Been discussed before but I could not search the thread. Have one on the Sienna which is beginning to fog along its top flat surface. What methods have you used to clear them up? Is it just a temporary fix and the haze returns over time?
April 20, 2020, 07:01 PM
egregore
You can take fine rubbing compound and a lot of elbow grease and polish them by hand, or to speed it up, an electric polisher. But I have done this to my own car's headlights and they just got hazy again in a few months. I replaced them with the TYC brand from Rock Auto and this is the best $107 I ever spent on it.
April 20, 2020, 07:02 PM
JasonATI
Get the Mothers kit that has the powerball that you use in your drill. After I do it I just put a coat of synthetic wax that has a UV protection in it.
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April 20, 2020, 07:04 PM
David Lee
I wouldn't need to replace it untill later down the road. Elbow grease I got pleanty. Just to clarify, rubbing compound not buffing correct? I will see the brand of lights you posted.
April 20, 2020, 07:07 PM
bigdeal
I've done a number of headlights at this point for other folks, and have reached the point where I think its really a fools errand. Grinding on a headlight whether using fine sandpaper or some other abrasive removes any remaining UV protection on the headlight, and they seem to cloud over even quicker the second time. My recommendation to others going forward is going to be to simply replace them as egregore noted. Replacement headlights are available for decent pricing, and they provide a much longer useful life than trying to buff cloudy lights into submission.
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Yep. I polish mine thusly using a palm sander with a wet rag on it rather than sand paper. Once you have them cleared up, maintaining clarity is only a few seconds every so often.
Thats pretty simple right there. I remember reading tooth paste could be used to smooth up the gears in good fishing reels.
It's the same thing egregore said though. Polishing the lense only lasts for 6 months or so no matter what you use.
Jesse
Sic Semper Tyrannis
April 20, 2020, 07:17 PM
P250UA5
I've used one of the wet sand kits with good success.
I think the last time my dad did his Silverado, he shot them with a coat of clear coat afterward.
The Enemy's gate is down.
April 20, 2020, 07:25 PM
Scurvy
It's temporary unless you seal/clear over them.
I used a meguiars lot. Worked a treat.
April 20, 2020, 07:27 PM
MikeinNC
On my wife’s old car, a Nissan Altima, I wet sanded one lense down to 2500 grit and polished them with flitz ....turned out great....lot of elbow grease.
The other side I used toothpaste....much easier, faster for me.
But both of them clouded over in six months...
Next time I did it, I sprayed them with clear coat with a UV stuff in it....
Six months later, same same...
Just find some lenses from a yuo-pull-it parts place or order new ones....
After spending an hour and a half on each one, it’s just not worth my time and aggravation.....
———
I used to hit my light bar on my police car about every six months with mothers chrome polish on a drill bit ball...did the same thing, then I used NuFinish on the light bar as well as the car....it worked great, took fifteen minutes on the top and front side of the bar and the NuFinish coated it.
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April 20, 2020, 07:28 PM
jimmy123x
then use any rubbing compound on it, then spray 303 or wax them with collinite insulator wax....
Thats pretty simple right there. I remember reading tooth paste could be used to smooth up the gears in good fishing reels.
It's the same thing egregore said though. Polishing the lense only lasts for 6 months or so no matter what you use.
This would be OK as for now its just a top section of one lens. Wouldn't mind having to do it again later. They get too bad I would replace them.
April 20, 2020, 07:33 PM
GA Gator
I was totally sceptical but this worked.
Wipe New.
------------------------------ Smart is not something you are but something you get.
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April 20, 2020, 07:33 PM
K0ZZZ
quote:
Originally posted by David Lee: Been discussed before but I could not search the thread. Have one on the Sienna which is beginning to fog along its top flat surface. What methods have you used to clear them up? Is it just a temporary fix and the haze returns over time?
I did one of the kits off amazon a couple years ago. The results were a massive improvement. Now they're starting to fade a little bit but only around the edges.
The kit I got had like 3 different grades of sandpaper, and most importantly the last step is a liquid you wipe on that fills all the micro-scratches and makes it crystal clear. This is the new UV protectant that you want on there. If you use just the sandpaper it's not really going to help much.
I mean, there isn't a permanent fix. If you replace them with brand new headlights, they'll start hazing again. I figure it's just something you need to do every couple years.
