headllight renewing

I saw the guys on Spike TV doing the "Poor Man's" Headlight renewal. So, instead of paying 20-25 bucks for a "Kit". I decided to give it a try. All I needed to buy was an applicator pad(2 for $1.79 at AZ). I had the rest of the stuff on hand. The other things you will need is 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper, and any good rubbing compound.
This is what I stated with:
http://s955.photobucket.com/albums/ae39/scottv38/?action=view&current=DSCN2960.jpg&newest=1
I sprayed the headlight and paper with a lot of water first, and just started sanding. It took quite a while since the build up of junk was think. After about 20-25 minutes of sanding, I sprayed water on headlight to clean it off and wiped with rag. For the next step, it would be easier if you have a power buffer, but I don't, so a lot of elbow grease was needed. Get an applicator pad damp, and get a good amount of rubbing compound on there and once again... rub like crazy in circular motion. I kept adding more compound as it fell of to keep it gritty. After another 10-15 minutes of rubbing, this is what I got:
http://s955.photobucket.com/albums/ae39/scottv38/?action=view&current=DSCN2967.jpg
I did one headlight first, and then turned my lights on as my Ex faced our wood fence. The one that was cleaned was bright against it. The one that was not cleaned, I had to go up front to make sure it wasn't out! That big of a difference!

 

[Anime]

Any kind of abrasive, including sandpaper or toothpaste, can do the job of scrubbing off the oxidation and what's left of the factory UV plastic protectant, but the good kits have some kind of UV sealant for the final layer after polishing. Without a UV protective layer, the plastic will oxidize quite fast, and usually winds up looking worse than before.

I've seen some new Turtle Wax branded kits at walmart for under 10 bucks, that are basically just the abrasive compounds, then a sealant. Worth looking into, and probably worth getting if you don't have some kind of fine plastic polish to use after the rubbing compound.

 

[explorerfriend]

Looks a lot better Junky! Yes Anime brings up a good point. I've done this before and they've clouded back up quick. So much that when one of my lights went out I had to use my brights just to be able to see ahead of me. I never got flashed once during that long drive either. You should definitely think about putting on a sealant. I think I'm going to give-in to one of the kits. I think it would be worth it for the drill attachment since I don't have a buffer and would have to spend $10-15 on compound/sealant and sandpaper.

 

[Explorer Junky]

Well, those idiots on Trucks didn't talk about a protectant!! WTH?? Will need to check into that tomorrow

 

[Explorer Junky]

Mequires PlastX for 8 bucks at Advanced. I think I will go get some tomorrow! Seals and protects it says. I hope so! My arms are killing me!! LOL

 

[jrford]

on my heep 15 yrs and 160k, tried the polish idea, came out looking good, but at night the concentrated beam was gone, it looked very dim. found replacements with bulbs for like $20 each on fleabay. Much better then the polish method as part of the problem is the 'silver' inside starts to corrode so no matter what happens it might look good may not work well in the long run - imho. .

 

[Knox5.0]

Nice job. The lens itself looks alot better. Put some sealant on it and you'll be good to go. You stated you did a light test against your fence and it was better so dont worry about it.

 

[toypaseo]

I polish mine frequently with PlastX, then follow that with a few layers of wax. I have a set of new OEM headlights awaiting installation this summer.

If you get yours to a stage where they are "perfect", you could consider getting a layer of clearbra on them. For my Paseo, I scored some Cynos (a Paseo in some other countries) headlights off eBay. The seller polished the clearcoat off, and left a perfectly clear lens. I knew they would cloud fast, so I talked to my tint/clearbra installer. He said he has clearbra on all his headlights, for numerous years, with no problems. So, here they are after clearbra...

Click on image for larger view.

 

[Explorer Junky]

Thanks for all the replies! I did go get the PlastX and 2000 grit wet/dry today. After just 5 more mins on each lens with the 2000, and 5 mins each with the polish, they came out even better than before. I will get updated pics on tomorrow. Tested them tonight on way to store. Someone coming the other way flashed brights at me, but, I did not have mine on! So, I will take that as a good sign that they are clear and bright again. How much is clearbra anyhow? sounds like a good idea. But, couldn't you just use clear body protective 3M stuff on them also? Let me know