How to clean headlight cover on i30?

[untrueparadox]

its been like 10 years since the vehicle was brand new and for the most part, everything looks still pretty nice on my i30 except the front 2 headlights. the cover was getting yellow, the headlights werent as bright as it used to be, is there a way to clean them without having to spend $200 per side to have it replaced?

[Nrw]

Ok a simple search would have yeilded you plenty of results.

There are a bunch of ways to do this. You can replace them like you said but thats $$$. You could use that plastx stuff meguires makes. I have used it and it works great. BUT the durability is horrible, I have to re-apply it after every wash (once a week), There is a silver pouch with a bunch of products, sandpaper polish and a clear coat, that they sell at walmart and vatozone. I used that and I was very impressed and it seemed to last a while. Or you could do what this guy did zer...-pics. I have no experience with that since I have never done it.

EDIT: just noticed you have a 98. Just get some cefiro one piece headlights.

[untrueparadox]

so its the outside that gets dirty and not the inside? i keep thinking its the inside that gets dust and water. i think i'll try the whole sanding thing, i dont feel like spending $150 ea for lights, just too much for me. how do they turn yellow anyways? its only old cars, never the new ones.

[cintra42]

Just my 2 -cents:

I just cleaned my Infiniti I30 headlights using a Turtle Wax Headlights Cleaning Kit. Paid $10 for it and my headlights now look like new. Took a good 45 minutes and a lot of patience but it's worth the effort.

[Nrw]

so its the outside that gets dirty and not the inside? i keep thinking its the inside that gets dust and water. i think i'll try the whole sanding thing, i dont feel like spending $150 ea for lights, just too much for me. how do they turn yellow anyways? its only old cars, never the new ones.

On the "plastic" lenses there is a coating that after a while breaks down from the constant beating from the elements, weather and road debris flying into it. Once it's layer of defense is gone it's exposed and dirt and crap gets embedded and sun yellows it. That's why I liked that silver pouch kit thing that I mentioned it comes with a "uv protectant" or something along those lines. Basically a clear coat.

[Blazingwolf]

buy some rubbing compound.. i do it at work. it takes 10 min and ur done

[untrueparadox]

ooo, turtle wax does sound easier and cheaper. hows the durability? im guessing i can probably clean the headlights along with my foglights and stuff with just one kit? just got some xenon HID's and my covers are amazingly dirty they still look yellow. im guessing it also needs to be done regularly right?
Modified by untrueparadox at 6:17 PM 6/8/2009

[Blazingwolf]

don't be fooled.. all the headlight kits are, are rubbing compound and wax... I detail cars for a living. Know what it is before you do it.

if you want the best results.. use 3000 grit sandpaper with some glass cleaner then compound till the scratches are gone

[untrueparadox]

so your suggesting is to start with 3k grit + glass cleaner and then the rubbing compound? which brands do you recommend for the glass stuff + the rubbing?

edit: just noticed, youre talking about windex + sandpaper and then some of those tutle wax rubbing compound?
Modified by untrueparadox at 7:01 PM 6/8/2009

[Blazingwolf]

any type of glass cleaner will do.. it just helps remove the grit while ur sanding.. make sure u use 3M wet or dry sandpaper

um i use industrial compounds but u will have to go to a paint shop to get 3000 grit sandpaper so ask them about compound. you are looking for between 700-1500 grit remover.

Or you can buy the turtle headlight kit. ITS totally up to you.the turtle kit is probably easier for someone who hasn't done it before. but wont give as good of results

my way is harder for sure and requires a little elbow grease but will give you better results in the long run

its your choice. Good luck let me know if u need any advice

sorry to make turtle wax sound bad , i am a little biased because of the line of work i am in. it really is a good product especially for the average consumer

[Nrw]

It's ok I despise turtle wax as well.. The only thing I've liked from them so far was their interior dealio they came out with. But I've now switched to megs stuff.

[cintra42]

Preference for any brand of products is a very personal issue, what you like, someone else might not. From my recent experience (done just 2 weeks ago) in restoring my headlights to like new condition, I will say the Turtle Wax Headlights Cleaning Kit works. Instructions given are very clear and everything needed to do the job is included. The only items not included: A good wax for the final polish and elbow grease. And the price is reasonable. Also one does not have to go around to buy the different items to complete the job (the 3K emery paper is not an everyday item), with the possibility of purchasing the wrong item(s) - (like wrong grade of emery paper, rubbing compund/polishing compound) and making a mess of everything. Not everyone is knowledgeable of what to get. I should know because I was in the DIY retail business for 15 years and I had more than my share of stories of people purchasing the wrong materials & items for projects.

Btw, I do not work for Turtle Wax nor am I a seller, I am just an ordinary retired DIY guy in the process of restoring a 9-year Infiniti I30.

Just my 2 cents.

[Blazingwolf]

well put, that's why i argued on the side of turtle wax, i realized that i prefer not to use it because of my experience.. but its great for the average consumer

[untrueparadox]

ya so turtle > maguires?

im having trouble finding the turtle wax kit, stopped by walmart, found only the maguires for $20? autozone was outta stock, pep boys doesnt even carry it. ill look further but i only see some off brand kits and the maguires. no matter what i buy, the turtle wax ice wax is good to finish it off right?

you think i can get the 3000 emery paper and the compound at home depot?

o and how bout cleaning stock rims? the old owner never paid attention to the rims and after years of use, it has grease and road dirt that has been sitting there for a long while. tried to scrub it off while washing my car using car wash, it only took off a little bit. a search came out with a lotta opinions varying from dish detergent to simple green to regular car wash. some even said that detergent might be too strong?

thanks for all the advice.

[tigersharkdude]

simple green FTMFW

[Blazingwolf]

Wheel acid that's hard to come by though... you can get it off with compound too its an abrasive. just don't rub hard and NEVER use anything but car soap on ur car..

Meguiars if def > turtle wax... and home depot wont carry it.. if u can wait and give me ur mailing address i can ship u a bottle of compound

[Nrw]

The amount of effort you need to put into turtle wax products and the results you get from them are why I refuse to use them. I haven't used one of their wax's that weren't PITA to work with.

Only use dish soap is you want to strip the wax off the paint. Even then I recommend a clay bar over that.

Wheel cleaning chemicals. I really like the Eagle 1 A2Z wheel cleaner. Simple Green can work good to just make sure you dilute it down so you don't mess up the finish of your wheels, I use megs APC over the simple green personally.

As for OTC LSP's I like the NXT 2.0 the best and that's what I'm currently using. I have used Mothers carnanuba and it wasn't too bad little harder to work with. Eagle 1 nano tech I had the NXT 2.0 already so I kinda was like eh, used it once and forgot it lol. Megs Gold class works rather well too. I found all the Turtle Wax products to be very hard to work with and the shine that it left was kinda disappointing after all the work I put into it.

[untrueparadox]

just wanted to report back. wow, turtle wax sucks. i drove about 10 miles out to another autozone and got it. it removed probably 50% of the yellowness after spending half an hour scrubbing and spraying for both lenses. the shine is also terrible, i waxed it and it still looks somewhat fogged. after polish, its still yellowish, but shiny yellow.
Modified by untrueparadox at 4:06 PM 6/10/2009

[loystock]

There is another thread in the forum that recommends wet sanding with 1000-1200-1500-2000 grit sand paper, TWICE, then using car polish to remove the foggy appearance. The result was very good.

So I went to AutoZone and bought 3M 1000. 1500 and 2000 grit sandpaper (each 5-pack for <$5). The store didn't have 1200 grit sand paper. I followed the procedure and it worked on both 97 and 99 I30s and 95 Previa. You have to make sure that the lens and sand paper are always wet. After sanding, I used Zaino Clear View Glass Polish (Z-12) followed by Zaino Car Polish (Z2) with impressive result.

I've been using Zaino product since 2000, except the leather conditioner. Some people like it but the odor is just too strong for me. I also use Mothers Clay Bar, Meguiars' Scratch X, Glaze and Interior/Exterior Detailer.

There was a scratch on my 03 Q which Mequiars Scratch X couldn't remove. I experimented with Zaino Clear view followed by Meguiar's glaze and it worked. I also used the Clear view on the hazy spot on the headlight with the same result. And, no, I don't work for Zaino.

Rod

[Blazingwolf]

meguiars consumer stuff isn't tuff enough.. its designed to save u from messing up ur paint. if u had used it enough it would have fixed it.

anyways

I have to say i told u that u wouldn't be happy but this is common with headlights

3000 grit sandpaper or u will compound for the rest of ur life trying to get the scratches out.800 grit compound the end no ifs, ands, or butts

[untrueparadox]

you got the compound and the sandpaper? how much do you want if u include a couple sheets of paper and a decent amount of compound, enough to clean all the headlights, rims, and foglights shipped to 91006?
Modified by untrueparadox at 12:45 AM 6/13/2009

[Blazingwolf]

shipping is 13 and i'll take 7 for the stuffso 20 total

[untrueparadox]

sounds good. give me your paypal address so i can send the cash. dont scam me tho.

[goldtooth]

I wet sanded my maxima headlights(off the car) with 800, then 1500, then 2000 grit sandpaper. Then used a buffer with plastic polish. They came out like new.

[maxhopper]

zer...-pics

[untrueparadox]

i actually found that right after i finished using the turtlewax kit. probably gonna go and buy some sandpaper when my headlights get foggy. i can never find the 1000+ grit sandpaper though. i dont expect the kit to last too long.

edit: by the way, any of u guys try headlight tint spray? ive frankly never heard of these. the only tints i know r builtin tinted plastic and a window tint like film. how well do these protect against the elements? the paper or the paint?http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...orted
Modified by untrueparadox at 5:32 PM 6/15/2009

[Blazingwolf]

my paypal e-mail is [email protected]

[Nrw]

Light output on these cars, 4th gens, already blows. No need to put nightshades ontop of it.. Unless you don't like seeing at night haha

[untrueparadox]

blazingwolf im sorry, i already got them at a local hobby store. 3k grit and compound, found some 1k 1.5k 2k at autozone. just finished my fog lights today and they honestly look so much better than the kit. took the same amount of effort, way better results. one completely removed the yellowing while the other just shines it up. thanks for all the help. i dont think im gonna tint my lights, i got a silver i30, dont think it looks too good.

i just have one question, did any of you guys try to use polyurethane spray paint to coat it after sanding? ive read over at a volvo forum while searching up ways to tint the headlights that they first sand 1k, 1.5k, then 2k and apply the nite shade, and then several coats of polyurethane to protect and shine instead of waxing. would it damage my headlights if i give it a try without the shading? a can of those polyurethane or enamel is like $10 at home depot and ive had great results with them on wooden furnitures before.

[Blazingwolf]

bugs stick to it and clear coat very easy and when they bake on there they leave nasty spots don't do it..

im glad u had good results. its totally ok that u found the stuff. it i wasn't going to make any money off ofi t. it was just to help you out so u saved me some work

if u ever need any car cleaning tips you now know where to go