Cleaning foggy or yellowed headlights

[Pianohawk]

I'm excited to try the baking soda/water method when I get home, see the following link. (http://www.ehow.com/how_4488636_clean-haze-off-car-headlights.html) I'm just curious if anyone's done this or had experience removing the yellow haze off their boxster headlights...any suggestions?

[sd_boxster]

I haven't used baking soda - seems a little too abrasive to me - but I have used plastic polish and buffing wheel to buff out headlights in the past. Auto parts stores generally sell a kit with a buffing wheel and plastic polish for under $20. This definitely did not result in a like-new appearance, but it was my sister-in-law's SUV, so whatever.

Were this my Boxster, I'd remove the lights and take them to a local body shop to be sanded and clear coated - there are a couple of places around here that do headlight restoration.

If you do wind up doing it yourself, post before and after pics!

[Cloudsurfer]

Wet sand them with 1500 to 2000 grit sandpaper, and then polish with a plastic polish (such as the Mcguires Headlight Kit) and they'll look 1000% better.

[violametallic-S-]

I always thought the fogging was coming from the inside....

[Pianohawk]

I followed the directions on http://www.ehow.com/how_4488636_clean-haze-off-car-headlights.html.

The before picture shows the results of Cascade Collision's $29.99 headlight restoration job. The after pic was taken immediately following the baking soda/water polish job my wife and I did tonight.

Maybe Cascade Collision didn't do as good a job as others probably would, but our baking soda and water concoction made a nice improvement.

If you give it a try let us know the results! (takes 5-15 minutes)


Before baking soda and water



After baking soda/water

[Pat]

You might appreciate my write-up:
http://forums.audiworld.com/showthread.php?p=2627541

[mikefocke]

Works on headlights that have sat outside and develop that haze. I used nothing beyond a bit of abrasive #3, fine mix #2 and polish #1 using an old washcloth on my son's Mazda. Worked great. I happened to have the Novus around from its use on the rear plastic top window of my Boxster...whose top is at least 6 years old...maybe more...and which looks clear and new.

[Aron in Toronto]

As Mike said, I just use the plastic polish that I already had on hand for the back window.

It's Meguiar's PlastX as that was what was available at the local auto parts shop (~$9).

It's a mild polish, so it will not have much effect on really badly fogged or scratched plastic.



Aron

[jcb986]

I have used some super fine paint rubbing compound. It's white in color and is a paste. Works real good, better if I use a high speed air buffer.

[davemon]

Toothpaste plus baking soda, on 10 year old headlight (Celica). Never touched with anything but soap/water before. I just had the driver's side headlight replaced (some lady pulled out in front of me). So now I'm taking the opportunity to try to find a good way to get the light looking new again.

I did a small spot on the headlight with Novus1. No real effect. Then I did the whole thing in toothpaste baking soda.


http://i50.tinypic.com/iwqef9.jpg
http://i46.tinypic.com/1440cxx.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/2iad5xg.jpg

[Quickurt]

I used Crystal View's kit over two years ago on Wifey's Civic and daughter's Prelude. Both were in terrible condition. Two years later they still look pretty good, especially the Prelude.

http://www.myheadlight.com/

This kiy includes a new polyurethane hardcoat to replace the protective coating that you sand/polish off to get your lenses clear again. Without this replacement coating, the lenses will deteriorate in rapid order after you polish them.

MY 135k miles CX7 lenses are starting to deteriorate, so I'm watching.......
A good UV protective wax, like DSX Defender II, also helps protect those expensive lenses. My good friend is the DSX distributor and his Accord's headlight lenses, the same age as my neighbor's, are in MUCH, MUCH better condition. He has had DSX Defender wax on them since he bought the used Accord. One wonders what they would look like had it been used since the car was new.........

http://dsxequiptech.com/dsx-defender-ii/ - full disclosure - if you read the fan application report, the second fan is my shop exhaust fan and the stuff definitely keeps the fan blades clean. I also use Defender II wax on my DD. It lasts FOREVER!! Over one year since the last application, our notorious Florida Love Bugs still wash right off the front of the car.