Headlight Polishing

[NukeeZoid]

Hi guys,

Just took delivery of my 05 Type R and loving it so far.

My only qualm with it is that the headlights have discolored and is a dirty shade of yellow. Looks like its on the inside and needs a good polishing.

Just wondering if anyone has done this anywhere before? Any good recommendations? Looking to get this done asap as it really takes the shine off the DC5...

A reliable shop that has experiencing opening up the headlamp assembly in PJ area would be good. Or should I just go to any accessory shop?

Also, are the type R headlights plastic?

Any help would be great!

 

[Vagabond]

Hi guys,

Just took delivery of my 05 Type R and loving it so far.

My only qualm with it is that the headlights have discolored and is a dirty shade of yellow. Looks like its on the inside and needs a good polishing.

Just wondering if anyone has done this anywhere before? Any good recommendations? Looking to get this done asap as it really takes the shine off the DC5...

A reliable shop that has experiencing opening up the headlamp assembly in PJ area would be good. Or should I just go to any accessory shop?

Also, are the type R headlights plastic?

Any help would be great!

i had issues with headlamps before.....

what to do .... it's an old car ma.

but from my Research and Development, also can be called Trial and Error , there are 2 ways to go about it.

1. DIY. buy a good head lamp polishing kit (plastic), and do it yourself. if the sand has scratched too much of your headlamps away, then you might need sandpaper (fine grit) to actually smoothen things out prior to placing the protective layer of glaze.
Can cost you anywhere from RM20 to RM200.

2. Bring to a bigger car wash. They have specialised head lamp polishing service.
Can cost you RM88 to RM300.

either way, once done, go to a good tint/sticker shop , and stick on a protective transparent layer of tint/sticker over it. that way, it provides good protection against sand and other particles, while limiting oxidization from exposure to air and rain.

 

[hasukyo]

if u can find really good place let me know..lol..i having this problem too, polish a few times also useless...but buy new oso expensive. 2.5k for 1 pair...

 

[NukeeZoid]

i had issues with headlamps before.....

what to do .... it's an old car ma.

but from my Research and Development, also can be called Trial and Error , there are 2 ways to go about it.

1. DIY. buy a good head lamp polishing kit (plastic), and do it yourself. if the sand has scratched too much of your headlamps away, then you might need sandpaper (fine grit) to actually smoothen things out prior to placing the protective layer of glaze.
Can cost you anywhere from RM20 to RM200.

2. Bring to a bigger car wash. They have specialised head lamp polishing service.
Can cost you RM88 to RM300.

either way, once done, go to a good tint/sticker shop , and stick on a protective transparent layer of tint/sticker over it. that way, it provides good protection against sand and other particles, while limiting oxidization from exposure to air and rain.

Thanks for the advise. However, not sure if the discoloring is on the inside or outside. There seems to be some moisture building up inside as well, so not sure if there are any shops that can open up the whole headlamp assembly to clean it up.

Will take it to those car-wash places first and check. Either that or get a McGuire's set and throw in elbow grease.

 

[steviedevil]

Bro, If you found any shops who does a good job cleaning our headlights, please post it here and let us know. I've tried before cleaning my headlamp, but only the outside layer, and they dirty/yellowish part is actually the inside part. Don't really know where to find a shop that can be trusted on their workmanship, as the headlamp need to be taken out and the assemble back. if the workmanship is not good, water goes in... then you'll go...

 

[NukeeZoid]

Bro, If you found any shops who does a good job cleaning our headlights, please post it here and let us know. I've tried before cleaning my headlamp, but only the outside layer, and they dirty/yellowish part is actually the inside part. Don't really know where to find a shop that can be trusted on their workmanship, as the headlamp need to be taken out and the assemble back. if the workmanship is not good, water goes in... then you'll go...

exactly what i noticed as well...the discoloring/yellowish hue is from the inside not the outside.

need to find a shop that can open up the headlamp assembly and clean it from the inside.

i'm gonna drop by GC Motorsports later in uptown to see if they can do it....not sure how much they'll charge...but they do sell alot of headlamps...

 

[yeehau86]

where is your location, bro? You can seek for authorized Meguiar's agent to do it for you as they will use the product Meguiar from USA to do the cleaning for you.

 

[NukeeZoid]

where is your location, bro? You can seek for authorized Meguiar's agent to do it for you as they will use the product Meguiar from USA to do the cleaning for you.

I'm in PJ/Damansara area. My concern really isnt the OUTSIDE of the headlamps....Its more so the inside where its turned yellow.

Meguiar's can open up the headlamp and polish the inside?

 

[yeehau86]

you can give them a call, but you need to standby some $$$

Meguiar's Show Car Detail Centre - Jalan Templer, Petaling Jaya
Tel No: 03- 7956 1316/ 1317
107A, Jalan Templer,
46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor D.E.

 

[basikal_pancit]

i did mine in sunway.. if u know JImmy ( the carwash behind GTAuto...)
good job done :)

 

[NukeeZoid]

i did mine in sunway.. if u know JImmy ( the carwash behind GTAuto...)
good job done :)

i actually went to the accessory shop over the weekend to get my alarm installed.

i asked the people there to give my headlamps a good polishing, but before they were about to start they informed me that there is actually a layer of lacquer covering the headlamps. its supposed to be a protective layer to prevent chipping.

they have advised me to bring it to a bodyshop instead because they would do a better job.

anyone have any experience with this?

 

[Vagabond]

i actually went to the accessory shop over the weekend to get my alarm installed.

i asked the people there to give my headlamps a good polishing, but before they were about to start they informed me that there is actually a layer of lacquer covering the headlamps. its supposed to be a protective layer to prevent chipping.

they have advised me to bring it to a bodyshop instead because they would do a better job.

anyone have any experience with this?

ha ha ...... lacquer = clear coat = protective coat

make sure use heat tolerant / quality lacquer ..... otherwise will experience something worse than discolouration ....... PEELING !

 

[NukeeZoid]

ha ha ...... lacquer = clear coat = protective coat

make sure use heat tolerant / quality lacquer ..... otherwise will experience something worse than discolouration ....... PEELING !

Well... I got the car that way... thats the problem.

Need to head out to the bodyshop this Saturday to get it polished off. Do I get them to spray on another clear/protective coat?

 

[NukeeZoid]

i went to the meguiars outlet near 222 this morning to get the headlamps polished. they were too full, so i'm gonna be going back tomorrow....

the quote was RM100 per headlamp...so RM200 in total. the owner Peter said that the oxidization was a normal thing on Jap and Continental import cars.... He said a polish will bring it back to life.

Fingers crossed and will report back tomorrow on the job.

 

[boulala]

waiting for report....

 

[NukeeZoid]

Ok took the car in on Sunday night...and find out that the japanese that owned the car in Japan before this was an idiot.

for my drivers side headlamp, he sprayed a layer of protective lacquer on it. but the problem is...he didnt polish the lamp before spraying it on! so now the yellowness is stuck underneath the layer of lacquer.

the polishing went quite alright...the passengers side lamp is now bright and shiny... while the drivers side lamp is still quite "blurry" because of the lacquer.

i think you can take the car to any other normal place to get it polished and the results will be the same. RM200 is definitely abit too much to pay for the work.... but you get free hot drinks, a sofa, and also a 50 inch plasma to watch discovery Turbo.

im ok with the results....not ecstatic...but at least they arent yellow now. they still omit a yellow tinge when the HIDs are on....but thats probably on the inside.

i'm thinking of buying a new set of lamps now...but they cost a BOMB.

 

[jerry tan]

modern car mostly come with plastics headlight. plastic will become yellowish & blur when exposed to hot weather. i use a tube of Autosol (rm15.90) to polish my headlights every 3 months just to remove the blur . u can't remove yellowish from plastic headlights unless u change it


p/s : get your Autosol now from any hardware shop

 

[lightningfield]

change to new headlights then maintain its clearness by polishing with headlamp wax every 2-3 weeks. thats what I do.

 

[NukeeZoid]

change to new headlights then maintain its clearness by polishing with headlamp wax every 2-3 weeks. thats what I do.

where can we get brand new headlamps? are these OEM or aftermarket?

how much do they cost anyways....

 

[lightningfield]

where can we get brand new headlamps? are these OEM or aftermarket?

how much do they cost anyways....

You can check out at Exceptional Glenmarie, they have stock for brand new OEM headlights for pre and facelift. Its pricey (around 1k+ each if im not wrong), but its worth every penny. Infact, you can get almost any brand new OEM parts from them. Refer to these links from my blog for contact no and some pics.

http://zeblackmamba.blogspot.com/2010/01/jdm-yo.html

http://zeblackmamba.blogspot.com/2010/01/replacement-emblem.html