restoring clear plastic headlight lenses

bigron62

bigron62

New member
hi everyone . im doing quite a few cars with faded or scratched headlamp lenses how do you restore them? this looks like a great add on service to offer .products and methods would be greatly appreciated..:wait
 
I used PB PP then SSR1 on my buddy's neon which is a daily driver. He drives to wyoming everyday and the semis really beat up his car with dirt and rocks. His headlamps were covered with a brownish haze and after SSR1 were like new.
 
Novus is a protect that I use for this all the time. Its in 3 levels, for what I see I'd get the level 2 for cleaning the crud off, then polish with the level 1.

The PB PP is another great product for this as well
 
ditto that. where do you get that stuff and how do you apply /polish the lens. that is exactly what i want to offer my customers.. also how long does it take to do both lights if they look like the ones in the picture.. also what grit paper are you using?. thanks ... ron
 
anyone out there ??? dont leave me hangin. im not doing any cars today so id like to get some stuff to fix headlights today any help would be appreciated.
 
I have used AIO over my tail lights, and it took away some of the hazing and oxidation, but it did not fix some of the graying of the white part of my taillights. I think I will have to go over it again, I think it is ground in dirt. I finished off with a layer of SG.

I think any polish with cleaners in it will do some good. With heavier oxidation, you would have to step it up to a stronger polish, just like with paint. But choose a polish that doesn't stain white, and it should work.

Actually I only did this to my left taillight because the right one was replaced, and the difference in color made the car look ridiculous... :doh and just for reference the left taillight was 13 years old
 
I have used rubbing compound like Meguiars Medium Cut and Fine Cut and they both worked well with a rotary. I have wet sanded scratches out with 1500 grit paper and then followed up with the compounds.
I think that Poorboy's SSR products would work well too, I just haven't had a need to try them for that purpose yet.
Toothpaste on a diaper or cotton towel works well for small areas ... It has a very mild abrasive.
As a last step I use Meguiars Clear Plastic Polish with the rotary or by hand. I am sure that the PC will work as well as by hand.
Be careful of heat generated by buffing ... plastic melts easily then you will have another repair.
If you want even more shine add a coat of Plexus ... It doesn't last long but looks good out the door.
 
Central, bigron:

Sorry to leave you hangin'. BUSY weekend!

Method's simple:

1) Prep surface with Bright Solutions' Pre-treatment.
2) Wet-sand using 600, 1000, 1500, and 2000 grit.
3) Rinse surface with plain water (the plastisizers you are removing from the surface of the lens will turn milky-white and run down the front bumper)
4) Wipe with pre-treatment again.
5) Polish by hand using Bright Solution's Oxidation Remover (specially formulated for plastics where optical clarity is important.) using a lint-free paper towel. This step is similar to buffing wet-sand scratches on paint. DO NOT skip this step, it's very important.
6) Buff off any remaining residue with a clean, lint-free paper towel.
7) Wipe with pre-treatment.
8) Using Bright Solution's Deep Fill, wipe horizontally across the lens using slight pressure. Deep Fill will fill any micro-scratches left. Let dry for a few minutes.
9) Apply several light coats of Shine Restorer (contains UV protectants) using a clean, lint-free paper towel. Allow a 1-2 minute flash time between coats.
10) Top with Plexus. (Optional)

That's it! The products mentioned above can be found here:

http://www.superiorrestoration.com/products/bright_lights_headlight.htm

Regards,

Mike R:headbang
 
After:

By the way, these are severly damaged lenses. This symptom occurs mostly in 95 and newer Chrysler products, as well as newer Mustangs and the like.

I have tried every compound and polish known to man, even Meg's products, Plastix, etc.. THEY WILL NOT TOUCH IT. Don't waste your time. The UV protectants injected into the platsic lenses when they are molded are migrating to the surface in the form of plastisizers. After repeated exposure to the sun, AS WELL AS lack of protectants, (Plexus, waxes) they turn out like this.

Many owner mistakenly believe this condition is on the INSIDE of the lens, therefore they write it off and do nothing about it.

This method is FACTORY APPROVED. The options are:

1) Replace the lens assembly at $240 to $420 PER LENS or

2) Resurface using this method at a fraction of the cost

What would you do?

Also, kimwallace made a good point about using a rotary. Too much heat. In addition, a rotary is much to large to effectively work on such a small area, IMO. Better by hand.

Bigrron, I can do a set (both sides) in extreme condition like tones in the pics, in about 1 hour. THIS IS A HUGE MONEYMAKER, ESPECIALLY AT USED CAR LOTS. Dealers will gladly pay upwards of $75 - $100 for this service, because after all, we know what the other option is.

Regards,
 
Top of the Line says Hi-Temp's light cut will polish plastic headlights. They also sell a neat little orbitle buffer made by Wen.

Brad
 
Polishing clear (Lexan, Acrylite, etc.) headlights are much different than removing plasticizers from the surface of a deteriorated lens.

Imagine trying to remove tar, sap, wet-sand scratches and oxidation by hand with turtle wax.

Will expound later.

Regards,

Edit: Well, in all fairness, maybe we should ask BigRon HOW degraded the lenses in question were. Hi-temp's product may work wonders on a 2002 Maxima with light road film, but it wouldn't touch the Caravan in the above pics.

BIGRON???
 
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