Headlight w/ cosmetic damage - Will it buff?

[misterskeetz]

I have a huge scrape on my driver side headlight and I don't know if it will come out or not. Id rather not put all kinds of effort into it if it was never going to come out so I was hoping some of you could shed some light on it.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

Saving 250 bucks would be great so I am hoping it will come out. Thanks in advance for the input.

 

[NeMiZiS]

Hey you are not alone!!
I too would like to know what people have used, to remove these type of scratches?
What works well?..
Some A hole did this to my headlight!!!

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

 

[misterskeetz]

I found this site. The scratch looks similar but I think mine is worse. Maybe it will work for the previous poster.

Repair walkthrough w/ pics

 

[EDM95]

WTF is with haters scratching up folks cars man some idiot scratched up my car too while I was in the store.

 

[InfiniteGSX]

Yes, that will buff... However you need to get some different grit sand paper, like 400-600-800-1000-1500wet... Then after your done with that, you need to take some plastic polish to it and it will look as good as new. funny story, was sanding down a car with headlights still on, this girl Cici, cute Asian girl came up in a bikini with some sand paper and started helping me out... hit the headlights while asking if we sand them too.... she screwed them up... I got them lookin as good as new. was she hot!

 

[DougR]

You can try, those look fairly nasty.

Wrap some 1500 wet paper around a Really thick sponge, use lots of water and some liquid dish washing soap. Fyi, The soap bubbles helps trap and carry away the paper and lens debris. while your working...
Just work evenly and over a broad area, so not to cause flat spots.
Work you way up the grit scale until you have no more paper.. I like to finish with 2500...

As for the buffing... Use mothers mag ( aluminum ) polish, on a orbital buffer...
buff and polish it until its almost pefectly clear.
Then with a new pad, use some plasti X...

It helps to work with your lights on.... But if you afraid of hurting your paint.. you can do them in your lap..
You shoud be able to make them almost perfect again with alil effort.
Just dont get to crazy and try and remove it ALL.. on the 1st or 2nd try....

 

[misterskeetz]

Thanks for the good advice. The liquid soap is a great idea. I will be doing that. I think the work will be worth it since the lights that are on the car or the Mitsubishi OEMs. I don't want to have to get an off brand replacement. BTW...what is plasti X? I haven't heard/seen it.

 

[matthewdesigns]

+1 on the soap and sponge...I actually went to Ace Hardware and bought a hard sponge with sanding grit already adhered to it as a starting point, then wrapped finer paper around that as I progressed. Just be careful not to let any of the coarse grit poke through the finer paper and hit the lens later on. You are going to need to start with coarser than 1500 paper, though. Try 400 as was suggested a few posts up, then work your way to about 1500-2000 in half a dozen steps. I just refinished a pair of headlights, one of which had a pretty nasty scrape, and that's what it took. They really looked like a lost cause before I started on them. I hand sanded to 2000 grit, then finished with the 3M Headlight Repair kit. Got it at AutoZone for $20, and it's well worth the price. After all that sanding and polishing, the headlights look like new.