Polishing Headlights?

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eyost

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Hi all,

I have a two year old Honda CR-V that has some debris on the headlights. Would it be acceptable to start polishing the headlights with something like a paint cleanser? The headlights are not cloudy, but I want to get them pretty clean before I put a sealant on them. I was thinking of claying them and then using the Pinnacle Paint Cleansing lotion to clean them. I will be using a DA machine. Didn't know how fragile the plastic covers are on the Honda. I definitely don't want to scratch them with the DA. I was planning on starting with a white pad, unless you all have other thoughts.

Thanks in advance!

Ed
 
Interested in this for sure. My 06's lights are clear but have things stuck to them. Id be interested to see what can be used on them to clean the bugs or whatever off and then what to use to seal them/add some UV protection. Im guessing a paint sealant?
 
By all means polish them. You won't hurt them with the DA. Always use least aggressive and get more aggressive until you get the desired result.
 
MrOneEyedBoh said:
Interested in this for sure. My 06's lights are clear but have things stuck to them. Id be interested to see what can be used on them to clean the bugs or whatever off and then what to use to seal them/add some UV protection. Im guessing a paint sealant?
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For you a light polish and a paint sealant might work. For other's, sanding with several grits may be the only option. In this case a paint sealant will not work. Opti Lens may be the only long term protection against UV damage.
 
kimtyson said:
By all means polish them. You won't hurt them with the DA. Always use least aggressive and get more aggressive until you get the desired result.
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Thanks for the reply. Any suggestions to what to use? Can I use something designed for paint or do I have to go with something plastic specific?

Ed
 
I put bfwd on mine. Barely a couples weeks so don't know about long term yet.
 
eyost said:
Any suggestions to what to use? Can I use something designed for paint or do I have to go with something plastic specific?

Ed
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You can use any compound and polish you choose, I personally use m105 and m205 combo for headlights using my rotary with 3-4" pads, using a DA is good bcuz plastic lens tends to heat up faster than a normal painted area.

Any pics on your headlights?
 
FFguy808 said:
You can use any compound and polish you choose, I personally use m105 and m205 combo for headlights using my rotary with 3-4" pads, using a DA is good bcuz plastic lens tends to heat up faster than a normal painted area.

Any pics on your headlights?
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Thanks for the info. I currently have on hand some Pinnacle paint cleansing lotion and Wolfgang Polish enhancer. Would either of those work? I'll try to get some pictures. It'll be tough as it is slight. It appears like some wear from debris catching on the lens, but I am hoping to stay on top of this. I also have some swirl removers but I am not sure if I need to go to that step.
 
Dont have experience on those products but I think you need more cut level for cleaning. If the headlights are real yellow and stain, u might need to wetsand and polish. A good seal is the key for a true headlight restore so u dont have to keep on repolishing every month or so.
 
eyost said:
Thanks for the info. I currently have on hand some Pinnacle paint cleansing lotion and Wolfgang Polish enhancer. Would either of those work? I'll try to get some pictures. It'll be tough as it is slight. It appears like some wear from debris catching on the lens, but I am hoping to stay on top of this. I also have some swirl removers but I am not sure if I need to go to that step.
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It sounds like what you have is some rock damage, sometimes it will displace some of the lens so it is raised and sharp. Polishing isn't going to do much for that, sanding will, but I don't think you want to be sanding fairly new lights. You could mask all but the raised portion and try sanding it with a block, or if you are good with a razor blade...
 
FFguy808 said:
Dont have experience on those products but I think you need more cut level for cleaning. If the headlights are real yellow and stain, u might need to wetsand and polish. A good seal is the key for a true headlight restore so u dont have to keep on repolishing every month or so.
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Oh the headlights are in great shape other than some debris marks, they're not stained or yellow. Figured I would give it a good polish to get it smooth to accept a good sealant. What sealant do you like?
 
Setec Astronomy said:
It sounds like what you have is some rock damage, sometimes it will displace some of the lens so it is raised and sharp. Polishing isn't going to do much for that, sanding will, but I don't think you want to be sanding fairly new lights. You could mask all but the raised portion and try sanding it with a block, or if you are good with a razor blade...
Click to expand...

Yeah, that probably is the case. I was thinking to get the headlights nice and clean to accept a sealant. What are you recommendations for getting it clean and a sealant?
 
Opti-coat is a good seal but i had great results with Menz Powerlock, just need to re-apply maybe every 3 months.
 
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