When PlastX Is Not Enough

[Erik Mejia]

I recently detailed a car whose headlights were really awful. they had this tough film which the PlastX could not remove on it's own, so I went for the 2000 grade Sand Paper, followed by a rub down with 2500 grade and this did the job quite nicely. It removed the film completely. After this I was left with slightly foggy/ hazy(no doubt from the sanding) headlights, which I then applied PlastX to and sure enough it cleared them up to a sparkling new condition.

Please note that if you try this you should continually apply water to the area you are sanding(wet-sanding). Can't say enough about the product. the owner was very happy... and too think he was considering purchasing new lights. Should take about 10-15min per lamp depending.

[sneek]

glad to hear plastX worked for you

any chance of pics?

[HammerDown]

Hmmmm, so you wet sanded your plastic headlights. May I ask how old they were?
Plastic-X wouldn't touch my older headlight covers on my F250...maybe I'll try the wet sanding deal.

[Erik Mejia]

They were 8 years old and really neglected. You should try it, just make sure to tape of around the lights... wouldn't want to scrape some body paint. They turned out great. good luck. just make sure to keep the area really wet.

[amg/md]

Re: When PlastX Is Not Enough

Originally posted by Mejia
I recently detailed a car whose headlights were really awful. they had this tough film which the PlastX could not remove on it's own, so I went for the 2000 grade Sand Paper, followed by a rub down with 2500 grade and this did the job quite nicely. It removed the film completely. After this I was left with slightly foggy/ hazy(no doubt from the sanding) headlights, which I then applied PlastX to and sure enough it cleared them up to a sparkling new condition.

Please note that if you try this you should continually apply water to the area you are sanding(wet-sanding). Can't say enough about the product. the owner was very happy... and too think he was considering purchasing new lights. Should take about 10-15min per lamp depending.

Did it matter if you sanded back and forth or in a circular motion?

[iceburgh]

I have used PlastX with a rotary and a red pad and they have always turned out great. Have not had any so tough that I needed sand paper but I will keep that in mind

[timistim]

I made the neglected lights on my mustang look really good by first sanding with 250 for about 10 - 15 minutes, then moved to 400 - then 800 - then 1000. after that I used some fine steel wool and followed up with some plasticx they look new now. it did take a good 45 minutes to an hour though, they were really bad looked like they were frosted.

[Tim Lingor]

Though I have posted this on numerous occassions, with the resurrgence of this thread, it is prudent to do so again.

Sanding headlights can be risky. Some headlights have a special coating on the outside. When you sand, you will remove this coating. Whether or not the coating is UV protection to prevent yellowing, I do not know. Therefore, if you plan on wet sanding the lights, I would be aware of this risk and weigh the pros and cons appropriately. If your lights are in bad shape and you were thinking about replacing them anyway, then wet sanding may be a good option, and may save the lights.

As for using the cutting pad with the rotary and PlastX, please keep in mind that PlastX was not intended to be used with the rotary. As such, it will dry up quickly and will not provide lubrication to the buffing pad. Yes, I have actually dinged/burned some plastic using that exact combo. So please use caution.

Tim

[Dipstick]

I once used Autosol (metal polish) and hand power on the headlamp lens of my previous car. It worked and the lens were almost as clear as new.

[HammerDown]

Well I finally tried "wet sanding" the very old plactic headlight covers on my Truck.
With a little time, and some 600-1000- 1500, then micro fine paper, they came out GREAT!
The original 18 year old lens almost matched the 6 year old one...and I sanded that one also.