Headlight oxidation prevention

[BIGJake111]

I am very happy to say that my headlights are in great shape but I really hope to keep them that way, does anyone have suggestions on good ways to prevent oxidation.

[SoCalBlackbox]

I don't know if it prevents it but I wax all my car headlights at least twice a year and I don't have any fogging. My 8 year old Dodge Ram headlights still looks like new. My 2000 Boxster headlights also look new but it never sits out in the sun. Worth a try.

Rick

[Giller]

When you get the headlight restoration kits - they come with a "wax" that is supposed to be ideal for plastic uv protection. Must be something similar on the shelves out there without having to get the whole kit.

[BoxsterPHD]

This stuff is brilliant. Not sure if they ship to US, but there must be equivalent products available.

Surface Sealant Easy Clean Coating & Water Repellent

[TeamOxford]

I use Meguiar's PlastX™ on my headlight lenses and rear window. I have also considered this as a headlight protectant:

Headlight Film - Boxster 986:Porsche Parts & Porsche Accessories - Wholesale Porsche Parts & Tequipment

I have no experience with the headlight film, so I cannot state if it is effective or not.

Just sayin'..........

TO

[BIGJake111]

Thanks for the replies, the headlights are one of the defining features of a porsche and are important to keep well cared for

[JayG]

I use 303 Aerospace protectant
it is great for any non fabric surface
I use it on all my plastic, the entire interior and rubber. It goes on easy and is not glossy

303® Marine & Recreation Protectant

303 Aerospace Protectant, 303 aerospace, 303 protectant, aerospace protectant, 303 products, 303

you can find it on ebay and amazon and other websites as well

[Porsche9]

Lamin-X. Got it on my cars. Plus it protects from pesky rock chips.

[litespeedp]

I have started using as close to pure carnauba yellow past wax as I can find on mine.No abrasives in it at all.

The container of the stuff is kind of hard until it warms up a bit after I put it outside in the sun.

I rub it on by hand and use a clean micro fiber or all cotton t-shirt to buff it.I hope I'm sealing out the bad environmental stuff etc.

We will see...

[cardiffgiant]

Originally Posted by TeamOxford

I use Meguiar's PlastX™ on my headlight lenses and rear window. I have also considered this as a headlight protectant:

Headlight Film - Boxster 986:Porsche Parts & Porsche Accessories - Wholesale Porsche Parts & Tequipment

I have no experience with the headlight film, so I cannot state if it is effective or not.

Just sayin'..........

TO

How do you think that this would work if headlights were already oxidized?

[Jim Rockford]

2nd the Meguiar's PlastX. I picked some up today and applied to my plastic rear window and it did a very nice job at increasing clarity. I then let it loose on my headlights which I already buffed up prior (not that they really needed it, but I'm diligently paying attention to bringing each aspect / material on the 986 back to as close to factory condition as possible)... and I didn't think the product would make any difference on the already clean headlights however I was wrong. There was a marked increase in the brilliance of all the little headlight reflector detail. And at $11 a bottle you can't go wrong. There seems to be a lot of products out there that deal with plastic restoration, and everyone seems to have a preference, and maybe something does work better, but I'm very impressed with the results. The feel when you run your hand across the plastic rear window is very noticeable as well, it's smooth as silk now. The product whitepaper says there's magic microscopic filling agents and blah blah blah, but I'll be damned if I'd disagree with the labcoat that wrote it because it sure feels like something good is going on. Meguiar's has some complimentary product M10 plastic polish that they reco applying after the PlastX. Ordered a bottle from Amazon.ca for $12 or something. Will be arriving shortly, but I'm guessing it's going to be more money well spent.

[TeamOxford]

Originally Posted by cardiffgiant

How do you think that this would work if headlights were already oxidized?

The PlastX or the headlight film?

If the headlight lenses are already oxidized, then neither of these solutions would make the lenses appear clear.

The PlastX is an extremely mild polish, used only to remove minor contaminants from the plastic. You could buff the headlight lenses with PlastX until the cows came home, and all you'd end up with is some shiny, oxidized lenses.

I'm assuming that the headlight film would protect the lenses from future damage, but you'd still have oxidized headlight lenses.

You could always grind the lenses with varying grades of sandpaper, and then apply the film. But in the long run, replacement of the headlight assemblies will yield the best, most cost effective, and least painful way of restoring your headlights. At least it was for me.

Check the "For Sale" ads on this forum ( I believe someone has a pair of decent headlights listed right now, at a GREAT price too!), and also eBay and craigslist.

Just sayin'............

TO

[Perfectlap]

It's not just the outside, which is the easy part. It's also the inside of the lens which is susceptible to discoloration from moisture/humidity and heat. I'm sure we've all seen our lenses fog up. I'm pretty diligent about using Plexus on the outside but I still see some greening of the greyish upper eyelid.

[Nine8Six]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

It's not just the outside, which is the easy part. It's also the inside of the lens which is susceptible to discoloration from moisture/humidity and heat. I'm sure we've all seen our lenses fog up. I'm pretty diligent about using Plexus on the outside but I still see some greening of the greyish upper eyelid.

Very true. In fact when disassembled you can rub a finger inside and that fog goes off. Looks as if there is very little condensation building up inside... at least just enough to create this annoying fog sometime.

Some of you have seen how easy it is to pry those headlight open... you can quickly get a set of those old headlight back to life in a Sunday afternoon.

(wash inside with lens cleaning fabric & hot distilled water, comes back to factory default!)

[Coaster]

It might be all marketing but I used Optimum Opti-lens on mine. Time will tell.