Simple Way to Clean Yellowed/Foggy Headlights?

['95EclipseGSX]

Hey All,

I am wondering how to clean my yellowed headlight. It looks terrible! I have searched but the most recent post was 5 years ago and I am guessing there are some new experiences with other products.

Does anybody know of any good product that will clean my headlight without me having to sand anything? I was reading in Road & Track a few weeks ago about a specific spray that is meant to do this but don't remember and have no idea if it's actually any good.

I want a product that's a decent price, works really well and doesn't require a whole lot of technique (like sanding).

Thanks in Advance --Max

 

[agarc023]

I don't know if there is another way to get them perfectly clear without sanding and buffing. However, you could give a bottle of Brasso a go and see if it's enough. It's made to polish metal but it will work on headlights as well

 

[DSM1G90]

What would really help is buffing compound and a power buffing machine.

The compound is like lubricant for the buffing head which actually heats up the plastic, then polishes the plastic down to a shine.

Go to a body paint shop .. they have the stuff that can help you out. - DSM

 

[2GCruiser]

Mother's - Mag and aluminum polish. I can swear by that stuff and im sure alot of others will too. you might have to do it every few months but they'll look brand spankin new. trust me

 

[TallestHERETIC]

Got to Autozone and buy a bottle of Bluemagic Headlight Lens Restorer. I think It's like 3-5 beans. It's definitley worth it.

I've used it myself and it now looks the way it did when it was factory fresh.

Just use a old, torn shirt or towel and clean it firmly.

Nearly a year has passed and I still have no more yellowing!

 

[black40psi]

Just Wet sand it with a high grit and get a high rpm Buffer and buff it with a polishing compound. I used a big 12'' buffing wheel with a air compressor and a hitatchi buffer

 

[idkiliketurbos]

I work at a body shop and we also do headlight restoration. We found that by wetsanding and then buffing that after a while they would return to being cloudy and yellow and we found a chemical spray that we spray on right after wetsanding and no buffing involved and they look brand new and last! I saw that at the auto parts store sylvania makes a kit now and it has a lense spray that sounds similar to what we use. I always sand it down until the stuff sanding off is white and not yellow or a dirty white. Then follow up with 1500 grit and make sure it's good. Then I am able to spray the chemical on it and it is amazing what it can do!

 

[avenged5]

Meguiars Plastx alone will clear them significantly, but if you wetsand them with 2000 grit sandpaper and then polish them they will be good as new.

 

[Ppayer38]

For a quick easy fix... Use laquer thinner and a high speed buffer with some sort of polish/wax.
That is only a temporary fix as the yellowing will come back.

Like all others said, sand with 1000, then 1500, then 2000, then wetsand with 2000 and then high speed buffer with a good polish, then a good wax and you'll be set

 

[daren_p]

A bunch of companies make kit specifically for this now. Some are better then others, the ones that come with some sort of attachment for a drill etc are what you want. 3M or Meguires are supposed to be pretty decent & should be able to pick them up at your local auto parts store.

 

['95EclipseGSX]

Awesome, thanks for all the quick responses! I am going to try the 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System. It was $30 at my local car parts store so I ordered it from Amazon for $14. It gets extremely good reviews and comes with the buffer that attaches to a drill. I'll take some before & after pictures and post them early next week.

 

[Silver99OZ]

The 3M kit works great, I purchased one a few years back when they first came out. After about 2 years mine started yellowing again. Luckly, i saved the orange buffing pad and drill attachment that came with the 3M kit and bought some Meguairs plastic x. Now I just give them a quick buff every other month, takes like 5 min total and they come out nice and clear.

 

[Bud92gsx]

Brasso and an old sock your gonna throw away is what I use..You have to do it every couple on months but it only take about 30 seconds a headlight..There are a ton of tech articles on this very subject..My vote is brasso..It's cheap as hell and only takes a minute..

 

[bertrenolds]

What about the stuff from the infomercial? Fast brite. I'm sure it hardly works.

 

[Bud92gsx]

What about the stuff from the infomercial? Fast brite. I'm sure it hardly works.

I actually thought about buying that..Just to see if it works..

 

[hocka09]

I know you said that you didn't want to do any sanding but that is truly the only way to get the best results. I will normally wet sand with a 400 grit paper then go up to a 1000 grit wet sand and then finish off with a buffing compound and then maybe a commercial clear plastic cleaner like plasti-x by mother's I believe.

It does take a bit of elbow grease but I see it as one of the few tried and true was to do it and it will leave you very happy with the results!

 

[4Lurker4]

I redid my Corolla's headlight last weekend with PlastiX by Meguire, cleaned them completely from the yellow and fog look. They look close to new, and no wet sanding needed.

 

[johng96gst]

What sucks is that often the foggy yellow tint is on the inside and it tough to get perfect without splitting the lens. I used a heat gun to soften up the epoxy and then wet sanded like others have said. Looked like new.

 

[BK85]

I used the Turtle Wax kit on my 95 and It turned out great.

BK85

 

['95EclipseGSX]

Well yesterday I used the 3M stuff. I was so eager to put it on I forgot to take the before/after pictures as promised. I only needed to do it with one headlight. This headlight wasn't that bad to begin with: it had no fogging on the bottom, just the top and on the outer edge. It took me a really long time (2 hours) but in the end the light looked near-new. I don't know what the stock lights look like new (I accidentally bought a shitty non-OEM one when I replaced my other headlight) but it's at least 95% as clear as my other headlight. I put 2 layers of the sealer it came with on the light, let it dry for an hour and applied a few coats of wax. I'm hoping as long as I wax the light when I do my car every few months it'll keep my light clear for the long-haul! I'm really happy with it.

A piece of advice for anyone thinking of using one of these sander products who hasn't tried to clear their lights before: Put down a few layers of masking tape to protect the paint. Our lights aren't the simplest shape in the world. They have lots of curves and are basically recessed into our bumpers. Be really careful not to rub the sander bit that gets put onto the drill up against your car's paint. I rubbed off a little clear coat because i let the bit hit the paint as I tried to get the bottom edge of the light sanded. Luckily with some time putting wax on the boo-boo I was able to repair it. Also, be really patient with the 500-grit sandpaper. I think the more yellowing your light has, the easier it is to sand it off. Because a lot of my light was still clear I had to work hard to get it to sand down evenly. I found that sanding with the edge of the piece of the sandpaper allowed me to be much more accurate about where I was applying pressure. I think going over the light vaguely and inaccurately cost me a lot of time.

Thanks for all the help! Hopefully some other people find this thread useful like I did!

 

[907gs-t]

Mother's - Mag and aluminum polish. I can swear by that stuff and im sure alot of others will too. you might have to do it every few months but they'll look brand spankin new. trust me

It work's for me.

 

[Oddiish]

The 3M kit works great, I purchased one a few years back when they first came out. After about 2 years mine started yellowing again. Luckly, i saved the orange buffing pad and drill attachment that came with the 3M kit and bought some Meguairs plastic x. Now I just give them a quick buff every other month, takes like 5 min total and they come out nice and clear.

^This is what I would recommend, I have tried the "no sanding" options and the 3M sanding kit made mine look brand new!

 

[thomcasey]

Hey All,

I am wondering how to clean my yellowed headlight. It looks terrible! I have searched but the most recent post was 5 years ago and I am guessing there are some new experiences with other products.

Does anybody know of any good product that will clean my headlight without me having to sand anything? I was reading in Road & Track a few weeks ago about a specific spray that is meant to do this but don't remember and have no idea if it's actually any good.

I want a product that's a decent price, works really well and doesn't require a whole lot of technique (like sanding).

Thanks in Advance --Max

I used 900, then 11200, then 1600 grit wet sand paper add water. Crystal clear. Then hit it with the headlight restorer so it can be protected.

 

[Guzman08]

you could try either or:

this one worked great for my headlights. and its super cheap

12 Minute Headlamp Lens Restoration Kit

Walmart.com: 3M Headlight Restoration Kit: Automotive

if ## not sanding then i doubt its working .. unless its a really strong chemical..
tag if this was helpful

 

[daplatano91]

I've used toothpaste and a microfiber cloth for headlights that aren't too far gone afew times with good results.