Cleaning Stained Headlights with Autosol

[turbolover]

Great day guys,
This morning I woke up and was thinking about doing away the stains on the headlights with little or no cost and was thinking about the those sale person at Tesco offering product that can clean it. Always refused those pestering salesman as the stains on the headlight was only minimal and only on one side. Furthermore after you have done polishing the headlights the stains won't come back instantly and the product that we bought might be expired then. So I set out to DIY my own stained headlight. Some other DIY suggest sand paper but I guess choosing the right coarseness are one of the difficulty. My car is a Honda Accord 2004 with a Plastic cover headlights. Well, from knocking my finger nail over the lights it feels plastic. The reason I did not produce any picture is because my attempt to document my DIY failed miserably. Pictures was not not consistent and most importantly lighting was not good(not bright enough).
What you need is a tube of Autosol(yes,metal polish) and an old cloth(could be old shirts that you want to throw away). Clean the headlights from any dirt and grime first before starting this DIY. For glass cover headlights I'm not too sure it will work but I guess it's the same and glass is more durable than plastic(don't scratch easily). I recommend you try on a small portion of the headlights first if there are scratches from using Autosol. Much like a wax, apply a small amount and rub over the stained part. Rub lightly and gradually increase strength until the paste disappear. Use the clean side of the cloth for the finishing. You will now have stainless headlights. For those with good camera skills and camera do document it. You can post it up here for reference. Happy DIYing.

 

[bushidofang]

Will try it out when i get home. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Izso]

Nice! But I recommend a slightly less abrasive alternative - Toothpaste.

 

[swift2510]

I find Autosol too coarse. For badly stained or aged covers, you'll noticed a big improvement from afar. Furthermore Autosol don't leave a protectant. What I've done is use a #2000 grit sandpaper to sand it lightly. Never apply brute force. In fact I purposely use "used" #2000 grit paper because the grit on a used one produces finer scratches compared to a new one. Spray the headlamp cover and sandpaper with soapy water liberally and polish lightly in linear reciprocating motions. After the aged layer is stripped away, wipe the cover dry. To speed up drying process I recommend switching on the headlights for a few minutes. This will also prep the plastic for the next process/step. I use Mequiar's PlastX for the final polish and protect step. Use a soft microfiber cloth to polish the fine scratches left behind by the sandpaper. Each time you polish, the cover becomes clearer and brilliant. Finally, apply PlastX liberally over the entire surface but this time don't rub it till it dries. Leave it on for a few minutes then buff off. This will leave a layer of protectant of the PlastX on it. Good luck.

 

[turbolover]

Toothpaste? It works? Never knew about it that's why I tried Autosol. Yes, I agree Autosol might be too abrasive that's why I started on a small patch before I went full on.

 

[bushidofang]

I tried toothpaste before.. Doesn't work for mine. :l Will try with either a 2000-grit sandpaper or even 1000-grit

 

[DanzEterna]

i always use autosol, but must do it every 2 mths....cos there is no protective layer...

 

[turbolover]

Danz, must do it every 2 months? Well luckily not expensive. Maybe can use autosol and after that for coating like what swift said use Meguirs PlasX.

 

[max327]

did similar thing like swift2510 had said
a very bad condition headlamp. always park out side from new. the plastic are badly oxidize.
this won't happen to cars with glass headlamps (waja, wira, old saga before lmst...)
glass headlamp will get stone chip. some will haze up, but from inside cause a layer of dirt form on the reflector.

worst oxidization are seen on kia sephia (the one with 4 round lamps)

clean the headlamp then wet sand with soap and 2000 grit. but i use cheap head lamp polish bought from supermarket.

 

[turbolover]

Cataract removed! Nice!

 

[Izso]

Colgate no use.. Darlie better! LOL..

It's not as abrasive so need a lot of patience to get it out. Worked for me but not as clean as sandpapering la.

 

[Lean]

Great job done by you guys. Like what Bro Max327 did on his Toyota Corolla Seg h/Lamp with pictures provided too.

Will try out and update it ere soon.

 

[max327]

Great job done by you guys. Like what Bro Max327 did on his Toyota Corolla Seg h/Lamp with pictures provided too.

Will try out and update it ere soon.

remember to protect the surrounding panel with masking tape.
first try it on a small corner with the worse oxidation.

go easy on the sand paper. rinse with water and check from time to time.
if headlamp really badly oxidize till cannot see through and surface roughen like sand paper, you may start with 600 grit. you may skip sand paper altogether if not that serious.

after the polish, it will turn yellowish again gradually. just polish every 2 months or so, no need sand paper.

for the seg, some micro crack in the plastic are reveal after the polish. permanent damage, but not cause by the polishing process. nonetheless, certainly looks better after the polish.

 

[D7zul]

i don't know about other models..

but for Levin AE101 headlights.. there's a thin layer of film on it.. my old headlights, maybe bcoz of old age, the film peel off by itself.. looks ugly..

so, i replace it with a half cut 1.. still searching for a glass headlamps though

sand paper on that film.. i dont think so

but i will try the Darlie toothpaste on it

 

[turbolover]

Colgate no use.. Darlie better! LOL..

It's not as abrasive so need a lot of patience to get it out. Worked for me but not as clean as sandpapering la.

No wonder my teeth so sparkling. I use Darlie by the way.

---------- Post added at 03:25 PM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 03:23 PM ----------

i don't know about other models..

but for Levin AE101 headlights.. there's a thin layer of film on it.. my old headlights, maybe bcoz of old age, the film peel off by itself.. looks ugly..

so, i replace it with a half cut 1.. still searching for a glass headlamps though

sand paper on that film.. i dont think so

but i will try the Darlie toothpaste on it

The Accord I'm driving is also peeling.I think it needs SPF50 sun protection.

 

[swift2510]

Colgate has one type with whitening formula that polishes your teeth. Maybe it can work. But I guess you'll need a lot of it. Toothpaste has been known to work on chrome.