masagsxr

Awesome job prodigy95.... I've been meaning to do the same to my headlight. Looks like it gets a lot easier and easier these days since companies like Meguiars comes out with better chemicals than doing the sanding process etc....

High PSI

iTrader: (1)

You should hit the lights with some 2000 grit and then scratch-x before waxing. Your headlights are most likely VERY scratched after the 1500 grit. The wax is doing more than protecting them from yellowing, it's filling the scratches and making them look clear. As soon as that wax wears off it will look horrible. It won't be yellow but it will look "frosted".

MongooseGA

iTrader: (6)

Everyone needs to understand that wax does not have polishing capabilities. It's wax, not polish.

More than likely, the wax was put on very thick (another no no) and filled in the tiny sanding marks. It will probably wear off soon.

After sanding, it really is ideal to use an abrasive polish/compound to remove the very fine scratches.

For now, the improvement is very noticeable though, OP.

O. L. T.

iTrader: (17)

Clean lenses and dirty projectors... tisk, tisk....... Function or form, choose your weapon.

Badmittn

Sandpaper is about the most damaging thing you can put on a plastic headlight.
You have to use it if you are resurfacing but if you just got yellowing or clouding from oxidation you will do more harm than good with sandpaper wet or dry.
Sandpaper will put scratches in your headlights and cloud them up permanently.
Alway go the least abrasive route first.
Sandpaper should be viewed as a last resort.

MongooseGA

iTrader: (6)

Correct, to a degree.

Sanding Properly will lead to the best results by far. Being old plastic, alot of these lights have things embedded in them that won't be removed by store-bought plastic polish alone.

potatoBBQ

iTrader: (3)

Heh, this is pretty off topic, but what are you using in your fogs? I'm currently using Hella Yellow Star H3s in my fog lights, but they're nowhere near as yellow as your fogs and I was thinking of switching to 3000k HIDs.

prodigy95

lol to all the guys above that said scratchs would appear and that it would dull, sorry but my headlights are still perfect, and thats 7 months after me making that post, if you follow my directions it will come out perfect, and 1500 grit came out very well, if you go to a high girt it will obviously be easier to make it smoother and clearer, but you have to start at a lower gradient to clean the yellowing and cloudiness out, then you wetsand to polish it, and wax to shine, and wax comes with uv protection which prevents damage to the plastic. And to potatoBBQ, I actually used the yellow h3 bulbs for like 8 bucks off of ebay, and they were very yellow. but one blub blew a few months back, so now its HID time, 6k tho, i have heard 3k hid is not rich in color, but that's just what i have heard.

prodigy95

i so wish i could of cleaned the actual projector, but i am way to scared to open up the headlight, but you do make a good point

JohnEd

iTrader: (1)

Fron Fliptrix

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

Thank you for pposting that. I follow exactly the same process with GREAT results. That first layer of yellow plastic is pretty thick and it takes 800 to make a dent. Using 1500 I think you are just polishng the outside of that clouded layer. You did a great job but there is more to be had fro your effort.

HTH

john