Time for new headlight?

bsdsys_x86

bsdsys_x86

New member
I was outside polishing/stripping aio+ksg off my car. Nice look btw but not my taste. Anyway. I noticed my headlights and remembered I took a picture of it before I broke my camera and was hoping I trasnfered it to the PC. Lucky for me I did. Here is a pic of my driver side headlight. Not sure what's going on here but they are not cracks. It just looks like the plastic is pealing and it is kinda rough to the touch. No cracks though. Is there any hope for my headlight or would purchasing a new one be the correct approach? What products would you recommend? Thanks

Bryan


f2eba3f0.jpg
 
I don't have the answer to your question, but if you do decide to replace the light assembly, e-bay was a good source for me.
Make sure you find an OEM unit. There's lots of aftermarket ones that are probably less money new than an OEM used.

Charles
 
Charles, yes I was deffinately be going to go with ebay cause here at the dealership it's like $300.00! That's crazy! Thanks for the suggestion. Would like to be able to repair it some way with the right product and a pad combo on the pc or something. That would be nice!
 
It will need something pretty aggressive from the looks of those flaws. One thing about it, you probably can't make it much worse without using some coarse sandpaper.

Charles
 
Most mustang owners have learned the art of wet sanding to remove the ugly yellowing head lights. In your case I would do the same it looks as if the clearcoat is pretty much done. Wet sand them using a 1500 grit then move to a 2000 grit wet/dry sanding paper and sand in one direction keeping the paper nice and wet. After your done use a plastic polish to help remove any fine scrathes. Here a good thread on what to do
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=441052
 
Hey thanks for the link. I already have some 1500 and 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper and just went and got some Blue Magic Plastic & Plexiglass Cleaner and Light Scratch Remover. I don't have a drill with the pads he mentioned in his post but what pad would you recommend using for say the PC? Just a polishing pad? Will try first thing in the morning and see how they come out.
 
Bryan,

I have noticed my wifes headlights on her 2000 Intrepid have a couple of spots like that. The clearcoat plastic coating looks like it has failed on yours. I'd do as suggested and if that fails I have seen then on eBay for a good price. Did you upgrade your bulbs at all? The stock ones were very sucky, much better since I upgraded them.

You didn't like AIO/SG on your paint? Really surprised to hear that.

Good luck!

Paul
 
Well, I've tried a couple different approaches and nothing has worked as I was hoping but it did help alot. Helped enough, so I will be doing some more wetsanding with the 600 grit because that is what really helped things out with the peeling. I might even go a little lower maybe 500 or something because mine are really bad and I will follow it up like so 500 > 600 > 1000 > 1500 > 2000. I might even skip the 1000 and just follow the 600 up with 1500 and 2000. Makes more sence to me. Any suggestions are appreciated and I will keep posting in this thread as I progress. Will post pics of the headlight when satisfied. Not sure how long cause the camera I had was 250.00 and was thinking of getting a better one so. Maybe a couple weeks or longer.
 
Ben Kenobi said:
You didn't like AIO/SG on your paint? Really surprised to hear that.
Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong. I liked the look of AIO and I love the cleaning abilities it has. So far that is the main reason I use it but I can't see not topping it with EX-P. I might like AIO + KSG on a different color but not on silver metallic. Just not my cup of joe! To each his own though.
 
My headlight housings don't have any clearcoat on them, but they were badly scratched and pitted from twelve years of getting pelted by sand during winter highway driving. I just finished polishing them today and had great results.

I began by wet sanding with 600, 1000, 1500, and then 2000 grit sandpaper. I bought a Wolfgang lens polishing kit but was not crazy about the initial results with their polish so I tried Menzerna IP instead and had great results. I used my cordless drill rather than my PC and it quickly got all the sanding marks from the 2000 grit sandpaper out. I didn't even bother with a finer polish because the surface was already perfectly smooth and clear - verified this by turning on the headlights and carefully examining the lenses. I followed with the Wolfgang plastic glaze and sealant, and my headlights now look as good as when the car was brand new.
 
I noticed on the Interpid forum, one of the guys mentioned the process needed to be repeated in 6 months and another guy whining about having to do it again 1/2 year...did none of them consider using a product that is mildly abrasive (basic cleaner wax) or with a good chemical cleaner (AIO etc...) on a regular basis AFTER the headlights were restored????

I have had several cars with the plastic headlights, including a '91 Thunderbird (and we all know how susceptible Ford lights are to this problem), and NONE of them have exhibited the slightest bit of hazing, fogging, clouding or discoloration... Do ya think it has anything to do with the fact I clean & polish/wax my headlights on a regular basis along with the rest of the car??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top