Thursday, February 11, 2010

How do I make my headlights clear again (they're yellow)?

I drive a small SUV, which I've owned for 10 years now. The headlights on the car have yellowed. Is it possible to use something to get them to look clear again? After an accident a few years ago, one of the headlights was replaced and it was clear for about half a year before going yellow again. I haven't noticed this on any other vehicles. I drive a Suzuki Grand Vitara 1999.How do I make my headlights clear again (they're yellow)?
if you,ll use a light rubbing compound on them the same kind you use on the painted area,s it will remove the dull look then use a poshing compound on them to bring out the shine and then wax them with car wax,that should last for about 3-4 months before you have to do them over,i do mine about every 3-4 months,its cheaper than buying new ones,and it last and looks good ,good luck,and happy holidays.How do I make my headlights clear again (they're yellow)?
your welcome.merry x-mas.

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There are products available to recondition your headlights.





DuPont and 3M produce a plastic lens polish. It can be purchased at most any auto supply store.





However, you will need to do a bit of prep work to the lens before polishing.





Wet sand the lenses using 1500 to 2000 wet/dry sandpaper. Get yourself either a water hose with the water slowly running or a bucket of water with a couple of drops of Prell Dish soap added to help keep the sandpaper washed off. Keep the surface of the lens wet with water while sanding the surface until you have covered all the exposed surface.


Now, wipe the lens off with a soft towel.





Your now ready to polish the lens. This can be done by hand, again using a soft towel apply a small amount on the lens and rub out until all the sanding marks are gone--or--You can take a drill motor and attach a polishing bonnet and buff out the lens using the lens polish. This is lots easier on the hand and much faster. Just take your time and keep the bonnet moving until the scratch marks are removed.





This polishing bonnet and adapter can be purchased at your local auto parts dealer for about $10.00 dollars. The plastic polish runs around $8.00 dollars but it will last a very long time. Keep the lens polished about twice a year to prevent future tarnishing.
You can buff it out with compound, but it will probably happen again. I have buffed mine a couple times to clear up the lens, and it fixed it only for a while. Only real good solution is to get new lenses at the junkyard. Almost easier to swap the headlights than buff the things
There is a buffing compound that is made for head lights that most part stores carry. I've had some success with it (about 1 in 3 times it works).


But if the discoloration is from moisture on the INSIDE of the lens, the only thing you can do is replace the lens and housing.
Meguires makes a compound called plastix or something like that. You wet sand the headlights with 1500 grit sandpaper and then buff the lights with the plastix about three or four times and the lights will look much better.





there are some video's on youtube that shows you how to do it.
gritty TOOTH PASTE works just as good as any expensive compound you can buy. it has to be a kind that has some grit to it. the grit basically wet sands the lens. squirt it on and rub it good with a rag, then wash
there is stuff called crystal view headlight restorer it works great u can get it at walmart for sure where i bought it for $20
The car's 10 years old. Even the Air Force replaces cockpit plexiglas and Lucite before that.
got to auto zone and get new lenses and maybe get some new bulbs.

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