Scratches on headlights

[imported_brerpie]

Hey all,



I have a few scratches on my headlights. I cannot feel them at all. What would be the best product to use for these?



So far, I`ve found Megs PlastX and the #10 and #17 combo.



What do you all think?

[acohen100]

You may want to try out Janvil.com. They sell a plastic polish "sample kit" for like $10. Worth a try.

[Kevinch]

Do a [SEARCH], you`ll find a bunch of posts. FWIW, from my investigation it seems that you can use whatever you are using to polish out swirls, & the same general rules apply: deeper imperfections & discoloration will require more aggressive cleaning procedures. In fact, some have wet sanded the headlights in severe cases & the after pics they`ve posted have looked great.



Good Luck!

[imported_brerpie]

I used S100 SEC on them yesterday and it seems to have added more scratches.

[Iconoclast]

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34141&highlight=polish+headlights



http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26642&highlight=polish+headlights



http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24190&highlight=polish+headlights



http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18811&highlight=polish+headlights



to name a few

[imported_brerpie]

Hey all,



I just used PlastX on my headlights. My intentions were to remove some hairline scratches. Unfortunately it has made it worse. There are now scratches everywhere. They are only visible when the sunlight is hitting it, or with a halogen light directly pointed at them.



Any ideas what I can do to remove these safely?

[Jesstzn]

Do a search here .. I think it was lynn that posted a how to using Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish.



Ok I found it



Polishing headlights (http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28681&highlight=headlights)

[Webb]

I got 5 (http://www.autopia.org/forums/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=344621&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending)

[imported_brerpie]

Hey all,



When the sun directly shines on my headlights, a lot of hairline scratches appear. You cannot see them otherwise.



I`ve made several posts about this before and the replies just stated to do a search. However, none of the threads helped.



I have used plastx and it does not seem to do anything. I`m working it until it pretty much disapears. Seems to take about 45 seconds of motion.



I did not always have these. I think it happened when I went over the plastic with my PC. There was S100 SEC on the pad.



Any ideas on how I can remove these?



Thanks!

[Matt M, PA]

I had a defective headlamp moduls for my Viper that I used to test various plastic polishes before actually using them on the car.



I found that most made the slightest difference. I did find that a few coats of Z5 did help.



Finally, (at least on this one) there was some sort of coating over the actual plastic that wore away. It looked similar to paint that had the clearcoat burned through. You`ll want to be careful not to use anything abrasive.

[chris0626]

Jesstzn, my great experience was with PlastX.

Brerpie, I think the secret may be that PlastX is one of those mysterious "diminishing abrasives." Which means you have to work it and work it and work it ... then work it some more, in order to work the abrasives down to their finest grade. If you stop prematurely -- before the product is completely broken-down -- then you just wind up with scratches. But whaddaI know? In addition to whatever tips you get in this thread, you might want to send a PM to MikePhillips and ask him for some tips. :nixweiss

[Jesstzn]

Dang it Lynn .. your right ... teach me to rely on my feeble memory... ( I hate it when she is right *wink*)



EDIT!!! I was 1/2 right .. read the thread .. :bounce

[Bill D]

Hey, is it true PlastX is really #9 rebottled?

[chris0626]

Crack me up, Jesstzn. :lol Hey, at least you remembered there had been a thread about this! :up It`s easy for me to remember the details, though -- `cause the results knocked my socks off.

[chris0626]

Originally posted by brerpie

I have used plastx and it does not seem to do anything. I`m working it until it pretty much disapears. Seems to take about 45 seconds of motion.

I can`t say whether this is the problem ... but ... when I had my successful use of PlastX on taillight lenses, I worked it as hard as I could and probably for more like 3-5 minutes -- not just a matter of seconds. As I mentioned above, since it uses diminishing abrasives, you have to make sure it`s completely broken down. But maybe you`re using the product exactly right, and your problem is just more severe than what I`ve had to deal with.



EDIT: Brerpie, I`ve combined your 4 threads into this one, so we can all be aware of what strategies you`ve already tried. Hope this helps.