Polishing headlight lenses

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Originally Posted by LGM

I tackled my headlights a while ago now in April 2019 and even though I live in a 'Sun Drenched' location the headlight have remained clear. Like DiscoJeffster the headlights were uneven in the finish so I persisted trying different grades of grit and then plastic polish followed by a liquid nano ceramic coat. They came up quite well and have not yellowed despite parking in the open quite a bit.

I have attached a few pics. On the before and after close up pics of the headlight lens you can see the pitting etc.

I tried using a kit with a wheel arrangement for my electric drill but did not like the aggressive nature of it so I reverted to the old school arrangement of hand rubbing! Bugger of a job but it did get results. Not every blemish came out but the lenses are vastly better than they were!

If I (when I) do it again I will be more persistent and reckon I will get a better result!

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That is really helpful.. I am due soon...

That being said, not being in a sun drenched location, after changing the light bulbs I now realise how easy it is to remove the headlights and I will do it inside where it is warmer... and I am more patient :p

I used a Turtlewax kit from supercheap on the wifes volvo wagon which came with three grades of sanding blocks, a polishing liquid, a cleaner liquid and a then a UV sealer liquid.
followed the instructions and achieved a very good result and over 12 months on the headlights still look good despite being exposed to the UV as it lives in a partially shaded carport.
Coating the cleaned lens with a UV protectant/hard coast when finished sanding and polishing is a must for a good result.
The original kit only came with enough sealer for one pair of headlights but I used the kit on a second vehicle and used Rustoleum spray on clear coat from Bunnings to seal the lens with also great results.

So many vehicles on the road with such badly obscured headlights because of the plastic going off and their indicators are barely visible as well. Not that many of them use them here but it would help see where those that do are intending to go> :)
AlanH.

What I find amazing is that the front headlights on my RRS are heavily UV damaged and will require replacement - the polycarbonate has internal cracks that will never polish out. However the clear covers on the tail lights have remained crystal clear even after 15 years - why not make the front covers out of the same plastic as the rear lights. Too easy.

Garry

I also had to remove my ARB Bar to get to the headlights!

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Originally Posted by ontheway

That is really helpful.. I am due soon...

That being said, not being in a sun drenched location, after changing the light bulbs I now realise how easy it is to remove the headlights and I will do it inside where it is warmer... and I am more patient :p

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Originally Posted by LGM

I also had to remove my ARB Bar to get to the headlights!

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Yeah that’s a real design failure on their part that OL got right.

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Originally Posted by DiscoJeffster

Nah. It’s not the fissures, it’s lumpy. It’s weird. It’s like there a hard and soft part in the polycarbonate. You can feel that it’s smooth on the weird sections and then rough. When polished there’s a clear difference. I tried sanding on the spots and it doesn’t change. It’s weird. Maybe I need to hit it with a P400 to really get into it and see.

Yeah I know I’m now screwed with the UV, but they were trashed anyhow. I wonder if you can get new lenses for them?

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I'll take a stab that someone has tried to "Polish" them before you did.

I have the equipment here and rellys in the trade, and we use Pro stuff.

Basically my understanding is that if you aren't getting the right results, someone has had a go with the wrong stuff and damaged the light.

Solvents can be really bad.

Other than that... Who knows.

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Originally Posted by shack

I'll take a stab that someone has tried to "Polish" them before you did.

I have the equipment here and rellys in the trade, and we use Pro stuff.

Basically my understanding is that if you aren't getting the right results, someone has had a go with the wrong stuff and damaged the light.

Solvents can be really bad.

Other than that... Who knows.

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Yeah it’s weird. I’m going to get some heavier grade wet and dry and hit it hard, then refine and see. Worst case I’ll just buy some new lenses. At the same time I think I’ll paint the grill for that black look [emoji4]

I'm a lazy, lazy person, so paid a pro to do it.

Came to the house, used proper products, and got an 'as new' result. This was a few years back, and they still look perfect.

Best $150 i've spent on the car. Makes it look so much younger again!

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Originally Posted by veebs

I'm a lazy, lazy person, so paid a pro to do it.

Came to the house, used proper products, and got an 'as new' result. This was a few years back, and they still look perfect.

Best $150 i've spent on the car. Makes it look so much younger again!

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Exactly. It’s the Botox equivalent!