Restoring/Replacing headlight lenses?
 

Hey everyone,

I would LOVE to get a new set of the LED/Halo headlights for my 06 but I have a lot of other more important things that need to be done first.

So, I have been trying to restore my lenses, they have become extremely foggy from not being cared for since the car rolled off the line.. (Not by me, I just got it).

I have tried a couple different restoration kits which all involved different grit sand paper, none of which did a thing. I then got a kit by Mother's which really helped quite a bit (Using a sponge type thing on a drill) however after using nearly the entire bottle of cleaner that was supplied (Which instructions said should only need a nickel size drop) it appears they aren't going to be getting any better.

I am pretty sure some damage was done by the sand paper as there is some 'discoloration' in some spots and scratches.


Anyway, is it possible to replace just the lens/is there anywhere to purchase just the lens? They are in perfect condition inside.

Or, do you guys have any secret tricks to cleaning up these lenses?

Thanks!

If the scratches are deep (you can feel them with your fingernail) you probably won't be able to remove them, but if they are light surface scratches they can be removed using progressively finer grit (600/1000/2000) sandpaper with water (wet sand) then using a polishing compound.

Definitely have to wet-sand these things, and then spend a lot of time compounding and polishing them back to being clear.

However, once it happens, it is more prone to happen. I would think just replacing the headlamp assemblies is going to be your best bet.

I have seen new ones on ebay...

Replace them. Also a good paint shop will do the process for little of nothing, sand them down and clear coat them, a lot more effective than the restore kits.

Mine were getting yellowed. If you use these OTC things from Auto He ll (what I call Auto Zone, I have a personal boycot with that place right now), they 1) won't work very well and 2) you will be back where you starte di na month.

A friend of mine at a car show turned me on this technique. Do what these guys on this forum mentioned, only I started out aggressive with 220, then 400, 800, 1200, 2000, machine rubbing compound, machine polished, and got my lenses cleaned. However, they still don't have that new lense luster.


So when I was repainting my car, I had the lenses ready to go, all polished down. I cleaned them up with my surface cleaner, and then sprayed one medium coat of clear coat over them.


This isn't that clear coat that you get from Auto Hel l once again, this is the good stuff from NAPA with a hardener in it.

Some people say that's bad for it, some people say the clear will peel off, yada yada. Well ,they look good for now. And if I ahve to redo them once a year, so be it. I've got the tools, the skills, and the technology.

What happens is, there is a protective coat on those lenses when they are manufactured. It wears off. When you polishing compound them back out, you cleaned them up, but there is nothing to protect them.

The thing about the clear is that the heat from the lights will make the lights get hot and then they will get cold on winters nights too. Lots of expanding and contracting. But Black cars get extremely hot in the usn and extremely cold at night too. I'm not too worried about it.

But a lighter coat is definitely better than a heavy coat with this trick. If you lived near by, I could fix you right up and we'll see how it lasts. I've only been doing this trick on cars for the last month or so, I have 2 cars on the road (one a friends pick up, he loves it) that look great with this technique.... here are pictures.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/e...eadlights1.jpg


http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/e...eadlights2.jpg

final sanding with 3m trizact (3k grit) and a fine rubbing compound on foam buffer.

mine's very close to my one good clear headlight, but not perfect. i need to clear it next time.

Same thing I did here... I didn't bother to pay a shop to do the work though. I am pretty handy with the spray bomb.