My vehicle failed inspection due to the headlights. So far I have tried the five minute one-step and toothpaste; they worked ok but still not passing inspection. Its too much to replace the covers and the shop quoted like a $100 to restore them. Any tips, hints, kits?

10/28/2010 12:46:19 PM

Are they just yellow, or completely inoperable? Describe the condition.

If it isnt to bad, I wetsand headlights all the time for customers. Turns out pretty good I think. I charge like $25-$50.

10/28/2010 1:01:28 PM

It blows my mind that when automakers switched to plastic lenses they didn't give a shit about long term durability. Really makes you wonder about the rest of the car as well.

10/28/2010 2:08:53 PM

Year make and modle. Might can get some cheap

10/28/2010 3:07:05 PM

Please take a picture. I have a high speed buffer that can probably get them passable, but I need a picture first. I'd do it for free if you came to my house. I have gotten a many shit looking headlamps to look nearly new.

[Edited on October 28, 2010 at 3:11 PM. Reason : .]

10/28/2010 3:10:48 PM

glass headlights ftw

10/28/2010 3:12:13 PM

pluses and minuses. With the plastic, at least you dont have to worry much about a rock cracking it...

10/28/2010 3:25:12 PM

^plastic cracks too. If anything, I'd imagine its more prone than glass.

10/28/2010 3:29:24 PM

Quote :

"Please take a picture. I have a high speed buffer that can probably get them passable, but I need a picture first. I'd do it for free if you came to my house. I have gotten a many shit looking headlamps to look nearly new."

Why you gonna cut into a brotha bidness like that? I was gonna offer my buffer services for about 30 dolla.

From this:


To this:

10/28/2010 3:32:43 PM

The plastic lens save weight, and give the dealers another service to sell.

Anyway, harbor freight sells a one-time use kit for polishing lens for about $10. 3M also makes a more expensive kit. Both use a sanding pad you put in a drill and slowly buff the headlights, followed by a rubbing compound paste. Sometimes to really get them clear you have to take the light apart and do the inside as well. Take care with the drill not to scratch or burn them. Might be worth paying someone who does them regularly like zx.

10/28/2010 3:39:44 PM

My S2000 has plastic lenses but off the top of my head I've never seen an S2000 with foggy or yellowing lenses. My roommate's RSX headlights are noticeably foggy.

10/28/2010 3:42:49 PM

^^ Yeah, I could get those results all day. I use to detail aircraft for a side business, and have a lot of detailing equipment. I prefer 3M products for use on plastics.

Who knows, you may still get the 'bizness', because I won't travel to him

10/28/2010 3:44:50 PM

Did your Z3 need a headlight treatment?

10/28/2010 3:45:24 PM

my 2002 saturn sl1 lights are still crystal clear...it's always been kept outside, in the sunlight

my old mustang lights were pretty bad, though

10/28/2010 3:49:05 PM

^^ I have polished my Z3 headlights many times. I never let them get too bad, however. I want to do a complete sanding and resurfacing, but havent had the time/balls to do it yet.

10/28/2010 3:50:57 PM

I will get some pics up tomorrow. Its just the yellowing and some blistering; the vehicle is an 03 Focus. Most of you guys leave in Raleigh, I do not

10/29/2010 2:19:08 AM

The blistering will not be a buffable fix, then. You either need new head lamps, or will need to sand them down to a new surface.

10/29/2010 10:00:02 AM

Quote :

"My S2000 has plastic lenses but off the top of my head I've never seen an S2000 with foggy or yellowing lenses."

Give it time

10/29/2010 11:05:21 AM

Bring it to me, they need to be sanded and polished back out. Sealed with a wax to slow the aging process as much as possible.

10/29/2010 12:37:57 PM

You can get a pair of knockoff replacements from eBay for $80 shipped.

10/29/2010 12:49:36 PM

^This, even with the best wetsanding equipment and polishes and skill, new headlights will still look better.

10/29/2010 12:56:42 PM

i tried the polishing kits and stuff, but none of it worked b/c mine were actually discolored on the inside as well

cheap ebay knockoffs did the trick for me

10/29/2010 4:02:16 PM

Quote :

"Give it time"

Brandon1, I have the 3M clear bra on the front of my car, headlights included. Will that protective covering over the headlights prevent/delay the onset of fogginess/yellowing?

10/29/2010 4:13:49 PM

^
yes it will. i'm not sure of the lifespan of the bra. one 3m installer claimed that it would be good for 5 years, some claim longer.

as long as that film is covering the plastic, it will not oxidize.

they do recommend that you apply wax.

10/29/2010 4:32:11 PM

ill wet sand and clear em for $20

10/29/2010 6:58:41 PM

Yeah that bra will help, but just waxing the lights will work just fine.

^ I never liked clearing lights, I have never seen it lay flat. It just always looks funny and wavey. I just like wetsanding and compounding them out, then just keeping them waxed once or twice a year.

Props however if you can get the clear to look decent, but I have never seen it done.

10/29/2010 9:23:54 PM

Quote :

"It blows my mind that when automakers switched to plastic lenses they didn't give a shit about long term durability."

Its been my experience that when plastic lenses are kept clean, they don't go to shit.

10/30/2010 12:27:33 AM

Quote :

"^ I never liked clearing lights, I have never seen it lay flat. It just always looks funny and wavey. I just like wetsanding and compounding them out, then just keeping them waxed once or twice a year. Props however if you can get the clear to look decent, but I have never seen it done. "

ive done about 15 sets and will say that if you LOOK REAL HARD you can see some very minor imperfections. if i wasnt lazy i would wet sand them out but they look good enough and i dont think im gonna need to do anything else to them ever again. I clear coat is way better than having just raw plastic

10/30/2010 9:46:51 AM

^^Ah. Yeah I always keep my cars clean. Guess it won't be a problem for me.

10/30/2010 1:06:37 PM

^youve never owned a ford have you

10/30/2010 1:17:53 PM

FedEx guy just dropped off some eBay knockoffs for my dad's Dodge.

His lights are so messed up I didn't even try to polish them. One of them is about 1/2-2/3 way full of water, so I know the insides are nasty as piss.

He's afraid of the internets so I told him I'd order them for him, lol.

[Edited on October 30, 2010 at 1:29 PM. Reason : l]

10/30/2010 1:24:14 PM

^^I have not.

I've also only owned one vehicle with plastic headlights and it's only 3 years old.

[Edited on October 30, 2010 at 1:54 PM. Reason : don't think it'll be an issue with this vehicle]

10/30/2010 1:54:23 PM

A rock on I-40 broke one of my e30 Hellas and I was hella pissed.

The full story is that I was riding down Wade Ave W. near the arena and there was a dump truck dropping rocks all over the place. I sped up to about 80 in the far right lane to get past him and some guy in an Acura TL merged in from the Edwards Mill entrance ramp right in front of me.

Fair enough, I'm not going to bitch about getting cut off when I'm doing 20 MPH faster than all the other cars. He then proceeds to ride at the same speed as the dump truck with it one lane over and just ahead of us. A lot of debris was hitting my car and after about 10-15 seconds I dropped back several hundred feet; waiting until we merged with I-40 to do my pass. His car was getting showered worse than mine. I'm sure he picked up a ton of rock chips in his paint if nothing else. What kind of idiot rides right behind a dump truck dropping rocks and makes no effort to pass?

Anyway, I get to work and didn't thing twice about it since my windshield wasn't cracked or anything. Leaving work I walk to my car and see the jagged front lens from where a rock had busted the headlight.

Those e30 Hellas were the best non-Xenon lights I've ever owned. Pretty awesome considering they were 20 years old.

10/30/2010 2:51:27 PM

I fuckin hate dump trucks and transfer trucks. they are treated like shit and shit is always dropping off them. the 200ft back sticker doesnt matter. it means nothing. i would have pulled him over and made him pay for it

10/30/2010 3:40:52 PM

^ Believe me, if it were my windshield I would have taken note of the license plate number/company name and contacted the company for reimbursement. I just had no idea that anything had been damaged until 9 hours later and it was too late at that point to do anything.

They're really bad around the N. Harrison exit with that rock quarry by Umstead Park. They just let the front end loader or whatever drop the rocks in, but there is always a little shelf at the back of the truck's bed that is covered with rocks. They start dropping as soon as they get up to speed and start hitting bumps on the highway. It really wouldn't be any work at all for the driver to knock those rocks off with a hand broom before hitting the highway.

[Edited on October 30, 2010 at 3:47 PM. Reason : l]

10/30/2010 3:43:37 PM

Quote :

"They're really bad around the N. Harrison exit with that rock quarry by Umstead Park"

youre tellin me I fucking hate that shit

10/30/2010 6:48:24 PM

The replacement cost is outrageous, I have the factory HID lights; $1300 from Ford, $300 from Ebay. The headlight doctor quoted me $100 and 10 day waiting list.

11/2/2010 12:41:33 PM