How to restore very slightly oxidized headlights to factory clarity?

[westlake10]

Hey all,

I just bought a used V8 Vantage and I only noticed the headlight oxidation as it sat next to a newer vantage. To the casual observer, they look great but I'd love to give them a little more pop. What I don't wanna do is sand them down and do a complete headlight restore because I think it may do more harm than good. Any suggestions on techniques/products that will help give my headlights some additional clarity? Thanks in advance.

[Mike Phillips]

Simple.

Use any quality compound, polish or cleaner/wax with a foam polishing/cutting pad on any orbital or even a rotary buffer.

Light oxidation on plastic is easy to remove.


What do you have for tools, pads and products?

[Mike Phillips]

And since this is your first post to the forum,


Welcome to AutogeekOnline!

[westlake10]

Simple.

Use any quality compound, polish or cleaner/wax with a foam polishing/cutting pad on any orbital or even a rotary buffer.

Light oxidation on plastic is easy to remove.


What do you have for tools, pads and products?

Hey thanks for the reply, I'm going to give that a shot. I've got all the usual stuff, DA polisher, various compounds, polishes, pads, etc. I'm going to start with a polishing pad and polish and see if that does the trick. If not, I'll get a little more aggressive until the oxidation is removed. Cheers.

[Desertnate]

Another option which has worked really well for me is the Wolfgang Headlight kit sold here at AG.

I like the two-step process and the small pads and cordless drill compatible backing plate. I find it much easier to use the smaller pads when trying to properly polish out the headlights.

The products in the kit may be re-labeled versions of regular Wolfgang polishes and sealant, but they actually work quite well regardless.

[Bruno Soares]

The only downside is the more you clean it up now with compound/polish, the less it will have of whatever UV coating was put there at the factory. So unless you protect the lenses with PPF or a clear coat spray, chances are they will turn yellow in much less time than it took them to get oxidized since new.

[Desertnate]

The only downside is the more you clean it up now with compound/polish, the less it will have of whatever UV coating was put there at the factory. So unless you protect the lenses with PPF or a clear coat spray, chances are they will turn yellow in much less time than it took them to get oxidized since new.

Good point!

I didn't start polishing the headlights on any of my vehicles until they started turning cloudy. By then, there was little/no UV protection left and there was nothing lost by hitting them with the polisher. I've tried both the Meguiars spray headlight sealant and the Wolfgang sealant and both last roughly six months, so at least you don't have to do them too often. One you go down that road there is no turning back.

[UncleDavy]

I use the McKees headlight restoration kit and it comes with a spray coating. The polish and wool pads are provided with the kit