Restoring Headlight Lens

[Blue Arrow]

In case anyone is interested, this is a good write up on restoring the headlight lens. I remember this being discussed some time ago but thought it might help other members with regards to the hazy lens that the V35 tend to have over time due to oxidation.

I myself have used PlastX in the past with considerable success. The article covers the use of grit pads and some photos.

http://www.canadiandriver.com/2009/06/18/p...tion-system.htm

Cheers.

Rob

[sethaiyaar]

I am not 100% sure on this, but if my memory serves correct all headlight have this UV coating which prevents the oxidation, once the UV coating goes the oxidation comes back, so the headlight polish acts as a sealant....so the question is, while the sealant will keep wearing off, isn there a way to restore to factory specs?...sm sort of 'UV' spray?

But yeh, i dont have a drill with RPM rating , and my lights are kinda hazy...prob go for the PlastX kit.

[dannyw]

hving same problem.. will ask around which way works best..

[siu_loong_bao]

Mine have gone yellow as well....And I have been told to use toothpaste, water and a rag...I will try it on my V35 when I get hold of it soon...but in the meantime, I'll do it on the Mrs Mazda 3....hehe, wish me luck....

[siu_loong_bao]

here's another product, and available in Australia!!!

http://www.glassylite.net.au/webspecial.ht...CFc0vpAod9kC1qQ

I've emailed the guy and asked for a money-back guarantee if I decide to buy it. Will wait for a response. If it works, I'll let you guys know.

Edited June 21, 2009 by siu_loong_bao

[sethaiyaar]

awesome, keep us updated....and and what happened with the toothpaste?, im pretty sure it didn't work.

[Eldubb]

I'm very interested to hear the outcome as i have had a detailer come and buff mine out with an electric buffer with no success. Mine seem to have gone through to the inside so there's really no helping me i think. The only thing i can think of is to take it off and clean the inside but i really dont want to go through the process...

[our12]

Hi.

I presume you are discussing the outside of the covers if so dont waste your money buying overpriced products. Simply go to the supermarket buy a tin of Brasso take it home give it a good shake pour onto cloth start rubbing. You may be very surprised at the result. Sometimes the old products are the best.

Let us know the results if you try it.

[sethaiyaar]

I was just thinking...in the process when the headlight is wet sanded the UV protection is removed and thus oxidation occurs, to prevent this you wax it to for a layer....but instead why not use a clear film, not just any cheap one a 3M one, i used their vinyl on a couple of cars and they stick very well and stretch very easily around curves using heat.

if i do go the wet sanding process i will try it out with some clear 3m film.

[popeye]

A mate of mine used the Glassy Lite product a couple of years ago on his Soarer and he tells me that it worked really well. I haven't needed to do anything with my light yet, but if I did, he has been recommending Glassy Lite to me.

He said that with my lights being as new as they are, I could probably get away with just using Step 2 and 3 in the instructions as Step 1 is quite abbraisive and is best used on lights that are very dull. This is to keep them good, a preventative. I have seen his lights now, about 2 years on, they still look pretty good, although he does do maintenance on them every now and then.

[siu_loong_bao]

no news from the glassy lite guy yet...is he out of business?

as to brasso, sounds good, but the issue is that the UV coat will be removed in the process...

[siu_loong_bao]

if this glassylite guy doesn't respond to me email enquiry by the end of this week, I am going to buy myself an aftermarket headlight set from the US....

[Eldubb]

ooh, do tell me how much you end up buying them for...

[sethaiyaar]

if this glassylite guy doesn't respond to me email enquiry by the end of this week, I am going to buy myself an aftermarket headlight set from the US....

But then you hit the never ending issue of the lights being lopsided...like the majority of the beam pointing out and hitting on coming traffic...do a search, there has been a extensive discussion about them. Also the fact they are ridiculously expensive, better to try using an abrasive method (sandpaper, brasso etc) and put a thin high quality clear film to protect the lights...well, forever.

[siu_loong_bao]

Tai, so tell us how u went about doing it on your car with some pics...An Aussie version would be most appreciated (versus the canadiandriver.com link)...

And where did you buy the clear 3M film?

Edited June 29, 2009 by siu_loong_bao

[Oaksey]

As I posted before, when doing my whole car with it, I used Meguiars paint cleaner on the headlights as well and they came up great. Probably just got rid of built up wax and polish rather than oxidisation though.

[sethaiyaar]

Tai, so tell us how u went about doing it on your car with some pics...An Aussie version would be most appreciated (versus the canadiandriver.com link)...

And where did you buy the clear 3M film?

lol i will be doing it soon, hopefully in the end of next month...and about the film, you can contact 3M and they will point you

to the closest dealer...but ill prob pay a visit to a friend who i bought the vinyl for my black roof overlay.

Will be sure to update.

[mxfly]

I do part time detailing as my 2nd job and have done heaps of headlights on my mates car yard. I have only failed once on the headlights and that was due to the fact the headlights were oxidised on the inside so the only way to polish it was to crack open the lens.

If there's enough interest I can do everyones headlights on a weekend, but we need to find a suitable venue with a power outlet and enough space for parking cars.

Also i can advise what products to use to prevent oxidising again with several sealant products.

Normally I charge about 50 bucks but if there's enough interest, i'll do it for half price. If I cant fix it, wont cost anything.

[siu_loong_bao]

I suppose it's only a Sydney 'groupie' thing....poor us Melb blokes...LOL

Well, I am keen to hear about who has already cleaned up their V35 lights and what they used, etc...

I was just about to click the 'buy it now' button for a 3M headlight restoration kit from the USA last nite too...I guess i can wait and see for a cheaper alternative. the 3M Kit is not cheap!

[BLISTC]

hey hey yeah eugene hook us up!