Headlights going yellow

[Matt UK]

I know, what a great Friday thread...

Passat smoker is a 2005 and the headlights seem to have picked up a yellow patina - any good products to cure this?

Not that fussed TBH, but happy to invest 15mins if it makes a difference.

[andy-xr]

New scrappie headlamp units really, unless you fancy taking them apart

[Steameh]

I was under the impression using metal polish will bring them up

[marshalla]

wash them ?

[Matt UK]

andy-xr said:

New scrappie headlamp units really, unless you fancy taking them apart

Cheers, but too much hassle, just wondering if there was a product out there. Glass polish didn't do much.
Not losing any sleep over it though.

[Triumph Man]

Get over to ukpassats.co.uk, They have multiple threads on cleaning headlights, one is on the front page.

[Matt UK]

Steameh said:

I was under the impression using metal polish will bring them up

Will try - thanks

[Shaw Tarse]

New bulbs?

Or brasso/ metal polish?

[Matt UK]

marshalla said:

wash them ?

Bit more ingrained for soap and water to change it - looks like the perspex has just discoloured

[Shaw Tarse]

Get the garage to sort them http://mobile.pistonheads.com/;s=rbIt-RKnnZM_Ba8Qj...

[C.A.R.]

Plastic polish will be best. The best I've used is Meguiars PlastX, useful for faded headlights and the clear plastic windows you get on convertibles.

I'd be surprised if you weren't impressed with the results from PlastX but if not you can try a bit of wet sanding followed by more polishing with the Meguiars product...

[LuS1fer]

Toothpaste
Solvol Autosol
Scratch remover paste
Peanut butter

or if brave...
http://cl.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44...

[davepoth]

Probably worth going to buy some of those "cool white" bulbs, that should balance the colour out.

[durbster]

Shaw Tarse said:

New bulbs?

Good point, isn't this usually caused by using the wrong / cheap bulbs?

[tbc]

AVOID Nitromors

I colleague of mine used it to take off paint on his convertible window

le tit overnight, woke up the next morning and it was melted into a blob

[LeoSayer]

Don't know if any of them work...

http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&gs_nf=1&cp=...

[Squiggs]

I've heard that head lights have a UV protective layer in them to stop them going yellow and that if they're worked on (ie polished - hard) it's possible to damage the protective layer.
Is it possible your lights have been worked on?

[Otispunkmeyer]

I had this on my Superb. But I think it was on the inside of the front lens. I recall an expalanation as dirt getting in there and effectively being baked onto the perspex by the heat from the lamps. There was a labourious method of removing the headlight units then popping them in the oven at 200deg for 5 minutes to allow you to separate the two halves for cleaning the inside. Didnt bother!

I never did get round to try sanding it either!

Think it was detailing world forums where there was a guy who basically did this as a service... he did a spectacular job of even the most dirtied headlamps.

Edited by Otispunkmeyer on Friday 24th February 13:36

[Mr Recovery]

This user to happen on my old Toyota, a good polish with T-Cut used to bring them back as good as new. They do discolour again after about 12 months, however if you make this part of the regular cleaning routine you hardly ever notice the problem again.

[andy-xr]

Matt UK said:

andy-xr said:

New scrappie headlamp units really, unless you fancy taking them apart

Cheers, but too much hassle, just wondering if there was a product out there. Glass polish didn't do much.
Not losing any sleep over it though.

Only time I've had discoloured headlamps it was the inside rather than the outside