I purchased my '12 Fit with these strange wiggly scratches along the sides of both headlights, they are not the typical "fogged lens" that i've read about, they are definitley micro scratches. Ive tried the baking soda and water solution but it did not make any difference. Outside of replacing the headlight , is there anything i can do ?

thanks
zero2hero

 

Try a headlight restoration kit. It essentially polishes the plastic lense .

 

I've heard of this polish but will it remove micro scratches? As I mentioned, these marks are not simple discoloration/staining of lens but rather very light scratches.
Also is there a preferred brand for this polish ?
thanks

 

 

Your going to need to wet sand the head lights. I had to do that with our gd3. Started with 1000 grit, next was 1500 grit then 2000 grit. Dried it off and used a polishing compound with a buffer. Looked as good as new .

 

Personally, my lights always fog up every year. I use Meguiar's ultimate compound because it has more cut than plasticX which I use much less. Wet sanding is also a great thing but I would hesitate to recommend it to someone that doesn't have experience with it because it's definitely and art that requires some practice. My recommendation:

The philosophy for restauring bodywork should not be the sledge hammer to kill a fly approach. Try a less agressive solution first, then step up.

First: I use Meg's ultimate compound with a small cutting pad and a Porter Cable oribital polisher. In about 5 minutes per headlight, in one or two applications, I go from hazy to crystal clear. I don't bother taping the bodywork because if I go over, I'll just polish some of the paint with a product that is made for painted surfaces anyway. This lasts a good 6 months. I strongly recommend the porter cable because you can use it to clean and polish the car very effectively. If you don't want to invest in the porter cable, you can buy a simple kit with compound and a pad that goes into a drill for about 15$. Be careful with the drill though, don't stay in one spot too long or you can create a burn mark.

second: if that doesn't work, you can wet sand and then use the kit or another polishing device.

Third: I would advise against painting the headlights. If you do, I recommend a 2k clearcoat which costs about 15$ a can and once you mix the hardener, the whole can will harden in 24 hours, so you'd end up using probably less than 1/4 a can for this project. Any over the shelf clear will probably yellow and fail eventually and because it is painted on plastic, you cannot use stripper and it will be tough to get the clear coat off. It's a lengthy process too to do it right. If you paint outdoors and you get dust or pollen in the clear, it will be locked in there forever with no real solution. Over spray can look real bad too if that happens.

Personnally, I spend 10 minutes every spring doing my headlights and they're good for about one year until next spring. If you leave you car parked in the Arizona heat in direct sunlight every day, YMMV.

 

mtlian have you tried applying a UV blocking final coat? My understanding is that it is UV light that discolors the headlights - the headlight only discolors after the factory coat as worn away, and then should you polish it you can extend how long it lasts. Worth a shot unless you have considered and discarded the idea already.

 

Its a strange type of scratching as it is both at exactly the same area of the headlight..and as you can see, the rest of the lens is perfect, just the one edge area of the lenses..weird.

fujisawa - I saw the videos you suggested a while ago, again I think its a different scenario because I don't have the "clouding" issue- in other words just clouding without micro scratches is a different situation..i could be wrong ofcourse.

thanks guys

 

I just polished up the headlights on my 2004 4Runner, using a 3M kit. It looked pretty bad before hand haha

I didn't bother with the UV protectant as I'll just do it yearly, and planning on getting rid of it in about 2 years.

 

2Rismo2 - Good work..wish I had the same cloudy sun-damaged lens problem..i have yet to hear from anyone who has had similar wiggly scratches as mine, but if all else fails, I may have to invest in something like the 3M Kit, just to say ive tried it..

 

The same process should smooth out those scratches. It goes from 500, 800, 3000 and then a polish. Worked good enough for my 14 year old vehicle

 

I have the same damage on my headlights. I use a 3m rubbing compound and then some klasse polish and it keeps them looking better. I apply the klasse around 4 times a year just to be on the safe side.

 

yah i’d hit it with 1500 grit wet sand up to 3000 and use ScratchX the rest of the way.

then apply headlight protection film on it to protect it from future scratches and clouding

 

I used 2000 grade sand paper (finest water grade) with toothpaste,yes toothpast and it came of clean and clear. You can then polish it after and you are good as new.