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Old 06-17-2014, 06:03 AM   #1
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Brake Fluid stains??

Any way to buff this out? I tried Windex to clean it off, but this looks like some sort of chemical reaction with brake fluid perhaps.





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Old 06-17-2014, 07:38 AM   #2
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Progressive abrasives. Start with 600 grit wet paper and see of it gets it out. If not, then you will have to go more abrasive till you find a grit that works.

Once you get the blemish out, then you will have to move progressively to finer and finer grits. Finally, use 2000 grit on the entire headlight lens, followed by machine rubbing compound, machine polish and finally wax.
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Old 06-17-2014, 02:26 PM   #3
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I don't think I would attempt this myself. I know some shops might repair old fuzzy faded headlights. Who would do this?
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Chris Dennis, Plano, Texas

'07 Boxster, arctic silver, Tiptronic, 106k miles, no mods
‘13 Boxster S, black on black, PDK, 27k miles, garage queen
‘66 Mooney M20E, hangar queen
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Old 06-17-2014, 05:53 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by texomawaves View Post
I don't think I would attempt this myself. I know some shops might repair old fuzzy faded headlights. Who would do this?
Don't be afraid to try it. 3M makes a headlight polishing kit. It costs around 25 dollars. There are plenty of reviews and information on doing it both here and on the web in general. I have done it on a couple of Honda's, a F150 and two sets of Boxster headlights. The Boxster's were the easiest - there was just more plastic to polish due to the size of the light.

Our headlights can easily be removed. The entire headlight assembly comes off from the car. Same process as changing a headlight bulb and it is covered in the owners manual. Then you can take the gasket off that seals the headlight to the car body. You don't even have to tape the assembly off. These headlights have some type of clear coating on them. The brake fluid probably ate into that coating. I just polished up a set. One of them had so much lose gunk on them that it was possible to scrape it off with backside of a knife. They came out fine. I'll post up a picture either later tonight or tomorrow of the finished lens.
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Old 06-17-2014, 05:56 PM   #5
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Several dealers or mobile detailers offer headlight refinish. The guy I had do my old ones was way more aggressive than the 3M kit I used first. Have someone do it that is trained.
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Old 06-18-2014, 04:15 PM   #6
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Here is a picture of one of the lenses that were worked over with the 3M headlight Restoration Kit.

Last edited by BFeller; 02-04-2021 at 02:13 PM.
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Old 06-18-2014, 08:59 PM   #7
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Ouch!!! Leaky bleeder? Sorry bout that Dennis.
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Old 06-19-2014, 10:15 AM   #8
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GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!!

I went to Service King Collision Repair to get an estimate and they told me they offer a free service to buff out headlamps at no charge (and no guarantees). I'll be damned!! They buffed it right on the spot for free and it cleaned up nice! it was a 5 min effort. How cool is that?? :dance: I've been spreading good Karma and got some back.

rp17, I believe the place that did my brake booster replacement likely spilled fluid on the lens.

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Chris Dennis, Plano, Texas

'07 Boxster, arctic silver, Tiptronic, 106k miles, no mods
‘13 Boxster S, black on black, PDK, 27k miles, garage queen
‘66 Mooney M20E, hangar queen

Last edited by texomawaves; 06-19-2014 at 02:14 PM.
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