Oxidized headlights.....what product to use??

Detaling and car washing techniques

Oxidized headlights.....what product to use??

Postby driscoll_86 » Wed Apr 16, 2014 11:46 pm

Hi fellow members,

I've been doing some searching both on this forum and on the world wide web and learnt that my cloudy looking headlights are a result of oxidation. One of the pieces of info I read suggested you shouldn't use abrasive paper or compounds as it destroys the uv coating on top of the polycarbonate lens. So I was looking into what is available and found this product from USA

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/PITTMAN-ORIG ... 9e5&_uhb=1

Has anyone here used this or something identical before? My headlight lens aren't on the extreme side of cloudly just beginning to become noticeable.

Any input or suggestions is appreciated.
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Re: Oxidized headlights.....what product to use??

Postby Shakibsaifi » Thu Apr 17, 2014 8:20 am

with my experience, yes im not a professional but i got the job done, try polishing the headlights with wax, if all comes to worse get some light sandpaper that isnt too rough (maybe 220 grit) sand until the headlights are foggy, wash all the excess waste off, let it dry and respray the headlights with a few clear coats. correct me if im wrong, im just saying what i done to my car and it worked perfect
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Re: Oxidized headlights.....what product to use??

Postby driscoll_86 » Thu Apr 17, 2014 12:18 pm

Shakibsaifi wrote:with my experience, yes im not a professional but i got the job done, try polishing the headlights with wax, if all comes to worse get some light sandpaper that isnt too rough (maybe 220 grit) sand until the headlights are foggy, wash all the excess waste off, let it dry and respray the headlights with a few clear coats. correct me if im wrong, im just saying what i done to my car and it worked perfect



Thanks for your input mate. But that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid. I don't want to use anything abrasive. Seen a few guys gwt it wrong and end up having to replace the lights all together.
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Re: Oxidized headlights.....what product to use??

Postby bigBADbenny » Thu Apr 17, 2014 2:45 pm

How bad is it? Pics?

You can start with toothpaste, jif and elbow grease.

Compound works too. Mine were horrible so I wet n dried till smooth and cloudy and then polished with the Megs plastx, with compound using a felt pad on a drill.
All good now so they just get the RO once a month.

Drive your car to mine and I'll unleash the Rotex on it. Perfection!
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Re: Oxidized headlights.....what product to use??

Postby dr20t » Thu Apr 17, 2014 11:34 pm

I used 800 wet and dry and then 1200 wet n dry then polished with plastx and they came up a treat

Bigbadbenny's way using a rotex would be ultimate though
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Re: Oxidized headlights.....what product to use??

Postby driscoll_86 » Fri Apr 18, 2014 12:57 am

bigBADbenny wrote:How bad is it? Pics?

You can start with toothpaste, jif and elbow grease.

Compound works too. Mine were horrible so I wet n dried till smooth and cloudy and then polished with the Megs plastx, with compound using a felt pad on a drill.
All good now so they just get the RO once a month.

Drive your car to mine and I'll unleash the Rotex on it. Perfection!



Cheers for the offer Benny. If only I didn't live 10hrs away in Sydney. I probably should advertise that in my profile info. I'll upload some pics in the morning. It's not too bad at the moment. Not yellow at all yet. I'll probably try this pittman stuff out anyway and if it fails I'll try a cutting compound.
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Re: Oxidized headlights.....what product to use??

Postby driscoll_86 » Fri Apr 18, 2014 1:09 am

dr20t wrote:I used 800 wet and dry and then 1200 wet n dry then polished with plastx and they came up a treat

Bigbadbenny's way using a rotex would be ultimate though



It may be I end up resorting to that. But this clip impressed me;


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOkDb6-XhuY
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Re: Oxidized headlights.....what product to use??

Postby chris12 » Fri Apr 18, 2014 8:54 am

I just used Plastx with a sealant over the top. Mine wasn't too bad, so I didn't feel like I needed to sand.

I haven't tried, but toothpaste usually works well on plastic surfaces. I used it around my gear shifter and it did the job. If you do go toothpaste just put a UV sealant over the too and you should be right.
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Re: Oxidized headlights.....what product to use??

Postby driscoll_86 » Fri Apr 18, 2014 9:20 am

chris12 wrote:I just used Plastx with a sealant over the top. Mine wasn't too bad, so I didn't feel like I needed to sand.

I haven't tried, but toothpaste usually works well on plastic surfaces. I used it around my gear shifter and it did the job. If you do go toothpaste just put a UV sealant over the too and you should be right.



Cheers Chris. What type of UV sealant did you use?
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Re: Oxidized headlights.....what product to use??

Postby driscoll_86 » Fri Apr 18, 2014 9:25 am

Took this photo this morning. Thought the lib was looking extra good in the sun today. And before anyone has to say it I know it 'needs more low'. Coilovers are on my wishlist :D ....a couple from the top though :?

Image

This is the headlights:

Image


Image
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Re: Oxidized headlights.....what product to use??

Postby chris12 » Fri Apr 18, 2014 10:41 am

Peter, mine was similar to yours. Maybe not so bad, but close enough.

I got Plastx in a kit by Meguires. They seem to be upselling Plastx with a microfibre, sanding strips and the UV protectant - it was about $30 which ain't cheap.

Here's a picture of exactly what I got in the kit:

http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/G ... -0.jpg%22/
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Re: Oxidized headlights.....what product to use??

Postby driscoll_86 » Fri Apr 18, 2014 11:42 am

chris12 wrote:Peter, mine was similar to yours. Maybe not so bad, but close enough.

I got Plastx in a kit by Meguires. They seem to be upselling Plastx with a microfibre, sanding strips and the UV protectant - it was about $30 which ain't cheap.

Here's a picture of exactly what I got in the kit:

http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/G ... -0.jpg%22/



Thanks Chris. $30 is bearable if it gives great result. That pittman deoxidizer is $60 imported from the States.
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Re: Oxidized headlights.....what product to use??

Postby Stevo3RB » Mon Feb 02, 2015 7:01 pm

Surprisingly I found Autoglym Super Resin Polish to do the trick too...
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Re: Oxidized headlights.....what product to use??

Postby sheppo9 » Tue Feb 03, 2015 12:29 pm

Shakibsaifi wrote:sandpaper that isnt too rough (maybe 220 grit) sand


I wouldn't put 220 grit sandpaper anywhere near a car - you might aswell use a brick.
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Re: Oxidized headlights.....what product to use??

Postby SegR » Wed Feb 04, 2015 7:35 am

Google Pittman a bit more and you'll find a few people suggesting they are selling snake oil/brake fluid. Not surprising as the website looks like it was written by a goofball conspiracy theorist. I haven't used the product though so my words don't mean crap.
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