Overheated

210 E55 with glass headlamps needs restoration. Different from restoring plastic?

illest

w210 headlights are plastic

takeiteasy

they are plastic with a laminated film over them you need to sand them down, there is a nice video on how to on here just search or youtube

khomer2

Use a DIY product called "wipe new headlight restore". Inexpensive and does an excellent job. Used them on the outside, and the inside of my w210 headlights (when I disassembled it). Also took away all the old fine-line cracking on the surface of the clear cover - both sides.

eFifty5AMG

Wipe New will not last. Restore it properly if you'd like it to look good. If it's real oxidated, start by WET sanding (cross-pattern) with a 1500. It'll have a yellow hue when sanding, this is the oxidation being removed. Continue until the sanding is uniform & the residue has more clear/white appearance. It should start to look clear when wet, but when it dries it'll still be foggy.
Continue by refining the 1500 grit sanding scratches with a 2500-3000 grit wet sandpaper basically following the previous steps.
After this is complete, it'll be ready for polishing. I'd typically start with a heavy cut or medium cut polish & if there are very faint scratches & swirls after this, follow up with a finishing polish.

The most important step after this is to get those headlights protected. You can use a clear coat or something like a ceramic coating if you want superior longevity. If you don't seal the headlights, they'll look like **** rather quickly again.

Enjoy your fresh looking headlights

khomer2

Applied the Wipe New inside and out 2 years ago. Sealed the headlights and car with chemical guys jetseal (claybar the car annually) once a year.
Never had a degradation issue on the lenses since.
imo, inexpen$ive solution.

We agree to disagree.

eFifty5AMG

What I should've said is that Wipe New did not last long for me. Tried it & liked it initially, but it didn't seem to last. Quick cheap fixes are typically just that, but ymmv. If your headlights look proper & you like it, that's all that matters.

Strigoi

The longevity of a product like that can also depend on if the car is garaged, how much it's driven and in what kind of conditions.

It's very possible that eFifty5AMG's car faces rougher conditions than yours so the product did not last as well.

khomer2

Absolutely, for sure. Agreed
Mine are always garaged and in our climate (like Seattle), we dont have the humidity or heat/sun intensity like many other mb owners.

eFifty5AMG

Valid point. However, my cars are garaged & don't see harsh weather daily.

It is worth noting that I used Wipe New as a standalone product. Did not use a sealant or coating over the top of it.

khomer2

I recommend Jetseal. It works for me.
Does what it claims and works wonders on the other exterior parts such as the rear C-pillars on the ML and on the black door pillar portion too. It's kept them pristine and has prevented any peeling of the oem clear coat (a common problem as it ages) when exposed to the elements. No special application needed, just wipe in on with a microfibre cloth and a quick buff.

eFifty5AMG

Yeah, Jetseal isn't bad stuff. My go-to right now for sealant is Menzerna Power Lock & Adams Sealant. For coatings, I'm liking CeramicPro 9H & CarPro Cquartz. Will be trying some other ones soon.