Headlight Lens Trouble

[johnjsa]

I have seen threads on this issue but need some assistance. My 2002 Cruiser developed nasty headlight lens, more so on passenger side. I went to Autozone & got a Permatex Healight lens restoration kit, which uses 4 grades of sandpaper & a polish. I followed instructions & after sanding both lenses were slick as could be. But after polishing twice the lenses are still somewhat cloudy. I am now wondering if there is also some crud on the inside. What do you think? I'm ready to order new headlamp assemblies cause I really don't like the looks. Thanks.

[CREWZIN]

There's a kit for almost everything but you have to be very careful how to use them. If your ready to put out money for new lenses, then take half of it and look around for professional assistance. There are shops that advertise to clear them up for half the price of new ones.

Our Sheriff cruisers did the same as they are outside all the time. We're in the process of having them done professionally and the ones that are done look good, not perfect but 85% better than the clouded lens that we had.

The cloudy lens also affects driving at night.

[CYCLONE_06]

I just took a buffer to my lights with some 3M heavy cut compound. Cleared them right up. I went over them a load of times, but, they are good now.

~CYCLONE_06

[Candyman]

Hey John,

Cyclone had a good remedy for the headlight hazing problem! A good high speed buffing will clear them up fairly well! The only thing I might add to that would be to maybe pick up some Wet/Dry Sand Paper to ultimately smooth out the surface! Unless the Headlight rubber seal is broken, the damage should be confined to the outside only! My best guess is that the kit was meant for lighter damage, or defect correction than you had, and was not aggressive enough to repair the surface deep enough to completely fix the problem! My question would be, are you applying the polish by hand, or by buffer? For this type of project, a DA Sander, or buffer will produce better results I know you have already gone through much of this process, but just for reference, here is a good description of what I used to do in order to perform headlight restoration.

Depending on how cloudy, or damaged they are, I would start out by grabbing a bucket of water, and some 800 - 1000 grit Wet/Dry Sand Paper. You can either sand the surface by hand, or for better results, I would recommend a rubber sanding block as it is a bit easier on the hands, but either way is fine!

Simply dip the sandpaper into the water, and sand the entire headlight till it is completely dull, and you can no longer see the damage. Keep a small bottle of water handy, and occasionally pour some water over the headlight to see how much damage you still have, and keep on sanding till all damage is gone, and you have a clean, uniformly smooth surface!

Next, I would recommend going back over it again using 1500 grit Wet/Dry Sandpaper, and then a quick once over using 2000 grit. Each will produce a more refined surface, and ensure a perfectly smooth surface with no visible damage of any kind!

Always make sure you sandpaper is wet, and keep dipping it in the water to keep it lubricated while you sand. Once you are done with sanding you should have a semi flat, smooth as glass but hazy looking headlight! Don't panic, this is the way it is supposed to look, and in the next step we will bring it back, I promise!

Now is where you bring in your buffer, and a bit of compound. I always recommend that you use as mild of a compound as possible, at least as a starting point to try to avoid damage to your paint! If you have followed the steps above, all that you should need to bring it back to a good clarity would be either some Meguiar's Scratch-X, or a good light duty compound. Many DA Sanders operate at a speed of around 1000 -1200 RPM. That speed is optimum to achieve excellent clarity with minimal possibility of damaging any surrounding areas! And higher speed, or more aggressive compound, and you stand a good chance at marring, or burning the paint around the headlight assembly! After you have finished Buffing, take a clean Microfiber rag, and wipe off any excess material, and inspect your restored headlight! If you see any hae, you may need to do one more pass with the buffer!

After your headlight is restored, I would recommend applying a small amount of Glaze, otherwise known as Polishing Compound, and apply it to the headlight as well! This can be done by your high speed buffer, an Orbital Buffer, or by hand! I would recommend either 3M Imperial Hand Glaze, 3M Finesse it 2, or Meguiar's Show Car Glaze for this application! They all work great, and provide great results!

Finally apply a good wax to your newly restored headlight, and you are done!

I know it seems like a little bit more work than simply running the buffer over the light, but if you do not sand the surface down to correct any defects, they will still be visible to some extent, and within a couple of months will start to look like it did when you started, and will need another application to hide the damage once again!

At any rate, that is the most thorough method I have used to fix this type of problem when I had my shop, and has always worked very well! I wish you the best of luck on restoring your headlights, and if you have any more questions, I am here anytime!

Candyman

[CYCLONE_06]

Originally Posted by Candyman

Hey John,

Cyclone had a good remedy for the headlight hazing problem! A good high speed buffing will clear them up fairly well! The only thing I might add to that would be to maybe pick up some Wet/Dry Sand Paper to ultimately smooth out the surface! Unless the Headlight rubber seal is broken, the damage should be confined to the outside only! My best guess is that the kit was meant for lighter damage, or defect correction than you had, and was not aggressive enough to repair the surface deep enough to completely fix the problem! My question would be, are you applying the polish by hand, or by buffer? For this type of project, a DA Sander, or buffer will produce better results I know you have already gone through much of this process, but just for reference, here is a good description of what I used to do in order to perform headlight restoration.

Depending on how cloudy, or damaged they are, I would start out by grabbing a bucket of water, and some 800 - 1000 grit Wet/Dry Sand Paper. You can either sand the surface by hand, or for better results, I would recommend a rubber sanding block as it is a bit easier on the hands, but either way is fine!

Simply dip the sandpaper into the water, and sand the entire headlight till it is completely dull, and you can no longer see the damage. Keep a small bottle of water handy, and occasionally pour some water over the headlight to see how much damage you still have, and keep on sanding till all damage is gone, and you have a clean, uniformly smooth surface!

Next, I would recommend going back over it again using 1500 grit Wet/Dry Sandpaper, and then a quick once over using 2000 grit. Each will produce a more refined surface, and ensure a perfectly smooth surface with no visible damage of any kind!

Always make sure you sandpaper is wet, and keep dipping it in the water to keep it lubricated while you sand. Once you are done with sanding you should have a semi flat, smooth as glass but hazy looking headlight! Don't panic, this is the way it is supposed to look, and in the next step we will bring it back, I promise!

Now is where you bring in your buffer, and a bit of compound. I always recommend that you use as mild of a compound as possible, at least as a starting point to try to avoid damage to your paint! If you have followed the steps above, all that you should need to bring it back to a good clarity would be either some Meguiar's Scratch-X, or a good light duty compound. Many DA Sanders operate at a speed of around 1000 -1200 RPM. That speed is optimum to achieve excellent clarity with minimal possibility of damaging any surrounding areas! And higher speed, or more aggressive compound, and you stand a good chance at marring, or burning the paint around the headlight assembly! After you have finished Buffing, take a clean Microfiber rag, and wipe off any excess material, and inspect your restored headlight! If you see any hae, you may need to do one more pass with the buffer!

After your headlight is restored, I would recommend applying a small amount of Glaze, otherwise known as Polishing Compound, and apply it to the headlight as well! This can be done by your high speed buffer, an Orbital Buffer, or by hand! I would recommend either 3M Imperial Hand Glaze, 3M Finesse it 2, or Meguiar's Show Car Glaze for this application! They all work great, and provide great results!

Finally apply a good wax to your newly restored headlight, and you are done!

I know it seems like a little bit more work than simply running the buffer over the light, but if you do not sand the surface down to correct any defects, they will still be visible to some extent, and within a couple of months will start to look like it did when you started, and will need another application to hide the damage once again!

At any rate, that is the most thorough method I have used to fix this type of problem when I had my shop, and has always worked very well! I wish you the best of luck on restoring your headlights, and if you have any more questions, I am here anytime!

Candyman

Yea, Ive had to wet sand and buff out quite a few sets of headlights. The ones on my cruiser were nowhere near as bad as most of the ones I have had to do, so I just went with the compound this time. They came out pretty good. Probably about 90%. I could have probably done them over a few more times, but the vibrations from the buffer put a hurtin on my wrists.

There are photos of my results up in the detail shop if you guys want to see.

~CYCLONE_06

[HAPPYDADDY76]

Hey John, Cyclone was definitely on the right track. Unfortunately, PT's are known for the lens issue and the only way to rectify it is to wetsand the old cloudy plastic away to expose the "new" undamaged plastic underneath. There is a website that sells a product we used to use at my dealership I worked at. I have personally used it with fantastic results. In fact, it is the only product on the market I have seen that actually works to the effectiveness stated. All you need is a variable-speed drill (I used my Ridgid combo drill). The company provides everything else in the kit they send you. It took me a total of 1 hour work time the first time I used the stuff. Tip: buy an unused spray bottle for a hardware store and fill with water. Continually spray a light mist on lens when sanding. Good luck and keep cruisin.
heres the link: Lens Renew - New Life for Car Lenses
One last tip: go to your local Home Depot and buy 2 different Norton brand foam sanding pads. I use the 120 grit(red) first then the grey 220 grit provided in the kit, the lastly the 320 grit(yellow). After that just follow the included instructions in the kit. Bright lights a blazing bud

[CYCLONE_06]

Once you guys get the lenses back to looking good, make sure you wax your lights with something that has UV protection in it. Meguiars NXT has silicones, and uv protection in it, so it helps protect from salt / rain, and sunlight.

~CYCLONE_06

[HAPPYDADDY76]

Fantastic point Cyclone, as the UV rays are what do the damage. As for the kit I recommended before, the final step has a polish that contains a UV protectant already infused.

[lt4supr]

Hey guys:
While i dont have this problem on my pt gt i do on some of my peterbuilts and see it on friends cars..Our solution is a high speed buffer "its really a grinder" with a firm pad and jewelers rouge,white..works great and last a long time," the reason for rouge instead of 3m heavy duty compound is,it doesnt go flying all over the truck and shop" and heats up faster to reflow the plastic,but be careful not to burn the plastic,and theres no dust.After that apply a good coat of wax,then reapply every time you wax your ride.One of my drivers uses baby oil "lightly" on his headlights and front end to keep bugs from sticking to them. We also wax or compound all windows at every cleaning,but make sure theres no residue left on windshield that the wiper blades can pick up, clean the blades with a dry clean cloth.
Hope this helps...

[grillchef4]

I also tried the Permatex on my 02 and it didnt work to well. But after reading this I am going to try again. I had only used a 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper. I going to try a 1000 grit first and work back up to the 2000 grit. Then wax the hell out of it. We will see what happens. I want those Silverstar Ultras to light up the night.