Restoring Yellowed Plastic Headlights
- Thread starter G-Cat
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Guys, having researched the hell out of this for my last car, I will tell you that the 3M kit works really well, but most DIY's and kits are lacking when it comes to re-protecting against UV rays.
There is a DIY writeup that a guy did on the Subaru forums but long story short, after you are done with the 3M kit, use a mix of 1/2 mineral spirits and 1/2 Helmsman Spar Urethane to coat the light afterwards. You just have to apply thin layers with a brush and mask off around the light to prevent run onto your paint. Let the coating run a bit to get rid of brush strokes and evens itself out and voila, you're good to go. Link to the process can be found here:
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2493178
I did this to my Mom's Legacy Spec. B two years ago and the headlights still look brand new, no re-application.
There is a DIY writeup that a guy did on the Subaru forums but long story short, after you are done with the 3M kit, use a mix of 1/2 mineral spirits and 1/2 Helmsman Spar Urethane to coat the light afterwards. You just have to apply thin layers with a brush and mask off around the light to prevent run onto your paint. Let the coating run a bit to get rid of brush strokes and evens itself out and voila, you're good to go. Link to the process can be found here:
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2493178
I did this to my Mom's Legacy Spec. B two years ago and the headlights still look brand new, no re-application.
Is there a way to clean the reflective surfaces on the inside of the headlight? Mine have lost their mirror shine.
My son had one headlight with a "frosted" reflector. We ended up replacing the headlight with a new Toyota unit.
Had I seen this thread beforehand, we probably would have just gone that route:
98-2005 Landcruiser DEPO 1 piece clear head lamp Interest
This is the one used on a previous truck and turned out great. I sold it a little two years later and still looked good.
3M Headlight Lens Restoration System 39008 - 3M Auto
3M Headlight Lens Restoration System 39008 - 3M Auto
For my detailing business I just use 1000 then 2000 grit sandpaper with soapy water to remove the oxidation, then polish with my air driven polisher with some Meguiar's PlastX. Don't push too hard or you'll melt the plastic, and be sure to tape off all the edges! Seal with a decent paint sealant.
Here's my friends VW I did.
Only thing is there is no real way to seal the headlights to make them not oxidize again and my experience with the coatings you apply with a paint sponge in the kits hasn't been too good and hasn't lasted very long.
I find keeping up on it and making sure there's a good coat of wax or sealant on it prolongs it immensely. I did a test on my friends Mini Cooper and had him wax the passenger side headlight everytime he washed his car and ignored the driver's side. Passenger side was still crystal clear after eight months while the driver's side was kinda crappy looking again.
Rich
Here's my friends VW I did.
Only thing is there is no real way to seal the headlights to make them not oxidize again and my experience with the coatings you apply with a paint sponge in the kits hasn't been too good and hasn't lasted very long.
I find keeping up on it and making sure there's a good coat of wax or sealant on it prolongs it immensely. I did a test on my friends Mini Cooper and had him wax the passenger side headlight everytime he washed his car and ignored the driver's side. Passenger side was still crystal clear after eight months while the driver's side was kinda crappy looking again.
Rich
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