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Turtle wax for headlight lens resoration

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Old Sep 25, 2011 | 05:10 PM
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i bought one today and i followed wvery step but at the end when i wiped it with that snall white things now the headlight is sticky it says it will work in 24hrs after 24 hrs should i buff it with a microfiber cloth or what?
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Old Sep 25, 2011 | 05:14 PM
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That's not going to do anything for you. Where did you get this idea? Plastix or some other UV protectant would work but turtle wax? If you want it to last and not have any issues going forward you should take your lamps out and have them clear-coated with standard clearcoat. protects against everything. I did a DIY sometime ago about this.
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Old Sep 25, 2011 | 06:35 PM
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I used sand paper to clean my headlights then I used turtle wax. it worked for me
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Old Sep 25, 2011 | 06:51 PM
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Originally Posted by mbawazir
I used sand paper to clean my headlights then I used turtle wax. it worked for me
Your fading and cracking plastic will be back soon enough....most likely yellowing as well.
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Old Sep 25, 2011 | 07:01 PM
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I think he means he used this:




I used that on my girlfriend's Grand Marquis. Worked out pretty well. Wasn't as good as brand new, but it was a hugee improvement from how they were before. They were quite shiny. Though I'm sure there are probably some better products out there.

Oh, and to answer your question: After doing the part with the little wipe that was in the baggy, I just left it there for a few hours, and then put the orbital on it.
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Old Sep 25, 2011 | 07:44 PM
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i did write up on the DIY section a few days ago. turned this


to this with simple sanding and buffing.
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Old Sep 25, 2011 | 09:53 PM
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Originally Posted by AchtungE60
That's not going to do anything for you. Where did you get this idea? Plastix or some other UV protectant would work but turtle wax? If you want it to last and not have any issues going forward you should take your lamps out and have them clear-coated with standard clearcoat. protects against everything. I did a DIY sometime ago about this.
im gone take it to a car wash its a friend of mine he said he will clean it and put uv portection on it so idnt worry about it anymore and also is $60 good?
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Old Sep 25, 2011 | 09:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Ricapar
I think he means he used this:




I used that on my girlfriend's Grand Marquis. Worked out pretty well. Wasn't as good as brand new, but it was a hugee improvement from how they were before. They were quite shiny. Though I'm sure there are probably some better products out there.

Oh, and to answer your question: After doing the part with the little wipe that was in the baggy, I just left it there for a few hours, and then put the orbital on it.
yes dis is what i used sorry for the misspell
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Old Sep 25, 2011 | 11:19 PM
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A lot of us restored headlights here with different methods. Only 1 method will withstand the test of time.

https://5series.net/forums/topic/102...1#entry1219562
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Old Sep 27, 2011 | 03:58 AM
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I thought I would add a few comments. I work in the plastic industry. These headlight lenses are made of a plastic called polycarbonate. You may have heard of Lexan as a tradename, for example. This plastic has poor UV (sunlight) resistance. It will yellow, haze and crack with extended UV exposure. Therefore, the lenses are coated with a silicone hardcoat. This hardcoat will not last forever either. I do find it odd that it seems very unpredictable...could be the quality and different suppliers the auto companies use. It certainly matters where in the country you live (e.g. Florida or Arizona will be much worse than Minnesota) and if you park outside a lot (do you park the car in a parking lot outside at work all day?, or in a garage?)

Anyway, my concern over these polishing kits is you are basically removing this hardcoat and exposing the polycarbonate, which is much less UV resistant than the original coating. You could try to polish and basically continue to do so on a very regular basis.

Someone commented earlier and I have to agree, the only long term method is to polish completely and find a paint shop that can clearcoat the headlight.
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