im having a problem with clearing up the headlight lenses....

[circa504]

i used the technique where your supposed to use 1000 grit sandpaper and then 2000 grit sandpaper on the lens, and then use maguires scratchX to buff out the scratches. i did just as it told me to but my lens is still cloudier than ever, even after the scratch X. im at a loss of ideas, so any advice? thanks

 

[cuttheduck]

Did you remeber to WETsand it?
Below is copied from the tech article,, mentions that it looks like crap until you use the scratch remover. 1000 grit seems a little rough.
I just used 3m rubbing compound and a shop rag w/ great results.
EDIT: oops, didn't see the part where you said you used the tech article,,srry.

1. Pick a headlight to start on and spray it down with water. Dig out the 1000-Grit sandpaper and start sanding the headlight, keep it wet and wipe the plastic dust off frequently. Keep at it until the dust isn't yellow anymore and you can't feel any pits or corrosion on the lens.

2. At this point your headlight looks worse than when you started...it may have been foggy before but now you're wishing you had left them alone because they are clouded worse than ever before. Never fear. Dig out the 2000-Grit sandpaper and spray the headlight down, like before keep it wet, keep sanding and wiping and spraying until any minor imperfections come out, and all the scratches from the 1000-grit paper are smoothed out.

3. Yes I know they are still foggy. Wash them off completely and dry them thoroughly. Now grab that expensive tube of ScratchX and follow the directions, rub it on using tight circles and lots of elbow grease. Let it dry and then buff it off and look at your headlight. Has it ever looked better? No I didn't think so.

 

[circa504]

is it possible to buy just new lenses for them? and if so where could i find them?

 

[EclipseGST-95]

yea i wet sanded mine...it would looks pretty nice if i used better clear coat...but seriously screw that scratch x.....wet sand it down as much as possible...then tape off ur bumper with newspaper everywhere ...and spray some good clearcoat...btw make sure ur lense is dry and has no powder from sanding on it...but spray a light even coat of good clear coat...stuff thats over like 10 bucks....and it should turn out pretty good i havnt posted pics but it looks better then it did b4

 

[circa504]

i did wetsand mine with the 2000 grit. the clear coat i have is duplicolor laquer clear coat and was only like 4 bucks...

 

[Slipstream]

if the scratch x failed for you try using some mother's mag/alum polish to clear up the deeper scratchs followed by a plastic polish compound such as Novus or Mothers.

 

[EclipseGST-95]

if its still foggy...id sand it down a lot more...i did it once n sprayed it it was foggy i sanded down the clear coat and much more...just kept sanding for a longgg time...then sprayed it for the second time that night...it was foggy at first n then the fog faded away b4 my eyes i was like YESSS...its still a lil messed up cus i missed some spots sanding cus it should be done with the head light out i was afraid of nicking the paint but its 10 times better then b4 still doesnt match my flawless passenger one tho but it still is a lot better...so my advice is sand more even use a lower grit number to down into it just use a high one to make sure its smooth b4 u spray...good luck

 

[cuttheduck]

is it possible to buy just new lenses for them? and if so where could i find them?

according to machv's OEM section its not possible to buy just the lenses,just the whole headlight assembly. sucks,,,,

 

[EclipseGST-95]

yea cus they dont expect u to put it in an oven to get the old lense off... woudlnt be a bad idea for them to sell just the lenses but i guess its whatevers easier for them

 

[turbolazer92]

I found that the best result is to wet sand them with 800 grit, then apply two wet coats of poly-urethane clear coat. they will look brand new. oh! make sure you have a water filter on the spray gun or it will leave water pits in the finish. wet sand and buff on low speed with wool pad amd 3m Perfect -it ll. they turn out better looking than brand new... good luck...

 

[nelapse]

You poor people... you know what i use...
ACETONE based nail polish remover... dab it on a rag wipe the yellow right off... and follow up with water..
That yellow oxidation will come off in seconds...
i cant believe you people sanded that stuff... i should have told you guys long ago
Try it out it works i promise

 

[bosljeff]

if the scratch x failed for you try using some mother's mag/alum polish to clear up the deeper scratchs followed by a plastic polish compound such as Novus or Mothers.

Yup, that worked for me. Try the nail polish one in the post above this. I've seen 'em work without sanding too.

 

[BoBbOrAzE]

yes mine were realllly bad , but i tried doing the 1000 to 2000 wet sanding process. after that it looked absolutely horrible then i took rubbing compound to it and when i tried to buff it out by hand it worked but it looked kinda the same as before. so then i used my buffer and it worked beautifully and now its crystal clear. using the buffer on it for me made a major difference

 

[Eclipsionz23]

You poor people... you know what i use...
ACETONE based nail polish remover... dab it on a rag wipe the yellow right off... and follow up with water..
That yellow oxidation will come off in seconds...
i cant believe you people sanded that stuff... i should have told you guys long ago
Try it out it works i promise

where did you get the acetone polish remover at??? my lights are gettin pretty bad and id like to try this. thanx

-e

 

[cuttheduck]

where did you get the acetone polish remover at??? my lights are gettin pretty bad and id like to try this. thanx

-e

its just nail polish remover,
any dollar store or walmart will be your ticket

 

[Eclipsionz23]

cool man, ima do that today!! thanx a bunch!!



-e

 

[Denji]

TEMPORARY FIX- wax your headlight like you do your car..with some turtle wax or something.. looks clear for a week or two..i did that with my old car for about a year before i gave in and bought a new headlight.

 

[Eclipsionz23]

well, i think i may end up doing the sandpaper mod for the lights. i tried the nail polish and it didnt do anything. i think thats just if your lenses are yellow. mine are flaking off it seems, getting a texture to it.

 

[talontsi01]

I followed this tech and the results were beautiful: http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58328

here are some pics...

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I sanded more than expected. My headlights had little crevaces and dents in them which made them appear dirty and cloudy.