Headlight polishing?

[pony23]

I am looking for something to polish my head lights and tail lights. I want to bring back that nice shine. Has anyone done it around here? Regular polish with my DA or is the plastic too soft? Nothing major on them, just minor scratches.

[Black Pearl]

I use Meguiars Headlight Restoration. Works great
http://www.meguiars.com/en/automotive/products/g1900-headlight-restoration-kit/

[Junkman2008]

You can do it with your regular compounds and polishes, along with your orbital polisher. No need to go out and buy anything fancy unless your lights are really jacked up. Then you would need a stronger polisher. If you are going to do this, I suggest you invest in some smaller 4" pads like what I use in my debaging video. Chemical Guy's sell them.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rESYPF3PI3Y

[pony23]

Thanks Junkman!!!!! I should have known you had a video on it. I will try my regular stuff first. They aren't bad just some regular washing type scratches.

[eric@thompsonracing.us]

Any decent polisher should work, with the right polishes.

I use a Dewalt drill with a Cordless Drill Backing Plate (http://stores.shopthompsonracing.com/adams-4-cordless-drill-backing-plate/), Adam's 4" Pad (http://stores.shopthompsonracing.com/adams-4-white-foam-finishing-pad-2-pack/)and, depending on how severe the lights are, Adam's Correcting (http://stores.shopthompsonracing.com/adams-paint-correcting-polish/)or Finishing (http://stores.shopthompsonracing.com/adams-paint-finishing-polish/) Polish.

5174

5175

5176

[City]

All I can say is that I have heard that a little tooth polish will go a long way. Might want to give it a go before you venture further with a larger project.

[Junkman2008]

Here are some headlights that I did with a compound, followed by a polish. I used the same setup that you see in the video that I posted earlier. Nothing fancy, just took my time and polished away. One thing that you have to be EXTREMELY careful about is the headlights on some cars are made of plastic and you can actually melt them if you use a drill at too high of a speed (you can also burn the paint around the headlights too). A drill is just like using a rotary and we all know what a rotary can do to paint.

BEFORE:

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh216/Junkman2008/Detailing%20Pics/cnats2010_28.jpg

AFTER:

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh216/Junkman2008/Detailing%20Pics/cnats2010_30.jpg

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh216/Junkman2008/Detailing%20Pics/cnats2010_29.jpg


BEFORE:

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh216/Junkman2008/Detailing%20Pics/cnats2010_31.jpg

AFTER:

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh216/Junkman2008/Detailing%20Pics/cnats2010_32.jpg

[FrgMstr]

I have used toothpaste as well in the past. :D Works very well.

[RTTTTed]

After I sliced the raised letters off the head and taillight lenses I added a slight tinted headlight film. Since my car is Pearle Blue which often looks black, the chrome was too contrasted against the Dark paint. The slight tint made a huge difference and now the head and taillights blend into the car's look much better. The headlight film also protects the lens from rock chips. The backup lights are no longer glaringly obvious at the rear of the car. Looking at the car no one has noticed the tint!..5271