# Polishing headlights



## Jesse74 (Jul 19, 2008)

What do you use to polish plexi headlights? I'm just curious because I know that the plexi has a UV protective coat on it and if ti's removed the oxidation will occur even faster. I've also seen antioxidants that work pretty well but they're very pricey.


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## Jesse74 (Jul 19, 2008)

no comments on this one huh?


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## Silva1 (Sep 16, 2007)

I always have used menz RD3.02 on headlights
Works wonders and as for uv issues, I wax them


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## isherdholi (Sep 18, 2007)

You could use Meguiar's PlastX to polish.


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## Jesse74 (Jul 19, 2008)

isherdholi said:


> You could use Meguiar's PlastX to polish.


Well, I know there's a lot of good stuff out there to polish them with, I have some myself, but really my only concern is removing the UV layer. Yeah I can compensate with a layer of good wax, XXX or 50/50 for example, but if the customer plans on keeping the car for a long time and I'm the one that took off the UV layer and they discover that it was because of me... OK most people don't even know about that layer, but still I don't wanna be responsible for it .


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## The Bear (Aug 5, 2008)

Hey !

Would be interested in that as well, for both rear & front plexi lights... 

Didn't even know for the UV layer...


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## Saqib200 (May 13, 2008)

I work in the automotive engineering sector (i don't want to say where). WRT to plastic lenses, they are generally made from a clear ABS and then have a 8micron PC layer over the top for UV protection. During assembly, all bodyshop personnel are banned from polishing headlamps.

Taking off the coating means that the base substrate is susceptible to UV radiation, and over time turns milky (say 4-5 years in the UK).

I'd be curious to know if any1 has suffered from milky lamps on customer cars?


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## The Bear (Aug 5, 2008)

Ok, thanks for that ! 

So what would be your advice to get our headlamps brighter and "more transparent" ?


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## Saqib200 (May 13, 2008)

I've never found an answer to this, but I'm positive that any abrasive compound will cut straight through the PC layer.

From one of the above posts - although the question has been asked, there is no evidence that wax has the same amount of UV protection.


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## Ducky (Mar 19, 2007)

When people wetsand the headlights that UV layer is probably long gone....but what's to stop you polishing them up every so often to keep them nice.....I'd rather do that then have a set of lights which are stone chipped etc.


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## The Bear (Aug 5, 2008)

Yep, probably, but instead of wetsanding, maybe a PSR would be good enough to fill or, ?


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## Ultimate Finish (Jun 27, 2008)

We supply Aurora Marine products and have received good reports from car owners regarding the use of Clear View on plastic car headlight covers.

http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/Store/Product/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=86

Text from the site:-

"The kit contains a restorer and a protector with anti-static properties. Clean View repels dust and dirt and removes light scratches, thereby restoring optical clarity. Clear View also contains sunscreens to inhibit fogging and plasticisers to nurture plastics. Clear View is also ideal for use on cars, planes & motorcycles.

Directions for Use:-

Apply Clear View Cleaner No.1 onto a cloth 
Rub away milky / cloudy surface 
Apply Clear View No.2 Protector with a clean dry white cloth 
Buff to a crystal-clean shine 
Regular use will extend the life of all transparent plastics."

It's usually £12.99 however there's a 30% discount on at the moment.


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## Robbie C (Mar 9, 2007)

What would you all recommend for plastic headlights that appear scratched? 

When the lights are on at night it looks as though they are misted/condensated but this is simply illuminating the imperfections. It almost looks like they have hairline cracks going through them all over 

Would the above product be able to sort this out or should I be using something else?

It's that bad I have considered buying new units 

As I don't have a machine polisher I'm looking for recommendations for use by hand please. At the moment I have SRP and Megs ScratchX to hand but can't see it helping much in this instance. Thoughts/advice appreciated


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## Neil_M (Apr 5, 2007)

I have used PlastX on my Headlights and Rear lights. It seems ok, though they always have been quite clean. However next time I will be using SRP, EGP and Collinite 915 on them.

The filling properties may help with using SRP. Though it would be interesting to see how it does on a head light, especially when you turn the lights on and see all the scratches.


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## Robbie C (Mar 9, 2007)

Thanks to Ultimate finish for the ultra quick delivery of the Aurora Clear view

I decided to wet sand one of my headlights last night, starting with 600, then 800, then 1200 and 1500 before applying Megs PlastX by hand using a Megs foam applicator

While you can see through to the headlights fine, when close up I still have a large amount of scratches left from the sanding. I've tried numerous hits by hand of 3M fast cut paste, Megs ScratchX, Megs PlastX and now Clear view but still these scratches remain.

I'm tempted to go out and get a cheapy Bosch polisher from B&Q to try and add a bit more grunt - do you think this would do the trick?

Thoughts/advice appreciated


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## M40COO (Mar 21, 2006)

You should use a finer grade of sandpaper which will lessen the amount of polishing needed

megs 2k 3k 4k


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## Guest (Aug 29, 2008)

How about Zaino Z14, their products seem to do exactly what they are meant to with great results?


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## Tony Soprano (Jun 22, 2008)

Robbie C said:


> Thanks to Ultimate finish for the ultra quick delivery of the Aurora Clear view
> 
> I decided to wet sand one of my headlights last night, starting with 600, then 800, then 1200 and 1500 before applying Megs PlastX by hand using a Megs foam applicator
> 
> ...


You need to source some "Micromesh" its an abrasive sheet specifically for blending scratches out of plastics, comes in a wide range of grits, we get down to 8000 blending scratches out of aircraft canopies. Start off straight line rubbing (by hand) around 3200 grit then 4000 grit in straight lines at 90 degrees, then 4800 at 90 degrees and so on till the scratch is gone. Someone was selling it on Ebay recently


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## Robbie C (Mar 9, 2007)

Thanks - I'd heard of this before from someone I know in the forces but wasn't too sure what it was until now

After reading a few more online guides I've gone ahead and ordered some off ebay so here's hoping


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## Sandro (Mar 16, 2008)

ive used PlastX on light before but its not that rough an abrasive, so yesterday i use Menzerna IP on the lights, it works well. As for protection, i wax or seal my light anyway, ive had any problems with milky plastic yet, BUT i dont know how long that would take to happen?


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## PhatPhil (Feb 1, 2007)

These?

http://www.sylmasta.com/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Micro_Mesh_Finishing_Cloths_35.html


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## Buzzsaw (Nov 4, 2007)

This is pretty comprehensive: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=53720


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