fliptrix

iTrader: (5)

If your lights are really bad and have a bunch of scratches a good process would be to wetsand with 800grit until all the yellowing is gone, sanding horizontally or vertically, then sanding with 1000grit sanding the opposite way (so if you sanded horizontally the first time then sand vertically), then on to 1500grit sanding the opposite of what you last did (so alternating horizontally and vertically), then finally 2000grit. After the sanding clean them up and polish them with some wax/rubbing compound/or plastX (which is what i did). Then they'll turn out awesome

Usually if your lights are beat up then you could go this route, but if they aren't too bad then you really wouldn't need to start with the 800grit.

Quick summary: wetsand w/800grit (alternating horizontally/vertically as you change grit) > 1000 > 1500 > 2000 > clean up and buff

Prodigy, looks great! Good job!

northtide

Did you clean the insides or the outside of the headlights? I definitely want to clean mine since its like mustard yellow.

prodigy95

no it wasnt, i had polished my lenses with plastix and stuff of the sort, but it only cleared it out, still was a transparent yellow tint, and then would com back to being hazed, and i did it before i the kit came out, but i really didnt care to pay for a kit, im a broke college student.

prodigy95

thanks fliptrix, yeah i was alittle scared to go that course, but i was amazed with just the one little piece of 1500 it came out that well.

prodigy95

just did the outside northtide, you should clean them up, doesnt take more then 30 mins.

7sins

Looks good bro!
When I did mine I used mothers aluminum polish, and it worked perfectly.

turbodremz

iTrader: (18)

If you use the Meguiars kit with the buffer it does a better job than using the plastix by hand..and I had the same yellow tint with clear lenses, and the buff ball took it all off in less than 3 minutes..its been 3 months now and my lenses still look great

prodigy95

cool to that turbodremz, hey different solutions to solving a problem. anyway you choose to do it, as long as they come out clean we all win.

SCereal

iTrader: (4)

This method does work well. My lights looked exactly the same. I just had my detailer do it to mine this afternoon and he used a similar process. Wet sanded, polished/buffed with a D/A orbiter. They look better than brand new now!

Hil

iTrader: (61)

So I just wetsanded one of my low beams. I used the Meguairs Cleaner wax as well but the liquid.. not working well for me. Still a bunch of scratches which gives me a cloudy look maybe the solid works better?

prodigy95

i hear you, might need more time on sanding, my advice would be keep sanding but add more water while your sanding, keep doing it till the sand paper is quite used up( feels smooth like no grit on it), and then wipe it clean/dry it off, and do the wax procedure. hope that helps.

1JZPWRD

iTrader: (59)

I have to do mine about every 2-3 months. Just to maintain the new look! Wet sanding is the ****zel, when it comes to headlights and removing the yellow stock film coating from the factory. If this does not work for you, you may have to take the headlight apart and clean the inside of the lens cover, and the actual glass itself. Good write up!

Gspec

I tackled both my SC and my girls civic today.....4 step process...1,000 grit, 1,500 grit, 2,000 grit, and then finished it off with Meguiar's plastic polish....I got hooked by the results and ended up doing cornering lights, tail lights, side markers...etc... everything looks as good as new (maybe even better..lol) On the down side, I now have to pull my passenger side headlight out to re seal it....cant have moisture showing through my refurbished lenses.

XSTeknique

I decided to jump on the "wet sanding" bandwagon as well. I used 1000, 1500, then 2000 grit along with Mothers little ball/drill attachment buffer, some Meguiars polish and PlastX. I've been PlastX-ing my lights for a couple years now and wet sanding made a dramatic difference, especially on my fogs. The problem is, they don't have that "shine" or "sparkle." I can see some very fine scratches (probably from the 1000). Do you think I should jump up to 2500 and 3000 grit? What about clearing the lights, is that even necessary? If they weren't cleared from the factory, then it shouldn't matter. Some advice would be greatly appreciated.

Girly TT

best way to keep them from getting yellowed again, is to sand them down, and spray them with a clearcoat (2-3 coats is ideal). It will protect the lenses from UV rays, and keep it shiny. Then just wax the lights everytime you wax your car.

For a mirror finish, wetsand with 1000 grit, and buff with a 3m buffing compound and orbital buffer... wax regularly. You won't have to worry about your headlights fading/yellowing again. However, I would highly recommend removing the headlights if you're going to get this extensive.

They look great