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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / General Car Topics / July 2005cloudy headlight lenses
(Originally posted in Mercury forum.) We have a '91 Sable which has cloudy headlight lenses, particularly on the right side. These units are not completely sealed, as the bulb fits into an opening in the back. Does anyone know how to remedy this problem short of replacement of the unit(s)? (Too expensive!) Are there any products or procedures which work? It's hard to drive this vehicle at night with the lenses in this condition - would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!! Just a guess, but dirt may have gotten in there. I'd remove the bulb and its socket from the back and blast the garden hose into the lens. Then take an air hose to dry it out before inserting the bulb again. >(Originally posted in Mercury forum.) We have a '91 Sable which has cloudy >headlight lenses, particularly on the [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >lenses in this condition - >would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!! get some polishing compound and clean the outside of the lenses. I heard toothpaste will work also, but never tried it. > Just a guess, but dirt may have gotten in there. I'd remove the bulb > and its socket from the back and blast the garden hose into the lens. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >lenses in this condition - > >would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!! >get some polishing compound and clean the outside of the lenses. I heard >toothpaste will work also, but never tried it. Toothpaste does contain an abrasive, which is why some now believe it's actually bad for the teeth and wears away the enamel. I guess that bit of info is off topic for this NG but it does contain an abrasive and works to clean many things. Works good on a dirty sink. I tried it. However, its cheaper to buy some ajax or comet >> Just a guess, but dirt may have gotten in there. I'd remove the bulb >> and its socket from the back and blast the garden hose into the lens. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >> >lenses in this condition - >> >would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!! >>get some polishing compound and clean the outside of the lenses. I heard >>toothpaste will work also, but never tried it. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >abrasive and works to clean many things. Works good on a dirty sink. >I tried it. However, its cheaper to buy some ajax or come Little off topic? ;) the abrasive is suppose to be harder than plaque, but softer than enamal. That's why I heard it's in the toothpaste. Now don't quote me on it, I'm not an expert. But..... I heard also, it's good for buffing out small scratches in plastic too. tom @ www.WorkAtHomePlans.com t >>> Just a guess, but dirt may have gotten in there. I'd remove the bulb >>> and its socket from the back and blast the garden hose into the lens. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >>> >lenses in this condition - >>> >would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!! interesting theory, my girlfriend is obssesive about cleaning her teeth, consequently she suffers more toothache than anyone. > >>get some polishing compound and clean the outside of the lenses. I heard > >>toothpaste will work also, but never tried it. [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > >>> >lenses in this condition - > >>> >would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!! >interesting theory, my girlfriend is obssesive about cleaning her teeth, >consequently she suffers more toothache than anyone. Same for my wife, now her teeth are quite sensitive. Dentist agrees, excessive/hard brushing is a problem. Back to cars... Thre are plastic polishes that give much better results. >>interesting theory, my girlfriend is obssesive about cleaning her teeth, >>consequently she suffers more toothache than anyone. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >Back to cars... Thre are plastic polishes that give much better >results. WHAT! Trying to re-rehijack this thread back on topic! :D Yes, plastic polish sounds the best, but I noticed sometimes when people ask for help, they want an answer they don't have to run out and get, (I'm like that, that's how I found out about toothpaste). So toothpaste seems to be the immediate answer, and if it didn't clear up the problem, it didn't make it worse. From my experiences. hth, tom @ www.CarFleaMarket.com >interesting theory, my girlfriend is obssesive about cleaning her teeth, >consequently she suffers more toothache than anyone. Maybe it's the tooth aches that make here obsessive. Just shifting the horse and carage around. ;) later, tom @ www.MedJobSite.com >> >>get some polishing compound and clean the outside of the lenses. I heard >> >>toothpaste will work also, but never tried it. [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] >> >>> >lenses in this condition - >> >>> >would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!! You can clear the lens using a plastic cleaner, like the type they used for motorcycle windshields. After you get them cleared up you can keep them clear by using a polymer polish like NuFinish two or three times a year. mike hunt > (Originally posted in Mercury forum.) We have a '91 Sable which has cloudy > headlight lenses, particularly on the [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > lenses in this condition - > would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!! To all whom responded, my thanks! I ended up purchasing Meguiar's "Plastx" clear plastic cleaner/polisher, spent about an hour on the lenses and they are infinitely better. They don't look like new, but the improvement is tremendous. Like Bob whom responded, some of the damage is on the inside and I cannot get to it, but not to the point they need to be replaced. Thanks again for the advice, folks. Docdog >(Originally posted in Mercury forum.) We have a '91 Sable which has cloudy >headlight lenses, particularly on the [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >lenses in this condition - >would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!! ==================== My wife owns a Dodge Grand Caravan with the exact same problem... cleaning the outside helped a heck of a lot ...but the inside is also cloudy and I can not fine any method to soklve that problem... For the outside...I used 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper (wet) sanded the lenses...then used Novus Plastic polish (number 3) followed by Novus plastic polish (number 2)... cleaned them up completely.... I restore old cars as a hobby and the Nexus stuff with fine sandpaper has always worked for cleaning up and putting a shine on dull plastic like tail light lenses etc.. The polish they use for Motorcycle windshields should also work... I used the Novus because I had it handy....and I knew it worked... Unfortunately I may have to fork out a couple of hundred bucks to replace the lenses in the van... unless I can figure out a way to polish the inside.. Lots of luck... Bob Griffiths |
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