Cleaning hazy yellow composite Headlights

[SAButter]

this is a way to clean your composite headlights

[garwood1]

Amazing how many cars you see running around with totally opaque plastic headlamps....especially in places with high UV.

I typically use Blue Magic (or similar) metal polish, on a terry cloth rag - working VERY easily, so as not to get too carried away - stop and wipe away periodically, to make sure you haven't gone too far. Once happy with the finish, give a final polish with something like Autoglym Super Resin Polish, and finish off with something like Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection.

The results are staggering - the car looks new, and the improvement in headlight beam at night is amazing.

I once thought of starting a small business to do just headlight polishing !!

[xoomer]

My friend uses lacquer (sp?) thinner and it works well.

[AWDfreak]

I personally use Meguiar's Headlight Restoration kit, it has everything you need (excluding a working drill).

 

It works great, but weird bump/lumps on the headlights will render the drill attachment useless

[SOOBOUTLAW]

I used whitening toothpaste on my Legacy headlights, then sealed them with three shots of clear. Came out pretty nice. Much better illumination at night.

[Turbone]

My technique is to use my Makita cordless, a 3in buffer pad, a squirt bottle with water and a bottle of Griotts glass polish. It takes me 10min a light.

[paulbellefeuille]

I use a whitening toothpaste that is available at Dollar-type discount stores

It's "White" It's "Natural" but if I combine the two names I get a nasty note form the manufacturers legal department..no joke..

It work very very well..just apply a ribbon of the stuff to a dry cloth and gently rub.. the paste will do the work. Then follow it up with an orange-type cleaner to remove the residue.

Total cost is less than half a buck.. and you have enough paste to do 3 pairs of lights.

[northguy]

I believe there was a thread on this suggesting a new can of brake fluid.

[jseabolt]

I use Novus plastic polish. I bought this years ago to polish the windows on my Jeep's softop.

 

Funny. I've seen some cars with cloudy headlights and others without.

 

What causes this?

 

Material of the plastic? Would it matter if the car is garage kept or parked outside all the time?

 

I've had my Baja since 2002 and it stays inside my garage most of the time if I'm not driving it. The headlights look as great as the day I bought it.

 

Dad use to own a 2002 Jetta. He bought this car when it was about 2-3 years ago. Headlights were badly clouded. My wife's 2003 Nissan 350Z were clouded as well.

 

The headlights on my 1996 Ford Explorer are not clouded. I believe this car spent most of it's life outside in the weather because the tires were dry rotted when I got it.

 

So I'm not sure if sitting outside in the weather clouds headlights or not.

[heartless]

some of it is the composition of the plastic, some of it is weather related.

 

my '90 Legacy had the yellowed, cloudy looking lenses - I went the way of a little more work, but outstanding results - used the fine to ultra fine wetsand method to remove the yellowed layer and clean/polish the surface of the lens - then a good quality plastic polish to seal it - the results are incredible!

 

There are many ways of doing this job - choose the one that works for you.