# Polishing headlight covers



## NickD (Jul 16, 2003)

Hey guys. I noticed that the plastic cover for the headlights after lots of highway mileage are starting to glaze over and get that foggy look. I also own a 12yr old Acura Legend w/ 180k+ miles and the headlights on that are completely cloudy looking.

I found a tutorial on the Legend Forum for cleaning this up and getting them looking like new, though it's quite a process.

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with using plastic polishers such as the Griots Plastic Polish or the 3M plastic polish and does it do as good as a job as the example given in that post?


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## in_d_haus (Jan 2, 2002)

I use Griots Plastic Polish (shock huh?) and have found it to work great


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## F1Crazy (Dec 11, 2002)

Plastic polishes are very mild and I used them only on minor blemishes on the interior plastics. 
If you're not comfortable with wet sanding then don't do it and use rubbing compound only. It may not work on deeper scratches but will remove cloudiness. You may want to follow up with a finer polish.


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## Jeff297 (Mar 31, 2003)

I used Mother's plastic polish on my 2000 Toyota Tundra's headlight covers. It completely removed the haze that had developed over 3 years. Also, it did a perfect job of removing some hard water spots on my ZHP's headlight covers. :thumbup: 

Jeff


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## Nick T. (Feb 22, 2003)

I've had excellent results using Novus products. Their #2 is excellent for light scratches, and #3, which is more aggressive, will handle pretty severe marring.


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## The HACK (Dec 19, 2001)

Just get new ones. They're $30 each from OEM parts houses like Pacific BMW or Circle BMW.


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## Guest (Jul 25, 2003)

in_d_haus said:


> I use Griots Plastic Polish (shock huh?) and have found it to work great


 Haus-

I'm truly shocked that you don't have Euro ellisoids on your M3 yet.


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## The HACK (Dec 19, 2001)

TD said:


> Haus-
> 
> I'm truly shocked that you don't have Euro ellisoids on your M3 yet.


If Steve from B&M comes to this weekend's SCTS 7.5 at SergioK's place with his E36 328is, I'll take a snap shot of his special ordered Hella Euro Ellipsoids. They look DAMN cool on the E36.


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## Guest (Jul 25, 2003)

I've got the ZKW Euro ellipsoids on my E36. They're such a huge improvement over the stock US headlights that I'm really shocked Haus hasn't bought some yet.

ZKW and Bosch are the primary OEM suppliers and these are Euro OEM headlights. So I assume the Hellas are special somehow? Do you know in what way?


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## in_d_haus (Jan 2, 2002)

TD said:


> I've got the ZKW Euro ellipsoids on my E36. They're such a huge improvement over the stock US headlights that I'm really shocked Haus hasn't bought some yet.


TD my friend, where ya been? That was like my 2nd mod:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20704&highlight=citylights


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## Mathew (Feb 8, 2002)

in_d_haus said:


> TD my friend, where ya been? That was like my 2nd mod:
> 
> http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20704&highlight=citylights


 I thought I remember you talking about aiming them a few months back, but they're not in your mod list.


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## in_d_haus (Jan 2, 2002)

Mathew said:


> I thought I remember you talking about aiming them a few months back, but they're not in your mod list.


What do you mean? :angel:


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## RJ (Dec 24, 2001)

I have had good results with 3M plastic polish and Klasse AIO. A protective coat of 303 Protectant keeps my lights looking like new.

If you end up replacing the plastic covers then consider applying the 3M headlight protection film. It is similar to the clear bra product, only a more thicker gauge of film.


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## Nick T. (Feb 22, 2003)

RJ said:


> IIf you end up replacing the plastic covers then consider applying the 3M headlight protection film. It is similar to the clear bra product, only a more thicker gauge of film.


I've had X-Pel on my headlamp covers for about five months and am pleased with it.


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## johnlew (Dec 25, 2001)

I tried the polish/sanding method with less than wonderful results. Just replaced the lenses instead. I agree with Hack.


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## auburnbmw (Jan 8, 2006)

Great results with my head light lens!

I wet sanded with 1000 then 1500 grit paper after that polished with a fine cut compound polish then wax with standard carnauba wax. The results were great!! $12 for sand paper and wax from the garage. People this is not a hard job, do not be scared! Remove the head light assembly from the car before you start. And the rest is all down hill.


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## TOGWT (May 26, 2004)

*Removing Oxidation or scratches from Vehicle headlights, Brake lights (polycarbonate) ***8211;*Most vehicles now have a protective, transparent, plastic lens covering the headlights to protect expensive lamps (headlight assemblies range from 500-$700+) from flying stones and road debris. They discolour over time, becoming opaque and cloudy; these lenses can severely restrict the amount of light reaching the road.

The lens has a silicone-based coating applied to its outer surface, some manufacturers apply two different types of coatings to the outer surface of the lens, these coatings are mainly for UVR protection, but are also for impact and abrasion resistance, once the coating (s) fail the lens surface will occlude (clouding or yellowing)

While most of the cloudiness is on the surface, severely discoloured lens cannot be brought back to optical clarity. If you live in a southern state, this discoloration can become noticeable in as little as two-years. You could also use a metal polish (Reckitt and Coleman***8217;s Brasso***174

Novus 1 - gently cleans all plastics without scratching, leaves a lustrous shine that resists fogging, repels dust, and eliminates static. 
Novus 2 - removes fine scratches, haziness, and abrasions from most plastics (exceptional for removing scratches from Plexiglas). Use repeatedly and restore faded and discoloured plastics.
Novus 3 -removes heavy scratches and abrasions from most acrylic surfaces. Contains abrasives, not for use on eyeglasses, polycarbonate, or coated plastics, final finishing also requires the use of Novus 2 http://www.modernplastics.com.

Application Methodology:
***8226;Use a solvent type cleaner (Klasse All-In-One) if this does not remove the oxidation use a plastic polish
***8226;Meguiar***8217;s PlastX contains a microscopic diminishing abrasive, which requires a little pressure when applying it to enable these abrasives to remove the discoloured plastic and expose new plastic. Or Renovo Plastic Cleaner
***8226;Plastic Cleaners can be used to clean and condition Perspex as well as flexible plastic but is not suitable for use on glass.
***8226;Prior to application of a plastic polish ensure that the window is clean and free from dust particles by washing with a soft cloth and warm water. 
***8226;It is not advisable to use cleaning detergents on plastic.
***8226;Shake the bottle thoroughly. Plastic polish can be hand or machine applied 
***8226;Using a random orbital buffer with a 3.5-inch backing plate and a 4-inch (LC White) polishing pad or a terry cloth applicator
***8226;Place a small dab (about ***189;-inch diameter) of plastic polish on the foam pad or applicator.
***8226;Place the pad on the lens surface and turn on the machine (speed #4)
***8226;Polish the lens repeatedly in a left-to-right and an up and down pattern. 
***8226;Continue polishing until all the polish is gone
***8226;Wipe the lens with a damp Microfiber towel 
***8226;Inspect the lens, repeat the polishing process 2-3 times as necessary
***8226;Plastic polish will not remove clarity defects that are within the plastic but it will remove external/surface scratching and oxidation (yellowing)

*Wet-sanding- *some OEM headlights have a coating applied this coating does not respond well to sanding test a small inconspicuous area. If the plastic starts to turn white, do not sand the lenses. Use a plastic polish (see Plastic Polishing)


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## Hooray! (Dec 20, 2009)

The HACK said:


> Just get new ones. They're $30 each from OEM parts houses like Pacific BMW or Circle BMW.


Are these covers available for an 02 530i?


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