Most Easiest Way Of Restoring Your Head Lights

[kushan]

This is the most simplest way of restoring your yellow colored head lights to back to its original look and feel.

What you need.

1. Brasso.

2. Piece of cloth.

Put some Brasso to the cloth and polish your head lights. This need to be done around 15 minutes. then take another piece of cloth (dont put brasso on this) and polish the head light which you polished with Brasso earlier.

If the yellow color is too dark on your head lights you needs to do this little bit more. success guaranteed.

[Simplelife]

Yup, I've tried this, and it worked

[kushan]

  On 3/4/2011 at 8:32 AM, Simplelife said:

Yup, I've tried this, and it worked

[Elvis_Pil]

Would not recommend using Brasso too often on you're headlights.. its highly abrasive and you will end up reducing the resilience of the plastic shell. Recommend something like PlastX- a but expensive & hard to find.

[jdnet]

  On 3/4/2011 at 11:31 AM, Elvis_Pil said:

Would not recommend using Brasso too often on you're headlights.. its highly abrasive and you will end up reducing the resilience of the plastic shell. Recommend something like PlastX- a but expensive & hard to find.

+1 brasso should not be used on anything in a car unless it involves polishing a chrome or other non-painted metal part.

[Watchman]

Really? But whenever this was discussed before as a DIY project everyone suggested using sandpaper and there werent that many objections to it.. so isnt that worse than brasso??? hmmm..... strange indeed...

I just hope someone with 50 years with polishing experience wont come and ramble crap and take this off course...

[Sylvi]

  On 3/4/2011 at 5:32 PM, Watchman said:

Really? But whenever this was discussed before as a DIY project everyone suggested using sandpaper and there werent that many objections to it.. so isnt that worse than brasso??? hmmm..... strange indeed...

I just hope someone with 50 years with polishing experience wont come and ramble crap and take this off course...

'Watchman',

I have been in Automobile service business long before you and most members were born.If I am a rambler I could not have existed in the Automobile business for so long where I was born.You are eating your own words by writing crap.Please note I am not in that part of Automobile service what the topic is referring to. It is a very simple operation do it yourself and save your Rupees and Cents.

Sylvi Wijesinghe.

[jsw]

While there's many an opinion on ways of curing yellowed headlamp lenses, if anyone's interested in actually preventing it from happening in the first place the following info may be of some use. A lot of modern cars (roughly 90s onwards) now come with some variation of polycarbonate lenses rather than glass. When replacing the original bulbs in these headlamps be sure to go for ones marked as being UV-cut or UV reduced as the ultraviolet content in ordinary halogen bulbs causes polycarbonate lenses to go yellow or cloudy. This is also the reason why one should never, and I mean absolutely never, use anything abrasive (brasso, sandpaper *shudder*) on polycarbonate lenses as that will only exacerbate the situation (headlamp manufacturers apply a UV-cut coating on the outside to protect the lens from the UV in sunlight).

Just be sure to never fit non-standard (higher wattage) aftermarket bulbs, stick with the correct UV-cut bulb and you won't go wrong.

Obviously none of the above applies to the older glass lensed headlamps.

[milinda]

  On 3/4/2011 at 5:32 PM, Watchman said:

Really? But whenever this was discussed before as a DIY project everyone suggested using sandpaper and there werent that many objections to it.. so isnt that worse than brasso??? hmmm..... strange indeed...

+1

[vishkid]

Brasso? Hmmm .. I've heard some say Toothpaste as well! Supposed to work.

Both are abrasives and will grind down your glass in whatever amount.

What do these 'professional' headlamp cleaners use? Again, some sort of abrasive again, I guess ...

[nexus]

  On 3/5/2011 at 2:23 AM, vishkid said:

Brasso? Hmmm .. I've heard some say Toothpaste as well! Supposed to work.

Both are abrasives and will grind down your glass in whatever amount.

What do these 'professional' headlamp cleaners use? Again, some sort of abrasive again, I guess ...

[jdnet]

  On 3/4/2011 at 5:32 PM, Watchman said:

Really? But whenever this was discussed before as a DIY project everyone suggested using sandpaper and there werent that many objections to it.. so isnt that worse than brasso??? hmmm..... strange indeed...

Brasso contains Ammonia, alcohol and acid. All of which are destructive towards plastic. It's a metal cleaner and should only be used on metal.

The thing with sandpaper is that you are using a only the paper and water to remove the layer of clear coat that has turned yellow or is cloudy. There isn't anything caustic in the rubbing compound either. The best way to restore lights would be to sand it down, buff it and spray a coat of clear on it. This applies to ones that are in pretty bad shape though. For the rest a little toothpaste or rubbing compound works.

Edited March 5, 2011 by jdnet

[jdnet]

  On 3/5/2011 at 1:54 AM, jsw said:

While there's many an opinion on ways of curing yellowed headlamp lenses, if anyone's interested in actually preventing it from happening in the first place the following info may be of some use. A lot of modern cars (roughly 90s onwards) now come with some variation of polycarbonate lenses rather than glass. When replacing the original bulbs in these headlamps be sure to go for ones marked as being UV-cut or UV reduced as the ultraviolet content in ordinary halogen bulbs causes polycarbonate lenses to go yellow or cloudy. This is also the reason why one should never, and I mean absolutely never, use anything abrasive (brasso, sandpaper *shudder*) on polycarbonate lenses as that will only exacerbate the situation (headlamp manufacturers apply a UV-cut coating on the outside to protect the lens from the UV in sunlight).

Just be sure to never fit non-standard (higher wattage) aftermarket bulbs, stick with the correct UV-cut bulb and you won't go wrong.

Obviously none of the above applies to the older glass lensed headlamps.

First of all, I do agree that you should stick to stock bulbs as the added heat on the lenses could cause a number of problems including cracking, but, the main cause of yellowing headlights isn't the light bulb itself but the natural sunlight. Over time the clear coat on the light fails due to the UV rays generated by the sunlight, lights with a decent coat will last longer than those without. The only right way to restore a lens that has been affected is to remove the clear coat on it and apply a new coat, this is through sanding and repainting.

You may shudder at sand paper and stuff but the fact is that once the destruction has already taken it's course, it's the only solution. Switching back to original bulbs wont remove the damage already cause, it will only prevent more damage. Eitherway it will still get yellow from the natural UV rays.

[jdnet]

  On 3/5/2011 at 12:06 AM, Sylvi said:

'Watchman',

I have been in Automobile service business long before you and most members were born.If I am a rambler I could not have existed in the Automobile business for so long where I was born.You are eating your own words by writing crap.Please note I am not in that part of Automobile service what the topic is referring to.

No one cares.

[Elvis_Pil]

  On 3/5/2011 at 2:23 AM, vishkid said:

Brasso? Hmmm .. I've heard some say Toothpaste as well! Supposed to work.

Both are abrasives and will grind down your glass in whatever amount.

What do these 'professional' headlamp cleaners use? Again, some sort of abrasive again, I guess ...

You're putting toothpaste and brasso in the same boat? in that case you can try mixing some and brushing you're teeth with it.

Toothpaste is fine to use for light plastic jobs- its got low abrasion & is delicate.

Its very similar to this:

http://www.meguiarsd...tail/MEG+G12310

which can be used like this:

Edited March 5, 2011 by Elvis_Pil

[jdnet]

  On 3/5/2011 at 8:01 AM, Elvis_Pil said:

You're putting toothpaste and brasso in the same boat? in that case you can try mixing some and brushing you're teeth with it.

Toothpaste is fine to use for light plastic jobs- its got low abrasion & is delicate.

Its very similar to this:

http://www.meguiarsd...tail/MEG+G12310

which can be used like this:

Apart from the instrument cluster lens,I really haven't breen able to get good results with plastx.

[Elvis_Pil]

I guess it really depends on how tough the job is- sometimes you may need to use it several times to get the job done.

[vishkid]

  On 3/5/2011 at 8:01 AM, Elvis_Pil said:

You're putting toothpaste and brasso in the same boat? in that case you can try mixing some and brushing you're teeth with it.

Yep, if the boat is big enough ...

Seriously, they do the same job (toothpaste less effectively in heavy duty stuff) but in subtly different ways.

[kushan]

Ok Guys, intention was to show the most easiest way, and I think Brasso is the easiest way. But it may not safe, if someone doing it regularly. So do it only once to restore your yellow colored lights back to normal. Normally, to turn back those to yellow again take years.. So you dont have to polish it regularly.

Edited March 5, 2011 by kushan

[Sylvi]

  On 3/5/2011 at 7:42 AM, jdnet said:

No one cares.

'jdnet,

Good.You write all what is on the web. Just to add your Posts number.

Sylvi Wijesinghe

[serialkiller]

Toothpaste...

That's works for me.

[jdnet]

  On 3/7/2011 at 1:17 AM, Sylvi said:

'jdnet,

Good.You write all what is on the web. Just to add your Posts number.

Sylvi Wijesinghe

no one cares

[Watchman]

  On 3/7/2011 at 5:51 AM, jdnet said:

no one cares

i have nothing to say either but i hear people who post more and more get free diesel at fuel stations, so i'l also just post this to up my count.

[Sylvi]

  On 3/7/2011 at 3:33 PM, Watchman said:

i have nothing to say either but i hear people who post more and more get free diesel at fuel stations, so i'l also just post this to up my count.

'Watchman'

For your unrealistic imaginary post You deserve free Fuel for entire life time for Automobiles you are using.

Sylvi Wijesinghe.

Edited March 8, 2011 by Sylvi

[Sylvi]

  On 3/7/2011 at 5:51 AM, jdnet said:

no one cares

'jdnet',

If no one cares. Including you you have no reson to quote to my post.

Once you wrote you ignore my posts. Do not eat your own words.If you are a thorough gent will not quote to my posts.

Dont drag this thread out of topic are you writing about automobiles?.

Sylvi Wijesinghe.