DIY - Headlight polishing

3M makes a kit for this now, really simple - they just have you tape off the area and not remove the entire headlight assembly, which I liked. I would give the product an 8 of 10. On Amazon for $12 http://www.amazon.com/3M-39008-Headl.../dp/B001AIZ5HY

I've read a lot of these posts over the past month and just did my headlights this weekend. I have to say that this is the best thread on the subject.

Here are a couple of lessons learned from my experience:
- Like the post did ... start with 400 grit paper. If you have a lot of grit-looking then you need to start aggressive (don't worry.. there's plenty of plastic left)
- The sandpaper is great, but definitely use a (rubbing) compound. The paper will always leave cut marks and the compound on a DA will smooth out everything
- After the compound.. .use a ScratchX type polishing compound to get the smoothness and get rid of any swirls for fine marks
- Don't forget the sealer!

This is an excellent post! I attacked my lights this weekend and had results similar to yours. I did the first one on the car and it’s unnecessarily difficult to do it that way. On the second one, I removed the assembly (5 min. max.) and used a Black & Decker Workmate to hold it. It’s a lot easier to work on it that way and you don’t have to worry about the surrounding surfaces.

I just finished polishing mine. and they look GREAT, removed all the rock chips and everything!

where can i get the sealer at?

Originally Posted by returnofmike

where can i get the sealer at?

http://superiorcarcare.net/

Search for Diamondite

Nice write up, thanks for taking the time to post it

Wow that incredible! This just gives me hope , and instead of buying new headlamps, iam gonna do this first

Thinking to polish my headlight lens too, but then when I looked at my 2004 525i, noticed that the spotty yellowing appear not to be on the outside surface of the lens, but instead more like from inside. Has anyone, esp. those who did the lens restoration, noticed about the same?
Thanks!

The process is more important than the product. Take your time and do each step thoroughly and don't skip any steps. Most automotive headlights have a similar grade of plastic. I used a $8 bottle of Turtle Wax Headlight Restorer, two worn socks, and a garden hose to achieve these results on my wife's Durango. No power tools, just elbow grease and patience.

Product:



Before:



After:



But honestly, the next time I have heavily clouded lights to deal with I'm picking up a polishing pad I can put in my drill, proper sandpaper, and that PlastiX stuff. You can do it by hand with cheap stuff but the reality is it won't last as long.

FYI, that Turtle Wax product didn't do JACK on the E39 plastic lens.
I am going to try real sandpaper , like in this write up.

This is an awesome write up, I tried to do restore my headlight on my e60 using the 3m headlight restore kit and it came out like crap. I know I didn't put it the adequate amount of time into it so I'm going to try your procedure and I hope it comes out as good as yours

The best I have used is a Sylvania headlight restoring kit! Sold at Auto Zone. Did mine two days ago with side marker turn signal lights on my e60 and LOVE the clear brand new look. Took me a few hours and was worth the work.

I see this is many years old and recently brought to the top.

If you really want to protect your headlights, I suggest adding some headlight protection in the form of clear plastic. Many are familiar with the "clear bra" paint protection kits available for the areas of our cars that suffer from chips. They have thicker plastic for headlights foglights. http://www.xpel.com/products/headlight_protection.asp is one example and what I put on my 2001 530i back in 2001. I guess I should try and post some pics of what they look like today.

Originally Posted by EconoBox

FYI, that Turtle Wax product didn't do JACK on the E39 plastic lens.
I am going to try real sandpaper , like in this write up.

Check my recent post

Sylvania Headlight Restoration kit....$22 and worth the time to make them look clear and new

Dude! You are a beast and anal as hell! You are the type of seller I recommend to people who want to buy a car, but of course, most are so stupid, they don't value a seller who takes extremely good care of the car. Makes the paying more, worth it! Excellent job!

Originally Posted by Ågent99

I see this is many years old and recently brought to the top.

If you really want to protect your headlights, I suggest adding some headlight protection in the form of clear plastic. Many are familiar with the "clear bra" paint protection kits available for the areas of our cars that suffer from chips. They have thicker plastic for headlights foglights. http://www.xpel.com/products/headlight_protection.asp is one example and what I put on my 2001 530i back in 2001. I guess I should try and post some pics of what they look like today.

I, for one, would be interested in pictures of your lights some time after your repair and installation of the protection pieces.

Anyone ever figure out what sort of clear coat once can use after buffing out the lights?
I'd like to seal mine lights with any canned product that is good enough. Any ideas?
The UV protectors either runs or simply hazes out with a month or two.