Headlights restoration question

[kennymhs]

Hi there everyone,

The right headlight on my car is pretty much brand new with only 2000 miles on it. It has got no scratches, swirls, pits or anything on it except a few spots (grain size) of crystallized bug residues. I have tried several bugs removing spray, WD40, magic eraser, dryer sheets etc, the bug residues stayed on no matter how hard I tried. Any help?

I tried searching the forum for information but couldn't get anything useful. Should I try wet sanding? It is a fairly new headlight after all and wet sanding should be the last resort...

Let's say I have to wet sand it, which grit would do the least damage to the lens while being able to remove the bugs residues? And with ultimate compound, M205, a DA(PC) and a 4" polishing pad, any hope removing the sanding marks? Or should I go directly with the UC and 4" polishing pad to "buff" off the bug residues?

Please guys, any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you all.

[Neothin]

spray it with some APC and let it mingle. Then take a clay bar to it

[CM8 6MT]

spray it with some APC and let it mingle. Then take a clay bar to it

Agree

[kennymhs]

Just tried clay bar, removed a spot or two, but there were still a few left no matter how hard I tried. To make matters worse, the couple spots that were removed by the clay bar actually scratches the lens surface... I think the scratches happened when the spots came loose and were rubbing between the clay and the lens before I had a chance to fold the clay, guess folding the clay every few strokes didn't help...

Any help? after I have removed all the spots, if that ever happened, can I use the ultimate compound to remove those scratches?

[509IS350]

Wow. A brand new car with bug residue should be handle with better stuff than what your using (WD40, magic eraser, dryer sheets etc,).
I've used Mothers PowerBall 4 Lights with great success. Comes with 4 different grits of sandpapers if necessary. Definitely seal it with a sealant or wax. Mothers Powerball 4 HeadLights, headlight polishing kit, Mothers headlight polishing ball, restore headlights (http://www.autogeek.net/mothers-powerball-4-headlights.html)
If not try one of these...
Headlight Lens Care: Polish out scratches & haze to restore clear plastic headlight lens covers. Wolfgang, Meguiars, Plexus, lens cleaning system, (http://www.autogeek.net/headlight-lens.html)

Also since your car is new, I would protect your whole vehicle.
1. Hand wash the car 2 bucket system with your favorite car soap or Dawn to strip your wax.
2. IronX it. Recommended but not necessary
3. Clay bar it. Definitely, it should get those bugs out.
4. Use a light polish with a white polishing pad or gray finishing pad. Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion is perfect if your car has no defects or the Advance finishing polish if you have some swirls.
5. Protect it with your favorite Last Step Product(LSP). Weather a sealant or wax. Personally I would use Klasse High Gloss Sealant (2-3 coats for durability, also can be used on headlights and glass) and top it off with some wax such Pinnacle Signature Series II(Not too expensive).
There are a million ways/product to do it buts thats mine opinion. Good luck. Pics would help.