My beater Mazda gets cloudy headlights and then I polish them a bit and spray with a sealer and get another year. They are really cloudy again and I'm out there trying to get them somewhat clear again with some polishing compound and baking soda and not getting very far. I recall hearing about OFF bug spray being used by some people to clean that up so I try it. Sprayed one and BAMMMM it's clear as can be, like brand new clear.

Is this melting a layer off? Filling in scratches? I did the other then wiped it off then cleaned it with rubbing alcohol and they got a little less clear but still way better than before. Then when dry I sprayed with my Meguiars headlight sealer spray and they got nice and clear again. I think I'm going to use this method from now on instead of polishing compound and baking soda.

This is the stuff I use for sealing:

DEET melts plastic

Deet is a powerful solvent and will melt many plastics. Be careful with it.

Wife’s 4runner lenses got fuzzy and yucky yelllow after 10+ years. Consulted various you tube Videos and Tried deet and it was only marginally better. She was out for a few days visiting her bestie and I changed the incandescent bulbs with cheap Amazon LED upgrades. It’s like night and day. Now she’s the jerk with bright lights that look like high beams but are the normal beam. The high beam lights up the next county. But we live down a long road with no street lights so oh well.

Try upgrading to LED bulbs. If not your style then try rockauto. New headlight pods are pretty cheap. My 16 year old changed both his on his 99 Ford for not much $$

Just get 2 new lenses. Check Rock Auto and go OEM if possible. I've got a 2004 Silverado and a 2010 Tahoe and the new ones are so much better than screwing around polishing old ones. My .02

quote:

Originally posted by ElToro:
Wife’s 4runner lenses got fuzzy and yucky yelllow after 10+ years. Consulted various you tube Videos and Tried deet and it was only marginally better. She was out for a few days visiting her bestie and I changed the incandescent bulbs with cheap Amazon LED upgrades. It’s like night and day. Now she’s the jerk with bright lights that look like high beams but are the normal beam. The high beam lights up the next county. But we live down a long road with no street lights so oh well.

Try upgrading to LED bulbs. If not your style then try rockauto. New headlight pods are pretty cheap. My 16 year old changed both his on his 99 Ford for not much $$

I put Silverstar Ultras (halogen bulbs) in our vehicles. We aren't new enough on either vehicle yet to have the insanely bright OEM LED headlights that seem to be standard now.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

I put Silverstar Ultras (halogen bulbs) in our vehicles. We aren't new enough on either vehicle yet to have the insanely bright OEM LED headlights that seem to be standard now.

Check around there should be a plug and play LED option. The technology has really improved and they are self contained LED bulbs now. Even a few years ago you had to upgrade your wiring and practically needed to hire an electrical engineer to accomplish the install.

^^^Just FYI re: Silverstar Ultra Bulbs...Save your receipts! I experienced SIGNIFICANTLY shorter life w/ those bulbs compared to others. I went through a few sets before I became aware that Sylvania has pretty good replacement warranty (12-months customer satisfaction), but you need the original purchase receipt. Actually I switched to the regular Silverstars and got much better life prior to learning about the warranty replacement, but the bulbs are such a pain in the ass to replace in my vehicle(s) that even though the Ultras provided better illumination, I just stuck w/ the Silverstars anyway.

For the record, my vehicles were 2001-2009 Volvos (two XC70s and an S60), and in those cars (safety first!), the headlights are on ALL THE TIME, as the low beam functions as the DRL, which definitely doesn't help with the lifespan of the bulbs. In fact, the Silverstar Ultras were failing in 9-10 months, if not sooner! Volvo actually released a pigtail w/ a resistor to add to the headlight harness to helped with the bulb life in my '01 XC70 (they were failing at 6 months in that car!), and while it was an improvement, it didn't completely solve the problem. Also, if replacement wasn't a big enough pain in the ass already due to VERY Poor access to the back of the headlight capsule, once the lenses are deteriorated (cloudy/yellowed due to the UV coating failing) you lose the ability to see clearly through the front of the headlight when inserting the bulb which is all the more frustrating. I had to remove the bumper cover once to remove the entire headlight capsule that the H11 bulb had become wedged in during installation. The bulb was not perfectly square to the mount when I attempted to install it and only 2 of the 3 tabs were in the proper position. when I rotated it, it became stuck and I couldn't get it unstuck w/o removing the headlight capsule from the car!

quote:

Originally posted by ElToro:

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

I put Silverstar Ultras (halogen bulbs) in our vehicles. We aren't new enough on either vehicle yet to have the insanely bright OEM LED headlights that seem to be standard now.

Check around there should be a plug and play LED option. The technology has really improved and they are self contained LED bulbs now. Even a few years ago you had to upgrade your wiring and practically needed to hire an electrical engineer to accomplish the install.

I put LEDs in my F150 when I had it. A user on the F150 forum went through many options & measured with calipers to find one where the LED chips were situated as closely as possible to where the incandescent filaments were.
Only time I got flashed was when towing a trailer & the rear was squatted a bit.

quote:

Originally posted by nhracecraft:
^^^Just FYI re: Silverstar Ultra Bulbs...Save your receipts! I experienced SIGNIFICANTLY shorter life w/ those bulbs compared to others. I went through a few sets before I became aware that Sylvania has pretty good replacement warranty, but you need the original purchase receipt. Actually I switched to the regular Silverstars and got much better life prior to learning about the warranty replacement, but the bulbs are such a pain in the ass to replace in my vehicle(s) that even though the Ultras provided better illumination, I just stuck w/ the Silverstars anyway.

The headlights in my Mini are akin to candles in a Mason jar at night. Good enough, but more light would be nice. Planning on a set of Silverstars to hope it'll make an improvement.
Down the road, may swap in projector housings & LEDs, but it's a beater commuter, so I'm not trying to put a ton of $$ into it.
Good to know on the replacement warranty.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:


The headlights in my Mini are akin to candles in a Mason jar at night. Good enough, but more light would be nice.

That's disappointing to hear. I had an 05 Mini Cooper S for 2 years that had projector headlights and I swear they lit up the FRONT and the SIDES of my Mini for like 100 yards.

Lacquer thinner. dampen a rag, and wipe in one direction from one side to the other. One wipe across usually gets it. Wash the thinner off afterwards. Magic.

Yes it is meting the plastic but gets that shit off easy peasy.

Years ago my wife bought some wipes for clear plastics/headlights, from a car detailer and they worked perfectly and lasted a good long time. I wish I had written down the brand name as those things were the bees knees. later, I bought one of the sanding kits and it went terrible. I wound up buying new housings for the car after that.

Lacquer thinner is acetone so you can just use that. But wear gloves, it will take all the oil out of the skin on your hands.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:


The headlights in my Mini are akin to candles in a Mason jar at night. Good enough, but more light would be nice.

That's disappointing to hear. I had an 05 Mini Cooper S for 2 years that had projector headlights and I swear they lit up the FRONT and the SIDES of my Mini for like 100 yards.

2010 R57 base model with the base halogen reflectors.
They're acceptable for the driving I do, but could definitely use some improvement.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
DEET melts plastic

And Bic pens, while in your hand, trying to wrruite.

CeraKote makes a headlight restore kit. I've used it on two vehicles and seems to be holding up well. You can get it on Amazon.

Cerakote Headlight Restoration Kit

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
Lacquer thinner is acetone so you can just use that. But wear gloves, it will take all the oil out of the skin on your hands.

Lacquer thinner usually has some acetone in it, but it has other solvents in it, too. Different makers formulate it differently. It is usually cheaper than pure acetone.

Both are not really very good for you. Don't get them on you or breathe them.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
Deet is a powerful solvent and will melt many plastics. Be careful with it.

True. Long time ago I was deer hunting on a hot day, used 95% Deet for the mosquitoes, and the deet on my forearm melted the factory finish on part of my wood gunstock. After that I thought good lord, but then I thought it was prob better than contracting encephalitis.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
Lacquer thinner is acetone so you can just use that. But wear gloves, it will take all the oil out of the skin on your hands.

Lacquer thinner usually has some acetone in it, but it has other solvents in it, too. Different makers formulate it differently. It is usually cheaper than pure acetone.

Both are not really very good for you. Don't get them on you or breathe them.

I've used both for various purposes, jhe is right, it's very unhealthy, I always wear disposable gloves for very short duration, or thick protective chemical gloves if I'm going to be using it for any length of time, along with a charcoal organic vapor rated 3m mask. I've seen guys on youtube dousing their work with it using bare hands, makes me cringe. Think brake cleaner, that stuff has those and other ingredients.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
DEET melts plastic

And people rub this on their skin and absorb it in their bodies.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ruger357, November 19, 2024 07:59 AM