stevenva Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 I am sick of wasting time using Plastix every 6 months to clear up my headlight lenses. I'm looking for a more permanent solution. I have not wet sanded the lenses yet but I may have to. I'm thinking of using U-POL Clear#1 UV resistant clear coat on them after the next cleaning. Upon reading the instructions, the surface must be cleaned and scuffed using 1000 grit-(good bye to whatever amount of UV coating it once had). Another possibility is to not wet sand them at all, just polish them to new, use U-POL Grip#4 Adhesion Promoter, then Clear#1. Just wondering what the headlight lenses are actually made of. They are JDM 2nd gen housings. RIP 96 Legacy 2.2 4EAT lost reverse @ 374,000 miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenva Posted September 18, 2014 Author Share Posted September 18, 2014 The modern projector headlight lens is made of POLYCARBONATE, not acrylic. Understand that the two materials are different. Acrylic does not yellow and is UV stable, but is brittle, therefore it is used only on taillights. Polycarbonate is strong and impact resistant, and therefore used on headlights to withstand rocks and pebbles, but yellows under UV light without a protective UV coating. Manufacturers use a thin hardcoat silicone as a protective coating. This coating is damaged over several years if exposed to lots of sunlight, unless you constantly wax and seal it. If you have neglected the headlights and allowed the UV coating to deteriorate, you will have to find a coating that has similar properties to the original hard silicone coating. Using a deoxidizer at this point does nothing. I've envied newer cars headlights that seem to stay clear for relatively long times, I've found out what they've been using. http://www.pcimag.com/articles/a-new-hardcoat-for-automotive-plastics http://www.tribotec.se/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/MOMENTIVE_HardCoat.pdf If I could only find a seller where you don't have to buy in bulk. RIP 96 Legacy 2.2 4EAT lost reverse @ 374,000 miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkaic Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 I know some headlight restoration products carry a sealant to protect from further oxidation, and I've only tried the headlight restoration kit from Turtle Wax, but that one didn't really work well. Maybe there's another brand that works better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGTfoLIFE Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 I used the M3 rubbing compound on my headlights & use wax right after. It's works really good. Everytime I wash my car I also put wax on my headlights for sealant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quick4dr Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 WETsand, buff, polish, seal, wax. I have dozens of sets completed and not one single customer comeback, or fade out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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