# Make old headlights new again!



## Flakey (Jan 26, 2006)

Ok, while this isnt really about flashlights, it is definetly about incandescent lights so i figured one of you guys might really benifit from a thread about how to make your old car headlights look like new!

The plastic used as the lense on most car headlights today has a very interesting effect when exposed to air and natural sunlight. The more your car is in the sun the faster this effect will set in. Unless you have glass lenses on your car, i can assure you that to some degree your cars headlights have been cooked.

Old faded Headlight:






This lamp is off a fairly new jeep grand cherokee. 

So, how do we make this bad boy look like new? Wonderfully enough the fading effect only happens on the OUTSIDE of the headlight so there is a way to take it off!

1 use 600 grit wet sandpaper to take off most of the hazing and crud!
2 step up to 800-1000 grit wet
3 step up to 1500 grit wet
4 final sanding with 2000 grit wet sandpaper
5 after using the 2000 gritt you should have a severly but evenly hazed piece of plastic (this is normal)
6 Get a soft rag and some 3m Rubbing Compound and buff out the haze, the rubbing compound works to fill in the very fine etch left by the 2000 grit sanding. 

The results are impressive:






it is very hard to believe that these to light assemblys came off of the same car!






Rubbing compound and typical sandpaper:






Keep in mind the sanding must be done WET. take your sandpaper and dip it in a bucket of water periodically while sanding, this is essential!

I found everything needed to do the refinishing at pepboys. and i suspect that other car care stores would carry fine grit, wetordry sandpaper as it is used for final sanding before painting cars. 

I hope that someone out there finds this helpfull. Having your headlights hazed creates HUGE output loss, and can frankly be dangerous when driving at night. 

This can be done with the headlights in the vehicle (might be eisier that way actually)

Combine this with some Sylvania Silverstar's and see a nice change in output. 

Blake


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## Alin10123 (Jan 26, 2006)

Wow! What an improvement. Thanks for the tip.


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## Tooner (Jan 26, 2006)

Very nice! My wifes 2000 maxima needs to have this done. Thanks for the great write up and photos. Looks like I got some work ahead of me.


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## cmacclel (Jan 26, 2006)

Great Write up!! You may get better results using a "Polishing" compound which is about have as course as the "Rubbing" version. They also sell a plastic polish I believe.

How long did it take you to do each headlamp assembly?


Mac


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## Pydpiper (Jan 26, 2006)

Excellent post! My headlights on my van are so nasty I drive with high beams on all the time, and still cant see!
I knew this was possible, I just didn't know how..
Thank you  I will do it today..


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## Daniel Ramsey (Jan 26, 2006)

How about spray painting a coat of Imron or other suitable two part clear coat finishes? basically what you have over the newer cars paint that blocks UV.


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## Flakey (Jan 26, 2006)

each headlight took me about 30-50 minutes but you get faster the more you do it. BTW the same prosses was used to make my maglight look like this:


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## Vortex (Jan 26, 2006)

if you'd like an additional 70% more light, try this. It works amazing on any vehicles using 9005/9006 lamps. I did it to my Accord and the difference was phenomenal. Try it and let us know how it works out for you.

http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Upgrade/More_light.htm


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## Krit (Jan 26, 2006)

Thanks for good idea .


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## Xrunner (Jan 26, 2006)

Thanks for the great info... I have the same problem on one of my headlights more than the other for some reason :shrug:, but both could benefit form a little work. 

-Mike


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## cratz2 (Jan 27, 2006)

I tried that on my 1998 Ford SVT Contour's headlights and it only helped about 20%... not nearly the results you found but different materials may yield different results. I also had a 99 Civic Si which I bought new and had it until Sept 2002 and they looked nearly perfect after all that time including PLENTY of dusty country driving and some mild and slow off-roading at my father in laws property. Also tried rubbing and polishing compound.

Having said that, I think I'll try again when it gets a bit warmer.



Vortex said:


> if you'd like an additional 70% more light, try this. It works amazing on any vehicles using 9005/9006 lamps. I did it to my Accord and the difference was phenomenal. Try it and let us know how it works out for you.
> 
> http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Upgrade/More_light.htm



I did that mod on my SVT Contour... big improvement... Matter of fact, I think one of my first threads on CPF was on that mod... let me see if I can find the thread.

Well, couldn't find the thread, but here's the pic. A SilverStar 9005 is on the left, the Sylvaina sock 9006 is on the right... yes, that crappy looking orangy-yellow blob is the stock headlight.


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## electronics4life (Jan 27, 2006)

Wouldn't the bulb upgrade mod draw more current? Current which a car's stock wiring wasn't designed to carry.. Though I'd love to perform the mod on my Accord.


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## fivemega (Jan 27, 2006)

One more thing to add, allways hand buff plastic lenses. Never use power toll.
You can also use same method to renew tail lights for shiny look.


Pydpiper said:


> I drive with high beams on all the time, and still cant see!


Using high beams will blind upcoming cars and will be dangerous for you too.


electronics4life said:


> Wouldn't the bulb upgrade mod draw more current? Current which a car's stock wiring wasn't designed to carry.. Though I'd love to perform the mod on my Accord.


I am using 80/100W bulb which draws more current than original 60/65W for years without problem.


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Jan 28, 2006)

I don't have that truck anymore, but I had modded a 9007 (as I recall) to fit where a 9005 was in a Ford F350. The "lense" on the Driver side was more ugly but the brighter 9007 made up the difference.


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## IsaacHayes (Jan 28, 2006)

Flakey: Luckally I don't have to do this to my headlights. They are plastic too, but they are original, and barely scratched, but are clear as glass! It depends on if the manufacter puts UV additives in the plastic or not. Ever notice some vehicles are WAY more prone to fadding, and even turning yellow opaque? Mustangs do this, as well as dodge cars/vans/etc. Those I know are some of the worse. My car is a 94, and like I say, my headlights look fine. 

Vortex: wow, funny I did the same thing to my Beretta a couple months ago. The high beams in the low beams spot really works well and no drivers have brigth lighted me. Now my headlights are insane! As far as more current frying your wires, both my high and low beams use the same gauge wire. I thought I made a post about my mod. I know I did in another forum..


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## joecandlepower (Jan 28, 2006)

Meguiars Plastx works pretty well.
You may have to it a couple of times but it worked surprisingly well and quickly on my 93 rangers headlights.


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## ViReN (Jan 28, 2006)

Thanks for the great tip


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## LEDagent (Mar 20, 2006)

I'm sorry for bumping this old topic up, but I'm going to attempt this process on my '99 Jetta and i need a little more info.

To recap the basic steps:
1 use 600 grit wet sandpaper to take off most of the hazing and crud!
2 step up to 800-1000 grit wet
3 step up to 1500 grit wet
4 final sanding with 2000 grit wet sandpaper
5 after using the 2000 gritt you should have a severly but evenly hazed piece of plastic (this is normal)
6 Get a soft rag and some 3m Rubbing Compound and buff out the haze, the rubbing compound works to fill in the very fine etch left by the 2000 grit sanding.

My most important questions are:

How much pressure do you use for each sandpaper? Is it a light and constant motion or do I apply some elbow grease? 
How do I know when to move on to the next sandpaper grit?
What are some important tips so that I don't go crazy with the rubbing?

I was considering buying new headlight housings but I would rather try this process before I do anything drastic. New OEM headlights for my car will cost me about 400 dollars and maybe another 100 or so to get it professionally installed. (there is no way i'm taking off bumpers and grills).

I recently bought Philips XtraVision bulbs which dramatically cut through the headlight haze, and now casts a more white and bright light to the road, but I'm finding more cars high beaming me on two-way lanes. I'm guessing the haze is reflecting the light more upwards. 

I'm hoping that reducing the haze will focus and allow more light to where it needs to be.


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## mdocod (Mar 20, 2006)

I switched from my usual silvania cheapos to the GE nighthalks on my 95 isuzu rodeo- huge difference, amazingly, even 11 yeas old, there is very little hazing on my headlights... but i'll definetally keep this proceedure in mind.!


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