, and polish it up and protect it etc? I don't usually like buying products off the net, I usually just run up to Canadian Tire for my car stuff.
 
I don't think Canadian Tire sells any plastic polish. Meguiar's and Mothers both make a plastic polish and you can find them at a parts store or get CT to order them in. I don't think you have to use specific plastic polishes though. Try to find the recent thread Bret mentioned. :up



Where are you located by the way? :)
 
Im in Surrey, B.C. Canada. I might just get some professional place to fix them up if I can't find the right stuff to fix it, i'll have to wait and see until the headlights are mailed to me and I can see how bad it is
 
mark2003 said:
Im in Surrey, B.C. Canada. I might just get some professional place to fix them up if I can't find the right stuff to fix it, i'll have to wait and see until the headlights are mailed to me and I can see how bad it is
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Hi there neighbor! :wavey

No no, don't take them to some shop so they can charge you for what you can do at home. :nono This is polishing up some lenses (off the car yet!) not brain surgery. Have you read this thread that Bret suggested? http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16767



Lordco sells Meguiar's plastic polish, but there is more than one way to skin a cat...



Also places that sell/deal with plexiglass has a line of very good stuff called Novus that has 2 grades of polish depending on how bad damage is.
 
Cool thanks for your help. I didn't realize you lived so close, I never looked at your loaction :)



Yeah, I'll probably try a polish and see how that fairs out, if it doesn't take out the bigger scratches then i'll have to take it up a notch I guess. I don't plan on putting them on the car for awhile so I got time to get them looking like new again.



I'll keep you posted when I get the headlights.
 
Hey, Mark2003 and 4DSC. I'm from the area too. Burnaby specifically. Speaking about plastics, what is the best cleaner/protectant for a new car, maybe Plexus or Zaino? Any idea where I can get some Plexus for a cheap price around the lower mainland? I was thinking maybe a Honda motorcycle dealership or something like that. I am heading to the Harley dealership for some S100 wheel cleaner which is the same as P21S gell wheel cleaner, I believe, for half the price. Otherwise, I would have had to order P21S stuff from the distributor in Hamilton and pay exorbitant shipping charges.:wavey
 
Just a tip...call around first before you go and buy the S100 from a Harly Davidson dealership.. I found that the HD dealer in port moody (hum.. can't remember the name.. but I can look it up) sells the stuff for $5-10 cheaper than Trev-Deely Harley Davidson in Burnaby.



As for the Meguaires plastic polish, I think KMS in coquitlam (beside the new ikea) sells both bottels (the blue and the white one)... I belive it's cheaper than lordco and you get 10% off (if you setup an account with them).
 
Andre' said:
If you can feel the scratch with your fingernail you'll need to wetsand the scratch out. Use 1000 to 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper, than buff out the sanding marks with a fine compound like FI2. End the process with a SMR and a protectant. I like to ues Klasse AIO and SG as protectants for light lenses.
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I have a scratch I can feel by fingernail. Would I just wetsand with the 2000 on the scratch only? And then use the SMR and a protectant (what kind of protectant would ya reccomend to someone who cant get Klasse?) by hand or with the machine? Want to try this, but don't want to mess up anything. Can I just use Meguiars Plastic Cleaner and Polish after I wet-sand instead of the SMR and just follow up with a good car polish/wax?
 
Yes you can spot sand the scratch out, just remember to feather the scratch out from the center, so you don't create a deep groove. It's best to do this by machine, but it can be accomplished by hand, with a lot of work. If the csratch is to deep you can make it look better by polishing the scratch making it less noticeable. Meguiars Plastic Cleaner and Polish won't work, you need something more abrasive. After wetsanding you need to use a good compound like 3M's fine cut compound or Finesse-It2, than a SMR. You can use any wax, but a sealant like Klasse or Zaino would be best.
 
I have used liquid metal polish (very, very mild, blue liquid) to remove the haze on plastic headlight lenses with great success.
 
Are there different kinds of meguiars plastic polish (one for clear plastic?) Will it take out long scratches if they arent deep? If I do it by hand will I have to rub it in hard or what?
 
iceman said:
Any idea where I can get some Plexus for a cheap price around the lower mainland?
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Hi there! :wavey

Home Hardware sells Plexus, at least at the bigger stores. Run a search for the price, as I've posted about this before. Remember that Plexus is only for plastic and Zaino is paint protection. ;) As mentioned, Trev Deely HD does sell S100 stuff, including the gel wheel cleaner. I don't think the price of it is worth it though (something close to $20!) and I'd recommend Eagle One A2Z (new orange formula) instead. S100 wax was $30 I think - that is worth it. :up



mark2003, check out: http://www.meguiars.com/product_showroom/showproducts_template.cfm?SrcLine=PI

I haven't used the Megs polish, but you probably just have to see it in person and try it. Sometimes multiple tries or more sweat can eventually help. Also consider the Novus stuff I mentioned because you have a choice of both a fine and heavy scratch remover.
 
Thanks 4DSC. Also, since you are local, do you know of any places specifically that sell the Novus stuff? Thanks :xyxthumbs
 
I got mine at Industrial Plastics in Richmond (I think they have more stores elsewhere), but you could also try other stores listed in the yellow pages under "plastics". Good luck with the headlights. :)
 
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