Polishing Plastic Light Lenses

Please post any information regarding the best way to restore and maintain the plastic surfaces of the exterior lights. Our little Prius has about 50,000 miles in eastern Washington state. I have noticed that the lenses of the headlights and tailights are getting a "patina" due to time and 4 winters' grit. I treat them ultra gently to get the thick stuff off during the muddy season, and boy does it build up. I have used Meguire's mirror glaze to get them really clean when the weather is nice, but clean is not the same as getting them polished out to "like new". Anyone have any experience with this?

You'd have better luck in receiving a response if you were to post this in the Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting forum.

For the headlights try X-Pel Headlight Protection.
AutoSport Catalog - X-Pel Headlight Protection 800-953-0814

I put them on mine soon after I bought it.

I travel Snoqualmie Pass regularly and wanted protection from rocks and gravel. They are easy to install and can be replaced it they become damaged.

Meguiar's and Mothers both make a plastic treatment restore/polish exactly for your problem.

i would think a high grade rubbing compound and some extra time on your hands will make them clear again. I had to do this threatment to my other cars i used to have.. bmw and lincoln. as the lenses fog over from debri and water sediments landing on the lense and being dyed by the sun.. it turns hazy. rubbing the lense with rubbing compound should make it clear again.

Eastwood Company: Auto Tools, Body Repair, Classic Car Restoration, House of Kolor Paint, Powder Coating Has some really good buffing equipment. They even sell a video on buffing plastic. If you're going to try to buff plastic you have to be VERY careful. It is plastic and trying to get it smooth is tricky. I've used their products on stainless, mild steel, aluminum and brass, pretty good too, but I dont' think I'll ever be ready for plastic. Go buy new lenses and use the lens protectors.

I found a headlight lens polishing kit at Pep boys that has foam pads and a backing that you put in a drill. It only takes light pressure but does take out some of the smaller pitting from road debris.

I put on the XPEL protectors this weekend, and boy is it a PITA to get those installed properly but it's worth it. XPEL has a video on their website on how to install them. Next time, though, I'd order them from ebay (search for 3M Prius) since they're about $25 less than from XPEL.

Not helpful for someone whose headlight lenses are already damaged and need restoration.

I've restored plastic headlight lenses on dozens of cars. First, you need to realize that the lenses are painted with clearcoat from the factory, so when you restore them, most of the time you're going to remove all of the clearcoat (because it has yellowed or hazed). So once you've restored the lenses, you should shoot them with some clearcoat, otherwise you'll be polishing your headlight lenses every six months as they get scratched and become cloudy quickly w/o protection.

Basically, the steps are:

1) Mask off or remove lenses from car
2) Wet sand with 1000 grit paper until all defects are removed.
3) Prepare surface for polishing by sanding with 1500, 2000, and then 2500 grit sandpaper, removing the scratches left behind by coarser sandpaper
4) Polish with medium and then fine polish with orange touch-up pad mounted in cordless drill (or rotary buffer - orbital will not work)
5) Shoot lenses with clearcoat (safer if lenses are out of the car)

I've got Meguiar's PlastX and their #17 professional plastic polish, as well as Wolfgang Plastic Cleaner and Plastic Glaze in my kit, but found that Menzerna paint polishes work better than anything else. I start with their Intensive Polish and finish up with Final Polish II, and it cuts faster and cleans up better than the dedicated plastic polishes I've tried. Actually, most people would find IP by itself gives a sufficiently clear surface. You have to be really picky to tell the difference after polishing with FPII.

If you need more detail, I suggest you do a search over on detailcity.org, roadfly.org, or autopia.org. You're not likely to get much useful advice here, judging by previous replies.

You are correct. Thought I was.

I had not considered this concept of clearcoating and, of course, I should like to pursue it here briefly with some questions.
1) Even though SOME automotive lenses may be coated, are they ALL coated? Do we know for CERTAIN that the Prius lenses are?
2) Is this coating the same clearcoating product that the body color uses or may it be a coating particular only to plastic lenses? I know plastic eyeglasses and other "optical" lenses can be "hardcoated" but that is completely different than a spray-on paint product.
3) Is this coating is "buffable"? Is there sufficient thickness so that a smooth-er surface can be obtained before rubbing through? Is it reasonably forgiving or is it a razor edge between "better" and "screwed"?

Any thoughts?

Micromesh

Oh yeah! THAT's what I'm taling about! Are you also a GC/MS jockey?

Thanks!

Tom

I guess not, since I have no idea what that means... I do avionics for a living, and we use the same product (though different kit) for our aircraft windshields.

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometer, terms that are familiar to viewers of any of the CSI franchise.

Ah... while having watched an episode or two, I must admit I do not watch television much at all.

I saw almost a whole episode of Mythbusters yesterday, but that's pretty much the extent of my viewing all week.

Dngrsone, no biggie. The web site that you provided which has the polishing kit is a GC/MS (Gas chromatograph/mass spetrometer) supply site. Thought from that and your other link about protien folding you were a lab guy, which I used to be. In college I worked at an private aircraft hangar service (plane valet) and had to clean windscreens which is where I learned about meguiars for plastics as the glass chemicals were verboten under pain of replacing expensive parts.

I assume you have used these products then? Want to offer an opinion on doing the Prius lenses? The tailights are actually a little hazy and bother me the most. What do you think? Are these coated?

Thanks again for the tip.

Tom, I've not used the stuff on Prius lenses... mine's brand new.

It did do some remarkable stuff, with a little effort, on a set of headlight lenses for a '94 Saturn, though, and of course our mechanics use it on the aircraft windscreens.

That makes sense since you have a new car. Congratulations BTW. I have owned several cars over a (yikes) 35year driving career, none of which prompted the "I LOVE my car!" emotion/reaction that seems to be the stuff of American driving legend. I mean, c'mon! It is a thing, a tool, like a ball-peen hammer. Who has a bumper sticker that says, "I LOVE my ball-peen hammer" except maybe guys on the Sporanos? Anyway, I still don't LOVE my Prius, but it makes me smile every time I drive, or sit at a light with the engine off, or stealth my way through theatre goers in the parking lot, or "fill-up" (if you can call 5 gallons a fill-up) at a gas station. I smile a lot. And that is nearly 50,000 miles of smiles. (46.3 MPG overall!)

As far as my question, I was hoping you might, from your general experience and observation, opine as to what I might find if I attempt the tailight lenses. Have you seen the hand polishing system or just the power? Do you recommend I use masking tape on the painted areas surrounding the light as I am thinking? Or how about the ridge in the lens? Will I have problems getting a good finish there? I have ordered the hand polishing kit, not the power because, of course, these are not TERRIBLE, just barely noticeable, so just somewhat annoying if one is a perfectionist.

I know there will be a learning curve, but I prefer short ones! All the best and miles of smiles. And thanks again, I feel I'm about 90% just from the help you have provided so far.

Tom

Check out my post at ClubLexus, it includes pictures of before and after:

HID / Plastic Headlight cleaner is AWESOME!!! - Club Lexus Forums