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Headlight polishing

blazinzuk

blazinzuk

Buzzbox voodoo
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No it's for my car....

But certainly could apply to tail lights.

Anyway, the question I have is not so much the best polishing stuff but the best sealant.

On my old car new headlights were cheap. Not so much on my new car. Plus the burbs Jimmy's and Hortons taillights could use some work.
 
Curious as well. When the body shop repaired Mrs Bents car, they left the passenger headlight. It's kinda foggy
 
Wet sand and a good clear coat is the best way to do it. My buddy has been doing all of ours and the results are great. He got a decent auto clearcoat from a local supplier
 
I used the Mother's system on my ex's Passat years ago. It worked very well. No clear coat was needed. You could also try One-Step plastic polish. I use it for finishing acrylic pen blanks. I apply it while the blank is still spinning on the lathe. It fills minor scratches (I only have to sand to 1,000 grit instead of 12k) and leaves the plastic mirror smooth. It'd be very easy to apply it w/ a buffer.

https://www.pennstateind.com/store/ONESTEP.html

Take the headlight covers off or make sure you put a good border of painter's tape 2-3 layers thick over any adjacent sheetmetal.
 
Eric, I've done the Mothers kit with that buffing ball thingy. First time I had to do the works. 3 levels of sanding and a full buff. Mine were so bad you couldn't see the bulb at all. About 2 hrs and a few beers later they are crystal clear.

I didn't clear coat them, so every 6 months or so they start to cloud, I hit them with a buff only and they are like new again.
 
I have a line is some stuff a detailer friend has used. He said he would order me a can.

We shall see
 
Used to get paid to do them. Wet sand starting with 800 go to 2000. Mix a good clear coat and blender 50/50 and wipe on with the Scott's blue towels. Just wipe from one end straight across. No swirl and wait an hour to add any.
 
It's all about the clear coat otherwise you're constantly polishing them.
 
What about using the plastic "protectors" over the lights after you do them? Another boundary layer to the UV....?

I make sure now when I park my car to try and face it away from direct sunlight, especially when it's going to be sitting for 8+ hours at a time.
 
I use mothers aluminum polish or regular wax in a buffer. Might take lil bit longer as it's not aggressive but results are the same. But does need to be redone after awhile.....
 
The only time I have done them I used J-Wax Kit. Now called Formula 1 http://www.formula1wax.com/products/car-wax/carnuba-paste-wax
No particular reason, it was what I had laying around. Not only does it have wax and some solvents and cleaners, it has a real fine abrasive that does not leave scratches.
Plus, the wax may slow down the UV.
I put some on a wet lambswool polishing pad on a drill. Kept it wet to keep it cool and not melt the plastic. Also kept the drill turning slow and not much pressure. Actually, the very first time on a headlight, I used some Kit on a rag. Little rubbing and I had a clear spot. Then I went to the drill.

About 35 years before that, back when headlights were glass, I had several Coke machines that had a problem with the buttons. Unlike all the other makes and models, these had buttons that were about 2 inches by 2 inches, and were at least an inch thick clear plastic.
The label went in a slot in the back side, and you read it through the plastic.
Trouble was, that model was not made anymore, and you could not get new buttons. Surprisingly, the buttons had not clouded up despite being in the sun for years.
Instead, they had "crazed", developed hundreds of tiny cracks. So many, that in many cases you could not read the label.

I was taking some out of a machine we were going to scrap, and was sorting them as to the best of the bunch. When I looked in from the side, I realized that the cracks were all confined to the top 1/16 or less of the button.
They did not go deep at all.
I took one of the worst ones, and used a coarse grinder to grind off the cracked part. This left me with a completely opaque button. Then I used a finishing sander to smooth off the surface and clean up the grooves and scratches the grinder left.
Then I hit it with some polishing compound I had laying in the shop. Had no Kit, probably would have been too wimpy anyway. When I was through, I had a perfectly clear button.
I refined my technique with the next one by using the finishing sander first. Little slower to get past the cracks, but overall faster. When it was all said and done, I had done about 60 buttons or more. Put over 10 machines back in operation.

Don't recommend anything that drastic for headlights though.....
 
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