I have a 2001 e320 wagon. What is the best way to clean the headlight lense? Mine has some minor hazing. Thanks in Advance.

 

Most likely its on the inside and you have to take the thing apart to clean it, I know some people who did that on their W202's. If its anything on the outside a wash should get it right off.

 

Meguiars makes a GREAT Plastic cleaner/polish PlastX
I Tried some at the Meguiars Event today....Works Great!

 

Try the PlastiX by Meguiar. It works really well. I had picked that up at Checkers cuz my 01 Maxima headlight looked fogged and when I put the stuff on. it cleans it and polished it like it was a new headlight.

 

hi guys,
tried the plastix from meguires on my other car yesterday night..after reading the post , went to autozone and then finally kragen t pick one up....hmm,it does not seem to work for me....the headlight is still looking dull...

so far success rate, i guess is 66 percent..........

 

~One man’s opinion / observations~

Removing Oxidation or scratches from Vehicle headlights, Brake lights (polycarbonate)
Most vehicles now have a protective, transparent, plastic lens covering the headlights to protect expensive lamps (headlight assemblies range from 500-$700+) from flying stones and road debris. They discolour over time, becoming opaque and cloudy, these lenses can severely restrict the amount of light reaching the road.

UVR induced discoloration (yellowing) will permeate through the plastic over time and is caused by accumulated exposure to ultraviolet light. While most of the cloudiness is on the surface, severely discoloured lens cannot be brought back to optical clarity. If you live in a southern state, this discoloration can become noticeable in as little as two-years

Application Methodology:
·Use a solvent type cleaner (Klasse All-In-One) if this does not remove the oxidation use a plastic polish Meguiar’s PlastX or Renovo Plastic Cleaner
·Plastic Cleaners can be used to clean and condition Perspex as well as flexible plastic but is not suitable for use on glass.
·Prior to application of a plastic polish ensure that the window is clean and free from dust particles by washing with a soft cloth and warm water.
·It is not advisable to use cleaning detergents on plastic.
·Shake the bottle thoroughly. Plastic polish can be hand or machine applied
·Using a random orbital buffer with a 3.5-inch backing plate and a 4-inch (LC White) polishing pad or a terry cloth applicator
·Place a small dab (about ½-inch diameter) of plastic polish on the foam pad or applicator.
·Place the pad on the lens surface and turn on the machine (speed #4)
·Polish the lens repeatedly in a left-to-right and an up and down pattern.
·Continue polishing until all the polish is gone
·Wipe the lens with a damp Microfiber towel
·Inspect the lens, repeat the polishing process 2-3 times as necessary
Plastic polish will not remove clarity defects that are within the plastic but it will remove external/surface scratching and oxidation (yellowing)

~Hope this helps~

Knowledge unshared is experience wasted [each one / teach one]
justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ JonM

 

you have to work the Plastix hard into the surface and it may take multipul application to see any results. It isn't like a wax.. Think of it as a liquid polish like you would to your formal silverware.

 

Here's a commecial product specifically made for headlight cleaning. It's the second product for $30. In general, if I see a detailing product at Pep Boys or Walmart it can't be good. The professional detailers get all the good stuff

http://detailking.goemerchant7.com/i...ExpandedDepts=

 

PlastX contains a microscopic diminishing abrasive, you need to use a little pressure when applying it to enable these abrasives to remove the discolored plastic and expose new plastic. Often time using a piece of terry cloth towel will give the PlastX a little more bite as the nap of the terry cloth acts a a gentle form of abrasive. As you work this product against the surface the diminishing abrasives will break down and polish their own marks out.

Sometimes it will take a few applications to get good results, it depends on how neglected the plastic surface is.

Mike

 

Glass X or high speed polisher at really high speed with rubbing compound to make your headlights brand spankin new!!!!

 

Is this the Mike Phillips, the instructor from Mequiars? Webmaster to Mequiars online?

 

Yes.

Mike

 

Try Plexus Plastic Protector. I think that you'll really like it. I use it all the time on the plastic lens of my 2002 C230 coupe and an Acura TL-S plastic lens. Polishes and protects. I got some from Performanceproducts.com.
I think I learned about it on a professional detailing website. Can't remember the URL.

 

I have 97 E420... can I just replace the headligh lenses with glass ones found on MY2000+? If I can't, where can I get new plastic ones?

 

These products work great on any plastic, not necessarily automotive.

 

just an update, plastix did not worked on one of my car headlight , still yellow haze.
however it did worked on my buddy beamer z3 and mercedes c230.
so in summary, for my score, it worked 66 percent of the time. i guess not bad right.

 

Hi Everybody. I searched for threads on this issue and ended up trying a few things suggested here and in other places. What worked best for my highly yellowed headlights was to do wet sanding using 1000 grit, followed by 2000 grit and then Plastix. It looks soooo much better!

It seems like in other threads people make a big deal about the UV coating and such -- I suppose implying that you should not damage this coating by sanding or other repairs. But why not? If they are screwed up and yellow anyway it seems worthwhile to try a fix rather than nothing at all (or a complete replacement).

I tried using Plastix alone but my headlights were in such bad shape that it seemed like they needed something a little more intense. I also tried a repair kit before all this that came with polisher foam buffing wheels that attach to a drill. They didn't seem to have a huge effect on their own. I may use them as part of the sanding and plastix treatment plan, however (going to work on it more tomorrow in the light).

Hope this info is helpful to someone.

 

5-year up-date;

Product specific - Rightlook.com makes dull, yellowed headlights look like new with Clear Lights Headlight Restoration Kit. This simple, easy to use system cleans, brightens and protects even the dullest headlights. The Clear Lights Kit also works well on taillights, the plastic windows in convertible tops, instrument panels, emergency vehicle light bars, and motorcycle windscreens. (This is a professional product for multi-use, retail approx. $200)

When sanding the lens ensure that you sand in one direction only. It's important to keep the lines as straight and uniform as possible as they are often still slightly visible even after polishing. Providing the lines are in one direction you’ll never notice them once the acrylic coating is evenly applied. Otherwise random sanding lines will distort the light beam and become a distraction

Alternative product- Lensrenew - http://www.lensrenew.com/plastic_hea...estoration.htm

 

I am listing here the steps i used on my second car (Daewoo-94) headlights :

1. clean the headlights using any good window cleaner
2. mask surrounding area
3. using 1200 grit sand paper and water as lubrications, sand the headlights
4. using 2000 grit sand paper and water as lubracation, sand the headlights
note : don't worry about how dull the headlights will look .
5. using cotton and Brasso (Metal Polish) polish the headlights (you may need a second pass of polish again) .

Total Cost : 4.70 USD
Total Time : 40 minutes
Result : 90% look like NEW headlights and it shows in nights .

Reasons why using Brasso : no zaino meuigar mothers 3M, ... etc products are available in my country - simply no one care about how his car will look , when the paints fades or the car rusts they just do a whole paint Job at the shop which is cheap (approx. 300 bucks).


For people who have accesss to zaino,3M ... etc products
please check the following link :

Download Link: http://www.filesend.net/download.php...7ff6faaa5e1bc3

I hope this helps.

 

I'm about to go through this process myself, and found this really useful video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obv_ECYbVhU

Let you guys know how it goes..

-alf

 

waiting on you buddy . Please take some before and after pics so we can compare..u know what i mean lolz.

Andy

 

I simply used a Swirl Mark remover with an orange pad attached to my Porter Cable to clean my son's Infinity G35 headlights. My son could not believe the results. Look spanking new now.

 

I think I tried over 5 products out there that is suppose to renewal your plastic headlights. The only one product that was by far superior was Glassylite. I thought it was pricey for what you get, but it was the only product that actually worked for me. Don't get me wrong, I know how to polish headlights and stuff, but what is the point when you have to keep polishing them to make it look new every 2 months. I think my time is worth more then that. I'm sure most of you guys can agree.

 

Headlight Protection
With the average cost of replacement head lamps and fog lamps spiralling to nearly $300, it is nice to know that there is a product available to protect your car against the perils of the open road. Our Light Protection Products are made from a proprietary, scratch-resistant, urethane material coupled with the strongest optically clear adhesive available

Protect your expensive headlamps, before it's too late. LampGard™, an incredibly tough 40 mil thick, double-polished urethane material that is optically clear and applies (peel & stick) directly to the surface. This product has built-in ultraviolet inhibitors that help prevent the material from drying, hardening or discolouring. Custom die-cut to fit your specific vehicle for a precise, perfect fit, it comes with easy-to-follow instructions and applies to headlamps, fog lamps, turn indicators and parking lights (when applicable) to protect them from scratching, cracking and pitting. LampGard™

Maintenance – wash, dry and apply UVR protection (303 Space Protectant)

 

Hey TOGWT, can you send me a piece of film for me to test? At my work we have all the lab equipment to get specs if needed. I can test for UV-A, UV-B and UV-C spectrum. I have tested over 25 products so far for clients that claimed to have some kind of UV inhibitor / blocker but none of them remotely worked, there should be some law that regulates what companies claim.