Pitted headlight lenses

[Ozzie]

MY 2005 XC70 headlight lenses are pitted from all the highway debris.

Can a glass polish be used buff out these pits out and clear up the headlight lenses?

I also want to use the same polish to eliminate a long scratch on the wind shield that was caused by the end of the wiper blade. [cussing]

TIA
Oz

[Aviator]

Believe it or not, toothpaste is the weapon of choice in these cases; preferably the whitening type with some grit. Also, try Ceramabryte.....the stuff for cleaning flat-top ceramic stove tops. There is also a product in an aerosol can (can't remember the name) that you can buy that's good for the lenses, but I believe in trying simple remedies first.

Dave.

[JRL]

Mothers makes a glass polish kit that's do be used with a cordless power drill.
I have no personal experience with it, but it may be worth checking out

[weeble]

Check out this line of products. (http://www.autogeek.net/diglclsy.html) No first hand experience, but I know this line is well-regarded.

Pits are hard to correct, if it's possible at all. There's a very active detailing forum over at that link - pretty good source of info for things like this.

Also, I'm pretty sure your headlight covers are plastic and your windshield is glass. As you research techniques and products, keep that in mind.

[goldxc70]

MY 2005 XC70 headlight lenses are pitted from all the highway debris.

Can a glass polish be used buff out these pits out and clear up the headlight lenses?

I also want to use the same polish to eliminate a long scratch on the wind shield that was caused by the end of the wiper blade. [cussing]

TIA
Oz

I think a glass polish will be too aggressive for the plastic headlight lens. There are a number of commercial products out there but like any finishing project, take it slowly and patiently.

[duettitude]

I haven't tried it yet myself, but several guys on the Audi sites have reported good results with the 3M brand headlight lens polishing kit. Be sure to protect the surrounding sheet metal with a couple of layers of masking tape. Also, be prepared for the fact that the first step will leave the lenses nearly opaque so you need to have faith that the subsequent steps will make them clear again.

[gibbons]

To remove a scratch from the windshield, you have to remove the adjacent material to the depth of the scratch. Doing so makes the area a lens, and the distortion may be visible.

My 04's HID headlight lenses are glass. When my wife got KO'ed by the drunk last year, they both got broken. If there was any good from that, it's that we got new lights cuz the lenses were pitted something fierce from the sand and gravel they use in the wintertime around here. Anyway, the first thing I did when I got the car back was put 3M Clear-Bra film on them to prevent the pits. I thought it would slightly pit and that the little wipers would scratch it but the film is still perfect and clear. You have to look close to see that it's even there, I have perfect looking lights.

So, if you ever get hit head on by a drunk, be sure to protect the headlights next time :D

[wgriswold]

Gibbons is right. I have had the film on my headlights for five years and they look perfect and brand new.

[BillAileo]

I have the film on my 03 and it's great. Don't have it on my 05 S80 and lost a lens when a rock was kicked up by a vehicle in front of us. Had I had the plastic I'm inclined to think it would have prevented the rock hole.

[ifnt420]

After going through 2 headlights (2nd time with Lamin-X film)I decided to go with these acrylic stone guards from Volvo Australia. [thumbup]
Slightly more expensive than the 3M or Lamin-X headlight film.

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o12/ifnt420/DSC03163Large.jpg

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o12/ifnt420/DSC03259Large.jpg

[modoimage]

I like the look of the headlamp cover. But my main concern is the gap that the lens has. So if dirt go in between, you're gonna have to take them off to clean.

My solution for the pitted lenses are to give it some elbow grease and patience by wet sanding the lens, then compound it.

First, I used a heavy 800 grit wet/dry sand paper to really smooth out the pits. (Make sure you only go in one direction. NO CIRCLES) Then progress to a 1000 grit, cross hatching your original sanding. (Be sure to often keep the lens wet with water as it is a lubricant for the sand paper)

Repeat in a cross hatching motion until you get down to 2500 or 3000 grit. The further you go, the smoother it becomes, or until you find it fit.

Now when you step back, you'll see that your lens is all hazed up and white. Don't be alarmed. This is where the compound comes in effect to bring the luster back up.

I have a Mother's Power Ball and I used it on the lens with a heavy rubbing compound to start for the heavy polishing of the lens. Cleaned it off, then used a light compound to bring the luster back up.

As a final touch, do as you would when detailing your car by putting on a sealer and wax.

This method is also described on most "Off-the-Shelf" polishing kits that can be bought in stores. It's just that they don't provide enough material for you to actually do 2 lenses.

Most importantly, you're just gonna have to be patient and take your time with what you're doing to bring it back to a beautiful shine.

[ifnt420]

I like the look of the headlamp cover. But my main concern is the gap that the lens has. So if dirt go in between, you're gonna have to take them off to clean.

There are 3 tabs that the headlamp cover clips onto, unhook the 1 on top first and then the 2 on the bottom. takes about 10 secs. [thumbup]

[jrt67ss350]

I haven't tried it yet myself, but several guys on the Audi sites have reported good results with the 3M brand headlight lens polishing kit. Be sure to protect the surrounding sheet metal with a couple of layers of masking tape. Also, be prepared for the fact that the first step will leave the lenses nearly opaque so you need to have faith that the subsequent steps will make them clear again.I used the 3M kit on my 2005 xc, and it worked great. My headlights were in really bad pitted shape and fairly hazy. After using the 3M kit, they absolutely look brand new. It is fairly time consuming but gives good results. The kit includes a drill attachment and various grits of sandpaper and polishing pads that you use in sequence. I actually found that I got better results if I didn't use the drill after the initial rough sand. Requires lots of elbow grease but is a hell of a lot cheaper than new headlights. My local Autozones and Advance Auto Parts carry the kits.

[Ocean Racer]

After having 3 JDM Lexus SC400/ Soarers prior to the XC70 we used many things to clean the UV yellowing from our poly headlight covers. The best product i have seen on the market and used is Blue magic. http://bluemagicusa.com/index.php/blue_magic/products/101

A step down is McGuires Scratch X. BNoth products remove slight scratches but dont erase deep stone chips etc. Only a wet sand buffer will do that.

Blue Magic has been proven to fully restore white /cloudy decaying headlights to their original shine. I can vouch for its quality.


[ifnt420] where did you get the projector style headlights ?

[ifnt420]

[ifnt420] where did you get the projector style headlights ?

@ your friendly local VOLVO stealership. :D

[Ocean Racer]

grrrr,
We didnt get them over here :(

[kamiar]

My headlights were badly pitted from all the sand and salt of Quebec roads, last month i sprayed a coat of heavy duty extra clear coat on them, also on the fog lights, believe it or not, they are 60-70% better and after a month of rain and snow etc, they look like the day i did this experiment.