Cleaning old yellow headlights.

[atx_mx3]

This may be common knowledge but I'll put it out there anyways.

I am not responsible for any damage that occurs while using this tutorial.

So your headlights are yellowing? Don't feel like spending $150+ for new light(s)? Here is what I use and it is a cheaper alternative:
3M WET/DRY Sandpaper:600,1000,1500,2000
Harbor Freight 3' Air polisher
Turtle Wax Polishing compound
Bucket of water

KEEP THE HEADLIGHT AND SANDPAPER WET
It is a good idea to tape off any surfaces you may come in contact and clean the headlight with soapy water before you get started.

Start with the 600 grit, you will notice the residue has a yellowish tint to it. I usually spend about 10-15 mins with the 600grit, or until the residue becomes more white.

Step up to the 1000 grit, 10 more mins with that.

Step up to the 1500 grit, 5-7 mins with that.

Then finally 2000 grit, 5-6 mins with this or until the light is uniformly hazy.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/833/mx3006.jpg/

Now get out your polisher and compound of choice and get to polishing! I start slow and get a feel for the pad and compounds and then increase my speed a little. DO NOT STAY IN ONE SPOT TOO LONG, IT MAY BURN THE HEADLIGHT!!!

Once you are done it should look like this:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/600/mx3009.jpg/

I have not done the driver side, so you can have an idea what they looked like before. Because you own a MX-3 with hazy headlights...I'm sure you know what they look like.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/694/mx3008.jpg/

Hope this helps a few guy/gals out.

*Note: You DO NOT have to take your valve cover off to clean the headlights!

[mitmaks]

Good write-up. I would recommend using Meguiar's PlastX, it's specifically formulated to use on plastic.

[atx_mx3]

Thanks Mitmaks!
Meguiar's PlastX is awesome stuff, I just happened to have this at the shop...and a little spare time

[Daninski]

Choice is Meguiar's plastic cleaner and 2000 grit sand paper or just say forget it and wear a brown tie to match your yellow head lights.

[mobius]

I actually had a problem with the clear coat on my projectors chipping/failing

did basically the same thing with them except i resprayed them with a generic automotive clear coat after and now they look brand new again...Took forever, but it returned the light output to the way they were brand new

PlastX is fantastic works very, very well on the stock headlights, I'd highly recommended trying it before sanding: might save you a bit of time that way if they aren't absolutely terrible yet

on a side note anyone looking to upgrade the HID setup in the Spyder projectors, the TSX-R projector lens (2.5") can fit right in without modification but to get it to fit perfectly you need to do about 5 minutes worth of work to make the chrome shrouds larger because the TSX-R lenses are slightly beefier than the Spyder lens. The light output isn't all that much better, subjectively I'd say it extends farther down the road but I did not measure or compare. The change was simply because I found the cutoff of the TSXR lenses much more attractive

anyway back on topic

[Nd4SpdSe]

Mine was a simple 2-step 1)Metal Polish, 2) Plastic Polish

[Silkwyrm]

Ok so heres the thing, the plastic lenses originally had a UV protective coat on them. Once that wears away the plastic starts to yellow. Sanding and polishing will remove this but it will again fog up and yellow a lot faster this time because there's nothing protecting the plastic. What I have done is start at 400 grit, then 600 then 1000 and stop there. Now take it to a autobody shop and have them spray a clear coat on it. Your head light will look like new and it will stay that way for a long time since the clearcoat has a UV protectant in it. The sanding is necessary to remove the yellowed plastic and to give the clear coat a surface to adhere to. The place I took mine to charged me $30 to spray the lenses.

[Josh]

^^ that is one way to to do it. I would still cut and polish them before the clear. The clear on my Egay headlights on the GS are already pitting and pealing.

another product that is better than Meguiars is Novus. have used it on multiple acrylic fish tanks and is absolutely top of the line.

[Silkwyrm]

I dont know why you would polish it before spraying clear. The scratches left by 1000 grit get completely filled by the clear coat leaving a smooth as glass surface when the clear dries. When doing autobody work you never spray paint over a polished surface it needs a good scuff so the paint will adhere. If you polish then paint the clear will peel off in a very short time. I think I have some pics I never got around to posting, I'll see if I can dig them up. My headlights have looked good as new for about 4 years now, first in the hot Las Vegas sun and now in the thin atmosphere of Denver. Both are hell on paint.

[Josh]

because I like to make sure that it is perfect. I never sand plastic before I paint it unless it is wet sand between coats of paint and clear to work out imperfections. I usually clean the hell out of them with soap and water let dry, wipe down with chemical grease remover and spray. I am very cautious about putting scratches in a clear lens. I would like to see pictures. Even the bodyshop I had tint my RX8 tails did the same thing as I do myself.

[Silkwyrm]

Ok couldnt find the actual before and afters but this will give you an idea. This is a pic was taken today of my headlights, the clear on them is about 4 years old. And I have a spare set of lights that are pretty yellow so I stuck one in there for comparison.

[Daninski]

Looks good or as they say, "proof is in the puddin".

[Josh]

yeah they look great! nice work. clear headlights are happy headlights