Finally, Clean Headlights!

[Venom_5]

... hate to start a new thread, because i thought i had an old one - but i couldnt find it!

You may recall that my passenger headlight has been yellowed/hazed for quite some time now, and that i broke out my 80, 100, 150, 220, 400w, 600w, 800w, 1000w, 1500w grit sand paper (w = wet, just fyi) ... sanded it down by hand for like 4 hours, then cleaned it off ... and after the water dried, it still looked hazed - so i was like WTF

Before Shot:


then someone told me that i needed up to 2000 grit, and that last grit would finish the job - i couldnt find any 2000 grit ... but someone else told me i couldnt do it by hand, i needed something like a Porter Cable polisher to really get it right, with some polishing compound ... well im too broke for that, but i do have a sander now - which i thought of last nite!

so this morning i woke up ... took the passenger headlight out, doused it with water ... strapped some 800w grit to my little 1/4-sheet sander and attacked - then switched directly to 1500 grit and spent about 45 mins wetsanding and 15 mins drysanding - then waxed the headlight to get all the residue off from sanding, and im finally pleased with the results!

After Shot:


its not perfect, but its much better than it was! it was giving me problems with messing up the low beams at night ... unfortunately, now it looks cleaner than the driver's side but theyre both good enough for me to be satisfied

thanks to those who gave me tips, and to the DIY for clearing headlights - although i didnt clear mine, it gave me a good background for steps i might take

[cruisn76]

That looks pretty good. Couldn't just go and rent a polisher??

Btw, nice slippers from the reflection. Heck you look like a china man!

[Venom_5]

slippers? theyre just Adidas sandals

didnt want to rent a polisher cuz this was free

[Mazeraski]

Looks good, nice work on them

[juxtapose]

Thanks for the tip, I may try this sooner or later.

[shajbot]

Originally Posted by Venom_5

slippers? theyre just Adidas sandals

didnt want to rent a polisher cuz this was free

Is this what I need for the sanding, I have an electric drill/driver

http://www.autozone.com/R,NONAPP6394...ductDetail.htm

And where do you get the high grit # sand paper, the max I can find is 320 grits which is shjt.

[gladis]

I got mine at OSH, which is only in California, I believe. Go look at hardware stores, and they should have them.

FYI, I did mine over Christmas break, a lot of elbow grease, my arm hurt for like 2 days after I was done.

I used 320 grit, then down the line to 2000, then used some rubbing compound, and polishing compound. The polishing compound still left visible scratches, so I finished it off with a Meg's polish (step 2 in their 3 step thing)

Finished product - (hope you don't mind, venom)

[Eye8Pussies]

looks pretty good....but sounds like a lot of work though :p

[TheKevin]

i just used meguiars plastX and a microfiber towel, it made it a lil cleaner. im sure if i used a mother's powerball, it'd be a lot better.

what's the purpose of the 3 "nipples" on the headlights? can i cut them off?

[Venom_5]

shajbot - i got the higher grits at ACE Hardware, Home Depot and Lowes wont have them ... they have like 400 grit max, which is weaksauce - and idk about that attachment, i just have a random orbit 1/4-sheet hand sander that i got for like $20 a while back

gladis - dont mind at all ... i wish i had some polishing compound and a buffer so i could get it brand new, but its good enough for now

king - not nearly as much work as a 5-spd swap, or rebuilding your front end!

Mr. E - for the problem i have, PlastX will not do anything ... once it dries, it will still looked hazed (i have PlastX, and i use it for other stuff) ... the Powerball will scratch too much, cuz its pretty gritty ... and idk why the nipples are there

[gladis]

It WAS a lot of work, I think I spent about 3 days (not full days) polishing all the lights (I decided to do the other ones too) by HAND. I couldn't feel my arm for a couple days afterward.

Mr. E - I believe the nipples are there for alignment machines, that's what I've read somewhere. I'm pretty sure if you cut them off it's alright.

[SmartedPanda]

.....Any easier way? Like buying a new Camry? or Headlights? Sheesh.

[Venom_5]

... new camry: $3000+
... new headlights: $50+

cleaning them yourself .... maybe $20

you do the math

[SmartedPanda]

Originally Posted by Venom_5

... new camry: $3000+
... new headlights: $50+

cleaning them yourself .... maybe $20

you do the math

Cat?

[Eye8Pussies]

lol

fair enough