[87TXBRONCO]

What is the best kit for clearing up those haze covered headlights, my wifes Exoy and my Bronco both got the dull headlights?

[87TXBRONCO]

Alittle further reading and now got some ideas..

[91xltlariat]

This is the one i used on the '97 escort i had.


To give you an idea, Of how it works. This is before.


And this is after.

[Lip Ripper]

I just use rubbing compound and my buffer.

[Poppy]

To take the heavy oxidation off, I used 000 steel wool, comet (sink and tub type abrasive cleaner), white polishing compound (like you would use to give a car a "compound and simonize"). They all three worked.

BUT it is important to finish it off with a PLASTIC polish. I use Meguiar's PlastX; not because I think it is any better than any of the other brands, but because it was about $5 in Walmart. The difference is absolutley amazing!

[Boghog]

Here's my advice on the subject along with foolproof instructions.

I've been seeing this pop up ALOT lately, several people having trouble fixing their dull headlights. The reason they become dull, is because they become oxidized, often caused by sun, and other damaging sources. To clear your headlights again, you need to sand away the oxidized plastic, to the fresh, new, clean plastic. Afterwards you need to polish your headlights to remove the scuffs and dullness you've created by sanding.

First, your going to want to pick up anywhere from 1000-2000 Grit Wet Sandpaper. I've used 1000, 1500, and 2000, all with great results. Regardless of grit, be careful and dont leave scratches too deep.

Now i'll get to a step by step in a moment, you're going to want a rundown of everything you will need.

Wet sandpaper - 1000-2000 Grit Recommended.
Bucket with warm water and a little dish soap
Rag to wipe off residue to check your progress

Most important piece:
POLISH!!!

There are several polishes and kits I have tried that work great.
I recommend:

Novus Polish
System one X3 Polish (google polishandwax.com)
3M Headlight Restoration Kit (Found at AutoZone)

I'm pretty sure that's everything you will need.

Now for the process.

1. Gather all equipment needed to begin wetsanding your headlights/tailights.

2. Fill a bucket with warm water and a little dish soap for lubrication.

3. Soak your sandpaper in the warm water for 15 minutes.

4. Wet headlight before beginning, make sure the headlight is always wet or soaked.

5. Grab your sandpaper and fold it however you feel comfortable with.

6. Begin sanding your surface in ONE direction ONLY. This means either LEFT TO RIGHT or UP AND DOWN. One or the other! Don't go left and right and then decide to go up and down. Definitely do not use a swirling motion!

If the headlight is wet enough you should be seeing a yellowish liquid rolling down the headlight. This is the oxidized plastic that you are sanding off. Your going to want to keep sanding until this yellowish water turns white. This means you reached the good plastic.

Keep stopping occasionally and putting your sandpaper in the bucket of water, being sure not to clog up the sandpaper with plastic. If you'd like you can grab that rag and wipe down the headlight to see how your job is going.

Once your satisfied with the sanding process, grab your polish, or headlight kit and get ready to clean up those lenses.

1. Get your polish or kit.

This can be done in several ways:
By hand, Buffer, or Mothers Powerball on the end of a drill.

Some kits come with a drill attachment, if so, then use that!

2. Apply polish to buffer, headlight, rag, or whatever your using.

3. Work polish into headlight. The polish is NOT like wax. you cannot wipe it on and wipe it off and expect good results. Polish is all about being worked into the surface. Once it begins to harden up or you feel you've worked it in enough, buff off the polish.

Chances are you may have to do it several times before your satisfied.

That's about all I can think of, this is all I do when I polish mine.

[D.Acker]

I use a wetsand process and have found I get better results doing it by hand than with a kit.

Start with 800 grit, work your way up to 2000 (800 -> 1000 -> 12 or 1500 -> 2000)grit sandpaper, finish with Plastix. It may take a bit longer but well worth the results. I also my DA polisher w\wool pad on the plastix step.

You can change your starting grit sandpaper as needed. You may only have to start with 1000 depending on how bad the lights are.

I tried the 3m kit posted above on our Windstar lights, and while it improved them, the kit didn't have enough sand paper with it to really complete the job. Our lights were bad though.

Just remember to keep them wet while sanding, regardless if you're using a store bought kit or the process I described above

[87TXBRONCO]

Thanks alot fella's!! I will take all the advice and get those headlights sparkling factory clear again..I really do appreciate it

[Breadman Scott]

Just was talking to my wife this morning about cleaning the lights up, now I know how.

[BlueOvalFanatic]

they sell cleaning kits at your local auto parts store