Howto polish OEM headlight lenses?
12-22-2008, 07:25 AM
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'01 W210 E320 CDI
Howto polish OEM headlight lenses?
Awhile ago I read (ohlord?!) a post stating that polishing the OEM lenses and changing to 65W rally H7's will outperform a cheap aftermarked HID-kit hands down. How do you polish the OEM lenses and with what? Does it give them a clearer look? Do you have to take the headlights apart for it? Anyone?
12-22-2008, 08:45 AM
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E300TDT W210 and SL320 R129
polishing lenses
Ciao I have read your request and I am very curious to learn about the suggestions you have reveived how to polish the front lamp lenses....also mine are very "dark" and not nice to see because not clear!!!! do you have any sugegstion??
I thank you in advance
ciao
Francesco
frasalmed@virgilio.it
I thank you in advance
ciao
Francesco
frasalmed@virgilio.it
12-22-2008, 10:08 AM
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98 Brilliant Silver E320 Wagon
Lots of people have done their own. Here is a link to the procedure I used. Have fun. Before/after pictures give you some idea of what's possible. Also there's a DIY sticky on this on benzworld.
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210...ht-lenses.html
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210...ht-lenses.html
12-22-2008, 04:39 PM
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99' E320 4MATIC ESTATE / 92' 190E 2.6
so many ways. buy the stuff off the shelf at the local parts house and work out those forearms. my 99 lenses went from yellow and rough to clear and smooth. it just takes alot of elbow grease!
12-22-2008, 08:23 PM
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98 Brilliant Silver E320 Wagon
Originally posted on benzworld.org...
DIY: Repolishing Headlight lenses
I recently repolished my headlights and I thought I would share my results.
After reading a number of forum postings on various approaches, I decided to purchase a kit from Micro-Surface Finishing Products Inc. They have a number of kits for refinishing various plastics and seem to have started repairing windows on airplanes.
I ordered the kit for acrylic headlights. It was a bit over $26 including shipping.
The kit consists of 4 double-sided foam pads each with a different grit on each side, a couple of cloth pads, a bottle of Micro-Gloss and instructions.
I filled an old spray bottle with DI water for rinsing the pads and lens after each step. I also covered the adjacent paint with duct tape to protect it.
The grits provided are 120/220, 400/1500, 2400/3600 and 4000/12000. I thought the jump from 400 to 1500 was pretty large so I added a 600 grit step inbetween using silicon carbide sandpaper I alread had.
The instructions recommend only sanding in a straight line that is vertical or horizontal NOT circular. I followed their directions going from vertical to horizontal and back to vertical with each change of grit. The instructions suggest to assess the damage and start with the finest grit necessary. Based on that I started with 400 but after finishing I was not totally satisfied so I repeated starting with 120. After sanding for a couple of minutes, a white milky slurry of plastic and water will begin to form. At that point I rinsed the pad and lens using the DI water.
As a lifelong woodworker if I have learned anything it is that going to the next finer grit before all the scratches from the previous grit are removed will spoil the result. So go slowly. It took me about 30 min per headlight lens.
After finishing with the 12000 grit, clean the lens and apply the Micro-Gloss. This is a cream which you rub firmly until it dries. Then rub some more.
At this point you are done, but I added another step of waxing with a high grade carnuba.
Below are my results. The images before (above) and after (below) were taken on two different days so the lighting is a little different. The results were actually a little better because you can't see the yellowing of the bottom half of the lens in the before image.
The pads are in good shape and I have well over 1/2 the bottle of Micro-Gloss so I should be able to touch up the lens several times in the future if necessary.
www.micro-surface.com (Note: I have no connection to this company other than a satisfied customer.)
SLOPESTAR -
Yes, you can buy similar items at a auto parts supply but you'll probably have trouble finding the SC paper as fine as is provided. 1500g is pretty easy to come by, jeweler's supply houses have 2000g and 2500g but I have not found the 3600g, 4000g and 12000g anywhere. Also, the foam layer in the pads provided allow the pad to take the shape of the headlight lens.
DIY: Repolishing Headlight lenses
I recently repolished my headlights and I thought I would share my results.
After reading a number of forum postings on various approaches, I decided to purchase a kit from Micro-Surface Finishing Products Inc. They have a number of kits for refinishing various plastics and seem to have started repairing windows on airplanes.
I ordered the kit for acrylic headlights. It was a bit over $26 including shipping.
The kit consists of 4 double-sided foam pads each with a different grit on each side, a couple of cloth pads, a bottle of Micro-Gloss and instructions.
I filled an old spray bottle with DI water for rinsing the pads and lens after each step. I also covered the adjacent paint with duct tape to protect it.
The grits provided are 120/220, 400/1500, 2400/3600 and 4000/12000. I thought the jump from 400 to 1500 was pretty large so I added a 600 grit step inbetween using silicon carbide sandpaper I alread had.
The instructions recommend only sanding in a straight line that is vertical or horizontal NOT circular. I followed their directions going from vertical to horizontal and back to vertical with each change of grit. The instructions suggest to assess the damage and start with the finest grit necessary. Based on that I started with 400 but after finishing I was not totally satisfied so I repeated starting with 120. After sanding for a couple of minutes, a white milky slurry of plastic and water will begin to form. At that point I rinsed the pad and lens using the DI water.
As a lifelong woodworker if I have learned anything it is that going to the next finer grit before all the scratches from the previous grit are removed will spoil the result. So go slowly. It took me about 30 min per headlight lens.
After finishing with the 12000 grit, clean the lens and apply the Micro-Gloss. This is a cream which you rub firmly until it dries. Then rub some more.
At this point you are done, but I added another step of waxing with a high grade carnuba.
Below are my results. The images before (above) and after (below) were taken on two different days so the lighting is a little different. The results were actually a little better because you can't see the yellowing of the bottom half of the lens in the before image.
The pads are in good shape and I have well over 1/2 the bottle of Micro-Gloss so I should be able to touch up the lens several times in the future if necessary.
www.micro-surface.com (Note: I have no connection to this company other than a satisfied customer.)
SLOPESTAR -
Yes, you can buy similar items at a auto parts supply but you'll probably have trouble finding the SC paper as fine as is provided. 1500g is pretty easy to come by, jeweler's supply houses have 2000g and 2500g but I have not found the 3600g, 4000g and 12000g anywhere. Also, the foam layer in the pads provided allow the pad to take the shape of the headlight lens.
Last edited by RichardM98; 12-22-2008 at 08:25 PM.
