How do you remove that yellow oxidation?

[Loganwiththe'93]

Hey guys.
I was just wondering if anyone had any good tips on removing the yellow tinted oxidation from my old headlights, without using sandpaper and other stuff.
A home remedy suits me best, but all ideas are welcome here.

[eddie926]

Well, not sure what you mean when you say "without using sandpaper and other stuff". If you're headlights are yellowed, the only way to fix them is to either sand and polish them or to polish them without sanding. Not sure what other "home remedy" you envisioned. There's no wipe on wipe off fix if that was your hope.

If they're really bad, sanding will get you there much faster than just polishing.

[berry79]

Without sanding and polishing I don't think you'll get the results you want.
I have used this kit in the past. It works very well though you do have some sanding involved.

http://www.shop3m.com/60455033872.html

[bennijai]

speaking of oxidation, don't white cars turn yellowish with age? waxing it should slow down the process right?

[Zembonez]

You don't have to go buy one of those "headlight resto kits".

3M white polishing compound works great on headlights. I add a couple of coats of Meguiars wax to them afterward. You'll have to do a quick touch up in about 6 months to keep them looking good.

[berry79]

yeah, but if you sand away all the oxidation first, they'll last alot longer. sometimes the polish alone will just clear up the oxidition and not necessarily remove it. this being the reason you have to polish every six months.

[Zembonez]

Possibly so but I have had to repolish sanded lights and non sanded ones. It seems that once the oxidation sets in, it's like trying to stop rust.

[eyeball96]

Mequires or Mothers plastic polish works pretty good! Nothing you do is going to last forever as long as the car is exposed to the elements.

I polish the Headlights on the 96 every other wash or so. If mine were really bad, though I'd take them off the car and use 2000 grid sand paper, 3m fine cut compound and a buffer.

[t3chnique]

Loganwiththe'93,
do you think you could post some pictures to see how bad the oxidation is?

[Loganwiththe'93]

Actually, sure. Later today I can go out there and take a picture.
But about a week ago, I went to Buffalo, and left my car here. My neighbor knew the condition of my headlights, and, whilst I was gone, he took some compound and a buffer, and cleared my headlights up, and they look absolutely fantastic.

[quangtran89]

I use plastic x from walmart. It's ok but I have to redo it like every week. I'm thinking about buying some headlight restore. The cover say that it'll make them 'like new'. Will that make my headlights look much better. This is how they right now. Do you think those headlight restore will do the job or should I just buy new headlights?

[catric69]

1. Clean rag and rubbing compound.

2. Tooth-brush and toothpaste (not the gel, but the white paste).

Depends how bad the oxidation is.

[quangtran89]

I'll try that this weekend.

Thanks

[2gtacoma]

i wet sanded my old head lights on my hatch and it worked the best i wet sanded with soapy water and 1000 gt sand paper for 15 mins and 1500 gt for 15 min and then hit it with a polishing compund and polishing ball and it looked as good as new.

[MyCar_SE]

When you sand the headlights, do you run the risk sanding too much and causing damage to the plastic?