Cleaning Yellowing Headlights, Oxidation & Clouding

[INVRTD]

There have been many posts on the forums asking about which headlight cleaner to use to remove the yellowing oxidation of our headlights. Here's what I have found, I hope some of you find it useful.

After talking to the boys at Meguiar's about which product they have to clean the oxidation away, they were quick to recommend their PlastX – Clear Plastic Cleaner and Polish. Looking at the front of the 296ml bottle it claims to "remove fine scratches, cloudiness and stubborn oxidation".

Following the instruction I applied a small amount of the cleaner onto a Meguiar's applicator pad and started at the small side of the headlight to test the product. It started cleaning away the cloudiness well, moving over the rest of the headlight it was able to remove the yellowing well. You can see in the 3 way comparison, the cloudy before, during were I have only gone half way around the headlight and then the final result.

I used a Meguiar's Microwipe Polishing Cloth to buff the residue of the polish off. I needed to apply a little more of the cleaner, to get the residue that had dried off the plastic, to make it look perfectly clear. A final buff with the cloth to make sure no residue was left over.

Well the Meguiar's PlastX lives up to its claim of removing stubborn oxidation and clouding. I am pleased with the results, my only nit picking observation is that the liquid cause streaking that took application of more cleaner, cleaning and buffing to remove, however this did not take long so isn't a problem. Overall it took 5 minutes a headlight to get them looking clean and new. Ill keep you posted on how well the treatment lasts.

Best wishes

Alex

[Kujotk]

yup i did this on my series 2 with plastex and my lights came up better than the pics above, so i recommend this stuff

[SLY-25T]

i went looking for the plastx a while ago and couldnt find it. so i bought scratchx instead. does just as good a job.

recommend this clean up for any car. makes a big difference in the looks of the front end.

[INVRTD]

Yeah my photos dont do the results justice, such a clean look its great, had one of my mates from uni come ask me if i "got new lights for the line" was a good feeling,

[SLY-25T]

lol same with me. my dad had been tellin me to do somethin about em cause they looked shit. they were really bad. used some scratchx and he asked me how much the new lights were.

[Kujotk]

hahahah, ask him for some reinburstment for the new lights lol

[Nemesis]

lol use turtle wax...the one that comes in the shoe polish sized tin but yeah its a problem with having the plastic covers

Edited October 13, 2008 by Nemesis

[GTR-N1]

Thanx Alex and SAUers...

Interesting read!

Question:- do you think that yellowing, oxidation or clouding is due mainly to...

i) sun & weather

ii) collision with fine particles at speed or

iii) the lights being on for long periods or

iv) combination of above ???

Cheers,

Tez

[bored33]

Thanx Alex and SAUers...

Interesting read!

Question:- do you think that yellowing, oxidation or clouding is due mainly to...

i) sun & weather

ii) collision with fine particles at speed or

iii) the lights being on for long periods or

iv) combination of above ???

Cheers,

Tez

Mainly due to the UV lights in Australia compared to Japan since they have alot more pollution and less harsher weather conditions then we do. The plastic used for the headlights are not as high graded as the plastic used for Australian cars. But also a little bit of the particles flying into your headlights at high speeds.

[GTR-N1]

Mainly due to the UV lights in Australia compared to Japan since they have alot more pollution and less harsher weather conditions then we do. The plastic used for the headlights are not as high graded as the plastic used for Australian cars. But also a little bit of the particles flying into your headlights at high speeds.

Thanks!

[INVRTD]

sun and weather because when i run my hands across the lights they feel smooth so i dont think scratching will contribute overly

[GTR-N1]

sun and weather because when i run my hands across the lights they feel smooth so i dont think scratching will contribute overly

Ta Again!

I'll be careful not to park it in the sun/heat. Tez

[R 2 THE J]

sun and weather because when i run my hands across the lights they feel smooth so i dont think scratching will contribute overly

I think it's a combination of all things.

You won't feel sh*t with your bare hands..your hands are soft..

Get a plastic bag..put your hand in it..and then feel over your lights..trust me..theres more stuff on there than you think..

TIP..want them clean and shiny...

Use a clay bar to get all the particles out...no lubricants..just the clay bar..

Then use the PlasticX...apply, let dry, apply again..don't buff out, let dry, and apply again..this time with a fair amount and now you can buff it out before it dries..preferably with an electric buffer to get that shine up...

This method gets rid of all the small particles with the clay bar. Then with the PlasticX, smoothens and cleans the lens, let it dry then apply again to thicken the polish...this stuff dries quick..so you will need to apply it again once it dries and then quickly buff it out.

Does wonders..

Now I need to work out how to get the inside clean too..hmm..any suggestions??

[Kujotk]

throw it in the oven and open the lights..... only way i know of..... allot of hassel.....

[INVRTD]

RJ

cheers for that mate, ill give that a go, want to get the best possible results i can get, i like doing things properly.

sounds pretty risky putting the lights in the oven, can the heat damage them, any recommendations for a resealent glue

cheers

[jase33]

im also keen to know how to clean the insides of these buggers. the outside looks sweet but the inside, not so good. how hot do u have the oven and for how long?? so not keen to do it but curious!

[Kujotk]

do a search, somebody has already done it, mine are fairly fine inside so i havent botherd doing it or rsearching it but i have read about it on SAU before....

[INVRTD]

just an update to say the lights are still looking good and have tried it on a couple mistu's and getting good results there too, also works great on lightly scratche cds (use at your own descretion, you have been warned, lol)

[SLY-25T]

hey alex

did you end up doing the inside of the headlights yet? wanna do mine but am pretty iffy about it. lol

[n/aTurbo]

Hey all, just thought i might start this thread up again and share my experience instead of creating a new topic (thanks to dan_the_man for the suggestion)

I'm sure most of us have gone through the oxidation & clouding issue with the front headlight's of a skyline. Ive always noticed it on mine have been too lazy to do anything. I know others though are more particular and like to nip these little issues straight away.

I used exactly the same method as INVRTD did back at the top of the thread and am just sharing my results with you guys; with a few subtle difference.

It didn't take all that long (probably a solid 20 min both both headlights). I applied the PlastX about 3 time's on each light. The first time was to get the general dirt, grit, residue and oxidation off. The 2nd pass concentrated more on the stubborn stains and light scratches (this was the most time consuming since u have to look for what you missed). The 3rd pass was to get the excess polish off while it was still wet.

Each time i applied the polish with the applicator pads and buffed it clean with the microwipe cloth.

Just a note, it's best to do this out in the direct sunlight since u have better visibility.

I cant guarantee that this method will work for you, but again, im just sharing my experience.