Refurbishing your front and rear lights

[Zipzag]

Ok the other day I installed a new head light on a Alero . After installing it we noticed the other headlite looked old and beat up, pitted and lightly scratched , the custumer asked what he can do since he didnt want to buy another headlite, I told him i could cover the old lite with saranwrap for a month or so till the new one wears in , he didnt like that idea , so i sugested if he payed me a few bucks i could wetsand and buff his old lamp , well he went for it now he has to buy a new car, only kidding , the light came out brand new, so then i did my tail lights and man i cant believe the results a nice deep shine , just thought youd like to know .

[scottydl]

Hmm, sounds like a good idea! Could you describe the process in a little more detail? What grit # of sandpaper did you use?

[Aurora40]

Scotty, how bad are your lights? If they are not that bad, you can use a plastic polish as a less aggressive step that may fix your problem.

I would try a polish first anyway before stepping up to wetsanding the lights. Also, if you've wetsanded paint before, keep in mind that the plastic/polycarbonate of your headlamps will probably sand faster than paint does. So be careful.

Here is a decent write-up of how to polish your headlamps. It's from a site that sells product, so it's a bit sales-pitchy. You can use Renovo as they say, and there are also other plastic polishes out there that you can use. instead. It's still useful info in spite of the pitch: www.properautocare.com/polplasheadl.html

As an aside, if your headlamps currently look good, it's a good idea to protect them just like you would your paint to prevent them from yellowing over time. A product like Plexus or something similar should work nicely.

[Aurora40]

Another good write-up with some nice picts: autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31691

[Zipzag]

Most light scratches come out with 1200 wet sandpaper, some of the heavier sratches I start with 800 wet then go on to 1200 , since its only plastic I buff it out with a med grit polishing compound ,. thats all i do real simple . Ant since there made of solid plastic no coatings you dont have to worry about burn through.

I didnt know there was a big science to it , I just did the lights they way i would do paint , with paint i would go up to 2000 grit .

[scottydl]

Thanks for the info. Just to clarify, my light lenses are completely fine (no fading or oxidation). But I've seen this condition on other cars I've owned, so I was interested in knowing the procedure for future reference.

[Mr. Javi]

I did this to the back panel center piece of my trunk and taillights, but I used like a scratch remover type of thing, I did not sand it down at all, I think actually I used the chrome polish cream for my wheels on the rear panel, then I just polished it and it came out nice.


[glow=red,2,300]Javi.[/glow]

[Zipzag]

yep that polish is acually making very fine cuts, in a way you are sanding but it works like compounds