Write-Up: Yellowed Corner Lenses

Thanks for the info, ILAN. That's my next project for the weekend,. As you can see in the pic, my corner lamps need some work. I'll let you know how it comes out.

You'll have to work on the corners a bit to get it right. The directions are on the box, but keep hitting it with the spray lubricant while you're sanding it with the first of four pads, give it a really quick wipe with a cloth to dry it, then keep going until the liquid goes from gray to more of a white/clear color.

I only had to use the sandpapers for the passenger's side light, but that was only 5 minutes of it.

Looks sketchy considering the grammar and that it's a one step deal. I'd go with what every other headlight kit does which is a polish, lube, and different levels of sandpaper. The TurtleWax kit I got is all done by hand, too.

I wouldn't dismiss the GlassyLite product simply because the description feels it was written in another country. It is in fact an Australian product. See reviews from people who've actually ordered and used the product:

http://www.amazon.com/GlassyLite-Premium-Headlight-Restoration-Treatment/product-reviews/B001CYC2ZY/ref=pr_all_summary_cm_cr_acr_txt/186-9261451-6272430?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

(Lots of good reviews, and the negative feedback I'm reading doesn't hold a lot of credibility. The biggest complaint is they don't provide enough sandpaper in the box! Seriously people?)

If it's cheaper I guess it's worth a shot, but it's hard to beat the prices of the other kits. All I know is the one I got worked really well.

The GlassyLite kit costs $35. If an $8 Turtlewax kit works really well, I'd be pretty angry if the more expensive kit didn't work. But most who use it seem impressed.

These products are hard to evaluate because the immediate results are all the same. They all make the headlamp appear nice and clear. I can get the same result with a simple polishing compound and small buffer wheel. I've had good luck with Scratch-Ex on a rag, too. But the key thing is what will happen over time. How long does the product protect? Do the symptoms return, and to what extent? A good product in this category should offer extended protection, and that's tough to know until a year or so down the road.

Actually, that's a good question, what happens down the line? The kit I got has a UV sealant wipe which is the last step to restoring the headlights. When you sand the headlights down, you remove the UV coating which keeps the headlight from hazing and yellowing right back up. If you don't use the sealant wipe, your headlights turn yellow in about 3 weeks of sunny days' time. When you use it, it's basically turning the clock back to factory stock.

ILAN: I think I'm gonna go with the Turtle Wax product for now. Simply because it's available locally and I'm wanting to get 'r done this weekend. That is, IF I get my car out of the body shop.

Agree, so the basic concept is: abrade + polish + protect. All the kits (should) do these things in some way or another.

Abrade: this is the use of fine sandpaper, and/or abrasive compound to remove the oxidation. Sometimes the compound is also a polish at the same time. This isn't complex science. Steel wool will also work in theory.

Polish: after roughing up the surface, it needs to be smoothed back to a shine. Again, this isn't much different than what autobody workers have been doing for 100 years to bring paint to a mirror gloss. It's also one reason we use toothpaste on our teeth. In fact, builders of plastic model cars know that toothpaste is an excellent compound for giving the plastic an amazing shine.

Protect: I suspect this is the step that makes the difference between lesser kits and the ones that really protect over time. The protective coating must go on evenly, dry quickly, and not scratch, chip, or discolor over time. Good UV protectants are expensive, and so add to the cost of the product.

A note about glass - these headlamp restore kits should never be used on glass lamps, because glass doesn't break down or discolor from UV light like the plastics can. There is just no need. Glass is also a harder surface, so it doesn't scratch or fog up like plastic does when subject to high speed wind, particles and debris on the road. Only use these kits on the plastic lens pieces.

Just used the permatex on my corners - they were very yellow. Doesn't look like a million bucks, but certainly looks worth the 15 bucks I spent.

Been meaning to post this for some time now.
I wet sanded my corner lights in my riv back in January. Used 1500-2500 grit and finished with some compound/plastix.

They looked pretty good after.
THEN i waxed the left hand side and used auto clear coat (from Autozone) on the right side.
After applying 3 thin coats i buffed it to a shine.
Here is the left side after 6 months:


And here is the right side:

Great results Matthew, looks like you have found a solution for those corners, let us know how long they last.

Is this auto clear coat the paint or the turtle wax clear coat polish? Please clarify, thanks.

Albertj

This is the product i used.

Mr.Riviera wrote:

This is the product i used.

OK it's the paint.

I use Turtle Wax ICE (an armor-all-type spray) on the lenses when I wash the car. I should post a picture.

Albertj

A friend let me use his CCP headlight restoral product. he got it at Harbor Freight.
Connected the pad to a drill put some solution on pad and buffed the cornering lamps.
Took me less than 5 minutes and most of the yellowing is gone.
Another friend told me to use the stuff you clean your flattop stove with, he claims it works..

Today I went to the chicago auto show. I looked at all the crap they try to hock out to people... and it was all crap! except for this polish at an small
little table. just one guy, and some shinny soda cans and a foggy headlight. WOW!!! it took off all the yellow- white fog on the lens!
I said good buy to my money and came home and tried it on my Riv. Marker lights, here are some pics

Before


After


The product I used

wow! big difference

I want to take the lens off now and get the edges... I think that will get rid of the rest of that
Yellow discoloration.

They look better. Not like new though. My new ones are just as clear as the headlight lenses. Of course they also cost a bit more than the lens polish products....

It's tough to get them looking perfect without sanding them down with 400 grit and then clear coating them. Even then, the flap that fills the gap between the corner housing and the headlight sees weather on both sides of that lens. It's tough to get that piece to stay clear looking. I just clear coated both sides of that on mine. Looks way better now.

I used 3M's solution which attaches to a drill (like some of the others)

http://www.amazon.com/3M-39008-Headlight-Restoration-System/dp/B001AIZ5HY

Here are the before and after pics.

I think that looks pretty darn nice !!!