Headlight Refurb Compound

[Sea Demon]

Can anyone tell me what compound would be best for a plastic lens headlight refurb? The 3M kit only comes with 1 sachet, all well & good for 1 car but not for a few.

Thanks!

[HiHoSilverSLK]

I went the three grades of Wet & Dry rubbing down paper followed by a good glass cleaner then waxed the lenses.

The results are just about OK, but I think it's a stop gap and that replacement is the best route.

I tried the refurb paste and it wasn't up to the job, of course it depends haw rough the surface is.

Good luck with yours.

[jagnet]

I had to restore one of the headlights on my car when I bought it. Ended up using 800, 1200, 1500 and 2000 wet and dry followed by GTechniq P1 with the rotary buffer. After cleaning I sealed it with Werkstat Acrylic Jett.

The results were very satisfactory although I could perhaps have been more aggressive with the wet and dry initially (the headlight cover was in really quite bad condition).

[DemonIan]

Sea Demon said:

Can anyone tell me what compound would be best for a plastic lens headlight refurb? The 3M kit only comes with 1 sachet, all well & good for 1 car but not for a few.

Thanks!

What are you trying to correct? is it scratches, hazing clouding or yellowing... - if it's just light mist/hazing i would give something like Meguiars plast-RX a spin, heavier marring - you can use a combination of meguiars m105, either by hand or with a small DA polisher pad, and plast-RX. But for scratches and heavier damage see all above, tape off headlamp or completely remove - work from 1200g wet and dry up to 2500/3000g and finish with something like RX to refine.

nb, if you end up using a rotary that's fine - just watch the heat build up and keep it moving. Lost count of the amount of headlights i've seen with a small frosted circle where it's over heated and warped the plastic...

best of luck

Edited by DemonIan on Tuesday 20th August 10:51

[Sea Demon]

Thanks for the replies, some very handy tips.

I've done the worst set I've got to do, the others just have a slight cloudiness but these were full on yellow & failed the MOT because of it:

Here's my before & after shots using just the 3M kit with a drill:

[shoehorn]

I find these polishes are o.k but the lights just fade again quite quickly.
Also by polishing and sanding them,the protective layer(the bit that fades and yellows)is removed,leaving the plastic naked to u.v hazing and stone chips/scratching.

[Madrabbit]

I have used Mothers plastic polish in the past on lamps and my Westfield side screens with good results.

[scott15]

Looks good in the picture. Is it that good of a finish in real life? (pictures often make things look better)

If you've got a DA, then it isn't much work at all. Id 500 grit the headlight, till the UV protection layer is mainly gone, then 800, 1200, 1500. Then a good polish with the compound you have already used. The light will look brand new again. We lacquered the lights afterwards at my old work (not sure if this is usually done?) did look good however.