I know there's some serious car nuts on SF. So this has to be a good place to ask for some guidance on the best kits for cleaning up the hazy headlights on my new-to-me 20 year old MB e430. I see some that use wet sanding, and then polishes. Anyone tried these? Too extreme? Any brands to avoid, or embrace? Thanks all!

I think a lot of them generally work. The question is, what then? You’ve now removed the UV protection, so they will haze again and faster. I know blue magic makes a sealer, some will clear coat, and there products like lamin-x.

I tried the Wipe-nu. It only wiped $20.

Somebody told me that toothpaste does a fine job. I have no idea whether that's fact or fiction.

I've never tried it, but I've heard that tooth paste works as a cheap option.
Edit: I see V-Tail beat me by 1 Minute.

Jim

I'm not sold on the idea. The lenses are plastic with a scratch-resistant coating. Polishing may temporarily make them better, but it also removes some more of the protective coating. Thy'll get scratched and fuzzy quicker after every time you polish.

OEM? Looking at parts brings back good memories ...

Why would these be "Not DOT Approved"?

https://www.fcpeuro.com/Merced...year=1998&m=20&e=632

I just use bar keepers friend once a year or so.

I did mine for a few years. 1000 grit wet-dry followed by 2000 grit wet-dry. Mist with water to sand them wet.

Finish with a liquid cleaner/wax.

Worked less and less effective. This year spent about $80 for a replacement set of light housings on Amazon. Money well allocated.

There are tons of YouTube videos. Be careful. Some of those Youtubers give bad advice that yields very short term results, then your headlamps go back to their previous bad condition and sometimes even worse condition.

If yours are really bad and you want to keep the car then you'd best source new replacements. Shop around. If you want to get rid of the car then any short term "fix" will do.

Personally I'd buy new ones.

Lexan would probably have been a better choice by the manufacturers than this plastic crap. Maybe.


Check out this video. Skip the first part, the Meguires products seem worth trying. Scotty may seem a little odd, or actually is, and sometimes is full of crap, but apparently he has an Emmy award for broadcasting. Who knew?

I’d stick to one of the better brands like Meguiars or Mothers. I used one of them, don’t remember which one, and got great results. Was easy to do and made a huge difference. Good luck!

I've used a 3M kit from W*M included some extremely fine abrasive discs on a drill. It did a good job. But you'll be back at it every year or so. Be sure you mask off the surrounding paint it takes but a second to burn through the paint, no matter the method you choose.

If you intend to keep the car long term, bite the bullet and get new covers. I found some on EBay that were much less expensive than OEM. Not MB though and for an older vehicle.

I use Meguires Scratch X or Poor Boys SSR 2.5 with an orange pad on my polisher. I start art 1 ro spread then bump to 5 and it gets it all clean.

Key is to either finish with a good wax or buy some clear coat spray so they don't just oxidize all over again

There are two basic types of damage to the plastic/plexiglass/lexan/perspex headlight covers; crazing and surface scratching and pitting. In most cases, it's the plastic that's crazed, not the surface, and anything that's done is a temporary treatment, at best.

While it is possible to buff out surface damage, it takes more than most simple kits provide, and it takes a lot more time and effort than most people are willing to give.

Removing surface damage requires a successive series of abrasives, each one removing the damage caused by the previous, until the final grit is so fine that it is removed through buffing and polishing compound. Properly done, this takes a long time (a number of hours). It's best done by hand, not with a drill or buffing machine as the speeds create heat in the plastic which further leads to crazing and damage, as well as warping and distortion. Even a very low speed can cause damage.

Crazing involves cracks in the plastic, often thousands of minor cracks which cloud the plastic and reduce transparency. These cannot be buffed out.

Some systems give the illusion that the plastic is clearer by placing a topical chemical on the lens. This can be done just as easily with pledge furniture polish as any of the more expensive products, but does nothing more than hide damage. Any perceived benefit is an illusion

If a lens is crazed, it needs to be replaced.

My dad had good results wet sanding, polish, and finished up with clear coat.
But, that's on his beater Silverado, not a nice MB.

No, toothpaste doesn't work It made a minor difference for a few days.
The 3M kit has worked well for me and I've done it for a few others. Must follow with the sealant. Yes, you'll need to repeat it after some time. It's the nature of plastic.

Replacing the lens isn't an option if they're very expensive, or if you can't get new ones anymore. On my car, you have to pull the entire front bumper to replace them. No thanks.

Damn, I miss glass lenses, The minor increase in "safety" and weight savings with plastic lenses isn't worth the light reduction to me.

I have used the 3m kit. Pretty happy with the results versus amount of effort. No idea about the long term impact(s) as the untreated lenses would just get worse as well. I really don't see a downside.

I use the Mother's kit with the Powerball attachment for a drill. Was easy to do without killing my arms for the rest of the day.
I get at least a full year, sometimes longer. Usually takes less than an hour from start to finish, and the results are really noticeable when driving at night.

Try WD40.

Polish them with this: https://www.amazon.com/Meguiar...ight+restoration+kit

Then coat them after you’re done and then every 6 months with this: https://www.amazon.com/Meguiar...ight+restoration+kit