I have been to see my local bodyshop today as my headlights are really quite dull and yellowy. He advised me to use toothpaste and a decent kitchen scrubber let it dry then buff it off and wax. Anyone else used this method or have an alternate method. He also said if he was to do it he would sand them down and then buff them out but he has done it before and takes an age to buff.
help cleaning headlights!!!
- Thread starter josh92
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integraleo
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You can use any cutting compound
T cut,brasso,ultimate compound,g3 whatever you have to hand really.
Then polish and wax after. If that doesn't do the job then there is a thread somewhere about how to go about sanding them down.
T cut,brasso,ultimate compound,g3 whatever you have to hand really.
Then polish and wax after. If that doesn't do the job then there is a thread somewhere about how to go about sanding them down.
maxvr6
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All depends on how brave you are, toothpaste can be used as an alternative to cutting compound and does deliver results, cutting compound will be better and with enough effort they will look almost like new.
However eventually it will come back, what happens is over time the UV coating deteriorates and the sun eventually breaks down and yellows the plastic, the only way to get rid of this is to sand it back with some fine grit wet and dry paper, the buff with a cutting compound and finally wax. This was my approach as I have some experience with sanding paint and using a DA polisher.
This will last you years as opposed to several months. Alternatively buy a new set from the stealers, circa £350 for the pair I think. But try the toothpaste or cutting compound route first and see how satisfied with it you are.
However eventually it will come back, what happens is over time the UV coating deteriorates and the sun eventually breaks down and yellows the plastic, the only way to get rid of this is to sand it back with some fine grit wet and dry paper, the buff with a cutting compound and finally wax. This was my approach as I have some experience with sanding paint and using a DA polisher.
This will last you years as opposed to several months. Alternatively buy a new set from the stealers, circa £350 for the pair I think. But try the toothpaste or cutting compound route first and see how satisfied with it you are.
As said, yes toothpaste will work 
But they will only come up so well, sometimes the yellow is on the inside of the lens as well so it makes it a nightmare to remove, end of the day, £350 a pair of new lights and you wont have to worry about them for another 3-4 years. Otherwise as said, they will start to discolour again as the UV coating has clearly degraded. You can see the coating on new lights, it's what makes that rainbow effect.
But they will only come up so well, sometimes the yellow is on the inside of the lens as well so it makes it a nightmare to remove, end of the day, £350 a pair of new lights and you wont have to worry about them for another 3-4 years. Otherwise as said, they will start to discolour again as the UV coating has clearly degraded. You can see the coating on new lights, it's what makes that rainbow effect.
Erm
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I've tried that kit...its not great to be honest. IMO the best kit is the turtle wax kit. Comes with 4 different levels of sanding pads to use by hand and a spray lubricant so you wet sand properly. As well as the compound once you have sanded, the big selling point for me was the fact it comes with a sealing wipe that gives the coating back onto it (takes 24 hours to cure)RE Spirit said:Not sure why no one suggested using this?
If you use that meguires kit or any other that don't come with a sealing wipe it'll just end up looking horrible again after a few weeks.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Turtle-Wax-1830810-Headlight-Restorer/dp/B004XZQF8O/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top thats the kit I used, and whilst it takes a while to do it as its done by hand you can get good results. Mine didn't come out perfectly as there is some hazing inside the lens as well, but made a huge improvement. Took about an hour and a half to improve mine massively.
Erm
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the main piece of advice i will give you is don't rush whilst you are doing it, take your time, the more time/better effort you put into using the sanding pads the better results you will achieve. Don't rush it and you'll be happy with the results.josh92 said:
Also make sure you have fully worked over BOTH headlights before opening the sealing wipe, and ideally you'll want to give it a day for the wipe to seal the headlights (keeping headlights dry)
ItWasntMe
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If the yellow is on the inside then there isn't much that can be done. I bit the bullet and ordered some new units from Honda and I have to say it was well worth the money.
You can sand and compound to your heart's content but sometimes the only way is the expensive way. Up to you though and what you're happy with.
You can sand and compound to your heart's content but sometimes the only way is the expensive way. Up to you though and what you're happy with.
Erm
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Gee74 said:I recently used the 3M restoration kit with brilliant results........took around 2 hours to complete, real easy process.
Before....
500 grit.....
800 grit......
3000 grit wet......
Buff with compound......
Make sure you get some sealing wipes to reseal with coating to stop them going bad again in a few weeksGee74 said:I recently used the 3M restoration kit with brilliant results........took around 2 hours to complete, real easy process.
Before....
500 grit.....
800 grit......
3000 grit wet......
Buff with compound......
