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Got my 3M kit and did exactly as it said in the manual. They definitely look better than before but i should pull my hands out of my *** next time. I used battery powered drill i charged it but it quickly ran out of juice.
Left and Right differents
Last edited by despicable merc; Jun 4, 2014 at 08:36 PM.
Those small lamps now look like new but bigger still got some haze its not even visible.. But close in person those smaller lens definitely look better, its like ive replace those. Not sure what im doing wrong? Any tips?
This is what my lights look like almost a year later...
I didn't buy any commercial products (3M etc) and spent no more than $2. I did follow the procedure I describe in the blog for polishing headlights. This is what my headlights look like after almost one year after restoration. Please note that I live in a sunny state with lots of UV insult on my headlights.
I just replaced all front lights while having body work done. They had to take the front bumper off, anyway. With the new front bumper, and new lights, I just turned back the clock 10 years/150K miles. Total cost: ~$700 (USD). Well worth it for me as car ('05 4matic) has been well maintained, and looks/runs great.
There's an easier, cheaper, and faster way to clean the headlight covers: Novus plastic polishes. They come in three grades of grittiness ... Novus 1, Novus 2, Novus 3.
I've used Novus plastic polish 1 and 2 for more than 40 years on my motorcycle windshields; I never had a scratch or gouge sufficiently egregious to require Novus 3. This is a commercial version of the canopy polishes we use in Navy aircraft canopies ... sailors and Marines have a name for it, but I won't degrade this fine forum with such descriptors.
You can get Novus plastic polish at just about any motorcycle store. Here's a link, if you're interested:
There's an easier, cheaper, and faster way to clean the headlight covers: Novus plastic polishes. They come in three grades of grittiness ... Novus 1, Novus 2, Novus 3.
I've used Novus plastic polish 1 and 2 for more than 40 years on my motorcycle windshields; I never had a scratch or gouge sufficiently egregious to require Novus 3. This is a commercial version of the canopy polishes we use in Navy aircraft canopies ... sailors and Marines have a name for it, but I won't degrade this fine forum with such descriptors.
You can get Novus plastic polish at just about any motorcycle store. Here's a link, if you're interested:
There's an easier, cheaper, and faster way to clean the headlight covers: Novus plastic polishes. They come in three grades of grittiness ... Novus 1, Novus 2, Novus 3.
I've used Novus plastic polish 1 and 2 for more than 40 years on my motorcycle windshields; I never had a scratch or gouge sufficiently egregious to require Novus 3. This is a commercial version of the canopy polishes we use in Navy aircraft canopies ... sailors and Marines have a name for it, but I won't degrade this fine forum with such descriptors.
You can get Novus plastic polish at just about any motorcycle store. Here's a link, if you're interested:
My headlights need to be polished. Last year I used a kit from Pepboys and it was a lot of rubbing, and results were poor/mediocre. I'm tempted to get this NOVUS. You could get a kit of three 8 oz bottles on Fleebay for like $14.00.
Do you have to add a protectant sealer after applying NOVUS 2? How much rubbing does NOVUS require?
Last edited by Stuttgarten; Mar 20, 2015 at 06:12 PM.
Do you have to add a protectant sealer after applying NOVUS 2? I never have. I don't know what kind of sealer might be effective ... I just juse Novus to keep the surface clear. Reapply and polish as necessary, which isn't often.
How much rubbing does NOVUS require? Depends. The deeper the scratches and pitting, the more you have to work on it. Take your time. Don't get impatient. And avoid making circular wipes and whorls ... work the Novus and your polishing motions vertically. This gets remaining imperfections all going the same way and makes them less visible.
I used to use old t-shirts as polishing rags, but have come to rely on good, clean microfibre towels.
The left side headlight on my car had dulled vs. the newer right side one. I tried polishing it with no real difference. The dulling actually seemed to be on the inside.
So, I pulled off the headlight, pulled off the lens be gently heating it with a hot air gun in low setting. There were indeed deposits inside my lens. See this pic
Cleaned that up and cleaned the chrome as well and put it back together.
Cleaned out the fog lights as well while I had the bumper off.
The left side headlight on my car had dulled vs. the newer right side one. I tried polishing it with no real difference. The dulling actually seemed to be on the inside.
So, I pulled off the headlight, pulled off the lens be gently heating it with a hot air gun in low setting. There were indeed deposits inside my lens. See this pic
Cleaned that up and cleaned the chrome as well and put it back together.
Cleaned out the fog lights as well while I had the bumper off.
Finally --
Byas
Yesterday I used NOVUS 1,2,3 to clean mine, and with zero improvements. It now appears like the dulling maybe on the inside. You wrote you removed the lens by slightly heating it on low with a hot air gun. How did it come off, and how did it seal back, any glue? I'd like to do mine, but afraid of breakage and moisture seeping back in there if not properly sealed. And what did you use for cleaning?
The previous owner of my '06 BMW put a clear bra on the front bumper, and headlights. This has done a really good job preserving the clarity of the cover. You can see in the photo the less clear portion around the edge. This is what the entire lens would look like if it hadn't been covered. (Sorry, the car is super dirty after a road trip/track day)
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