Polishing Plastic Headlight Lenses

I tried a kit on our '98 Civic a few years back - looked awesome!!!!!.....for about 2 months. Then back to the yellow chalky finish. Ended up spending around $180 on eBay for two new aftermarket housings and they looked/fit perfect. Maybe your results will be better than mine.

They all work ok to some degree, the main problem is polishing or sealing the plastics will looks good for a limited time. Better to use the sealer type on new lenses that are just starting to cloud. Really bad ones, you need th sand/polish type.

I have a detailing business and do not use the kits sold in auto supply stores. I use a more intense process which makes the headlights very clear. The key is to use a good sealant after finishing. I use a German formulated sealant (Klasse) as the buffing and polishing to make the lens clear removes the original protective sealant. I use finer grit wet sandpaper and better quality compound and polish to achieve better results on the clearing. Takes me about an hour to do both headlights. Takes more time but the results are better.

I used a 3M kit that came with sanding discs, polishing discs, compound and protectant. It made a huge difference, truck was 10 years old when I did it, but it needed done again in a year, even with the protectant. . The 3M kit was mid $20s, but there was enough stuff in there to do it twice.

Quote from MrJoop

I used a 3M kit that came with sanding discs, polishing discs, compound and protectant. It made a huge difference, truck was 10 years old when I did it, but it needed done again in a year, even with the protectant. . The 3M kit was mid $20s, but there was enough stuff in there to do it twice.

I've been thinking about doing this for a while on our van. For those that use Subscribe and Save from Amazon this kit is available for $15.75 if you can get the 15% discount.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ…=specialty-aps-sns&sr=8-1

Quote from BFrank

I've been thinking about doing this for a while on our van. For those that use Subscribe and Save from Amazon this kit is available for $15.75 if you can get the 15% discount.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ…=specialty-aps-sns&sr=8-1

Looks like a good kit and some good advice from one of the first reviewers regarding a sealant and sandpaper.

Quote from MrJoop

I used a 3M kit that came with sanding discs, polishing discs, compound and protectant. It made a huge difference, truck was 10 years old when I did it, but it needed done again in a year, even with the protectant. . The 3M kit was mid $20s, but there was enough stuff in there to do it twice.

Same kit and same experience. I used it on multiple vehicles and the end result was great but it didn't seem to last a long time. I did use a quality wax on one set and it seemed to help but all seemed to fade in <1yr. That being said, it was awesome for a civic that I was selling....cleaned the car up and buffed the lights for a nice improvement on a beater and I didn't care that it wouldn't last that long. On our grand cherokee I ended up just picking up replacement lights, I seem to remember them being ~$75/each on flea-bay.

--Ian

I didn't have any luck with Kathie's last Grand Cherokee. I probably didn't spend enough time on it though which is probably the key. Ended up getting new head lights off Amazon for cheap enough.

Sealing it at the end is key. If done correctly it will last for awhile as long as you aren't running it thru the car wash etc... I have done a few headlights with a 3M kit with great results that have not turned yellow to date, one was done about a year ago. Take your time with a good kit and it will be fine.