Headlights scratches

[Jogazuk]

Hi,
i dont know if this has been covered on here before ? but i looked at my headlights this morning and they have a few scratches on them and some ruff scuff marks on on the top of them ?
Its a little strange as i cover the car nightly, i can only assume its the cover but i cant see how it has a felt lining,
Has anybody come across this before and if so is it possible to remove the scratches and the ruff parts or do i need to replace the whole light units ?
any advice would be very helpful
Thanks

 

[christopherwarwick]

You could try cleaning them with T-Cut (the mild abrasive will remove the scratches from the plastic or Plast X (I have used this on the lights and plastic rear screen on a Boxster).

 

[adrian55]

I have tried TCut on my headlights with some success - there are several headlight headlight cleaning kits on the market now which would probably do a better job.

 

[carnaby35]

Depending on depth of scratches they may need wet sanding. Use 1500 to 3000 grit depending on severity finishing with finest of course then machine polish back up. You may need to apply a UV protectant after this treatment.

Chris

 

[Jogazuk]

Cheers for the advice ill have a go at getting them out, hopefully i wont have to buy new units.

 

[BartyB]

I've used the 3M headlight restoration kits on two of our cars and the bike. They work well but, as Chris suggests, you will also need to use a surface sealant after using any abrasives on the headlight units as they will remove the anti-UV coating. In my experience, if you don't seal the surface, the plastic lenses will start to yellow within a few months. There are several YouTube videos showing how to use these kits. Hope that helps.

 

[DrSimon]

Any decent detailer should be able to get the scratches out easily with a dual action polisher and some compound. Failing that, get a polisher yourself (I bought mine for about £150 + polishing compound) and you'll also be able to get rid of the swirl marks and small scratches all our cars pick up on a regular basis.

Simon

 

[whhuer]

I have heard that cleaning with toothpaste can work. I have never needed to try it but assume that it can be a very mild abrasive so this may be good for an initial clean up. If doesn't work you can always try something stronger