Cleaning yellow headlights (aquafresh) toothpaste

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Is it possible to do the TW rubbing and polishing compounds by HAND?
I have already sanded with 800 grit and 1500 grit, but didn't get to polish much - my old, old 3m plastic polish had dried in the bottle - i stored it too long, I guess...prob. 10 yrs old

So my plan was to go with TW polishing compound -green upside-down bottle, but would it be better to RUBBING compound before that, even if it's by hand?

also: can someone provide links to the 2 TW products, just to make sure i get the correct stuff?


Yes, it'll just take longer. Also, just go to your local Wal-Mart for these TW wax products. One comes in a red can and the other in a green one. You can't miss them...

 

[rshaw125]

I've been using the green can rubbing compound for years.Takes about 10 minutes per lens. I go over each one twice. Each fall and spring.

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: rshaw125
I've been using the green can rubbing compound for years.Takes about 10 minutes per lens. I go over each one twice. Each fall and spring.


I think the green can is called polishing compound, the red can is the rubbing compound. Doesn't really matter, it's just the green can has a finer grit...

 

[97tbird]

This was a very rushed job - although sanding and polishing was done on 2 different days...
it was going to rain and i hurried on BOTH days..(should have sanded longer and polished longer)

I used: (all by hand, and very quickly)

800 grit wet sanding
1500 grit wet sanding

then 5 days later

Turtle wax rubbing compound (red can)
Turtle wax polishing compound (green can)
Pledge furniture polish spray and wipe down. (seem to make the headlights a bit clearer with this)

I think results would've been a lot better if i did sanding and polishing immediately in sequence without waiting 5 days in between...Will try my wife's car's headlights and see if I can do a better job.

Not great but better than it was to begin with:

 

[Gearhead]

GlassyLite Premium Headlight Restoration Treatment seems to get good reviews, though I've not used it.

An interesting technical article on polycarb headlight UV/Hard Scratch coating can be found googling "The Next Generation in Weatherable Hardcoats for Polycarbonate".

 

[Propflux01]

Mothers Aluminum mag wheel polish..

 

[occupant]

There seems to be plenty of options as far as sanding and polishing. The sealing is probably the most important step to make the cleaning LAST a long time. This may be the next big debate on the headlight thing. I like the Turtle Wax Headlight Restoring kit. I did a write-up on it a few months back here and at DC (now Autopia). For the money (I paid $8.47 south of D/FW, evidently as little as $6 around other towns) it was a nice comprehensive kit but the sealant didn't last long at all. I'll use the kit again here in a week or two (sanding pads, lube, polish) but I'll be looking for something different to use as sealer.

 

[67lemans]

aluminum wheel polish works great for taking the yellowing out of headlights

 

[Mustang2008Z]

Hey dvldoc

It worked on my 2000 Nissan Frontier Headlights. I used Aquafresh Extreme Clean which comes out red in color. It did an excellent job on my headlights. Better than Blue Magic Headlight Lens Restorer! It did not take me more than a few minutes to restore it like new.

 

[ryanschillinger]

Rubbing compound+powerball... Works good. I wax the lenses when I wax the truck.

 

[nleksan]

FWIW, Consumer Reports just rated the Sylvania $21 kit the best on the market, both in restoring clarity and in duration of effects, allegedly the UV protectant was still going strong long after the other kit-treated cars were fully yellowed again... I am going to try it myself for my 325, 740, and Camry (328 has glass, no hazing there).

 

[2Fast4U]

Thats the key. How well it stands up to UV. Obviously anything abrasive will somewhat clean up the lights. I noticed yesterday at WM that they sold some product for uv protection after doing the lights. Next time I will check what brand. Great info on sylvania!

 

[Michael_P]

Most toothpastes have some sort of fine abrasive like aluminum oxide, known as alumina in the toothpaste world. Now that I see the similarly, I'm going to brush my teeth with my leftover headlight polish.

 

[johnnydc]

That looks great. And to think most of us buy special stuff for that type of cleaning. I used light polishing compound and a buffer and it worked great.

 

[2002 Maxima SE]

Meguiars just released the protectant (which comes along with their headlight restoration kit) as a standalone product.

Meguiars Headlight Protectant

I have not seen it in the store yet and am anxious to try it.

 

[cutter]

Makes my fingers all tingly when I do this for my car. I need a really good sealant though.

 

[daves87rs]

Wow!

 

[ryanschillinger]

I use a Mothers Powerball and Meguiars Ultimate Compound to do mine every few months. Just takes a couple minutes and works good.

 

[HerrStig]

I'd try Krylon or Rustolem clearcoat as a sealant. I just bought a new set of lamps from 1A Auto.

 

[ltslimjim]

Originally Posted By: 2002 Maxima SE
Meguiars just released the protectant (which comes along with their headlight restoration kit) as a standalone product.

Meguiars Headlight Protectant

I have not seen it in the store yet and am anxious to try it.


Cools.