Modern Motors with yellow headlamps ?

[Stixy]

Im seeing a lot of post Millenuim motors with yellowing headlamps  

 

Im guessing  degrading plastic lenses ?  can these be polished back to clear ?

[Timewaster]

I was always led to believe that it is down to cheap H7 bulbs without a uv coating.

[Squire_Dawson]

Shite plastic in my view.

[Richard]

I was always led to believe that it is down to cheap H7 bulbs without a uv coating.

 

 

Shite plastic in my view.

 

Both of the above I think. Plastic just isn't a suitable material for headlamp lenses.

[Skizzer]

can these be polished back to clear ?

Yes. T-Cut sorted the ones on my Rover 75.

[gordonbennet]

Good metal polish does the trick on those worthless plastic light lenses, i use Peek, but Autosol is just as good, need lots of elbow grease.

[Skizzer]

Ah, yes, might have been Autosol rather than T-Cut now you come to mention it.

 

I should really keep my trap shut on these question threads - or at least just stick to asking them.

[gordonbennet]

T-Cut would do it eventually, but i reckon you'd wear your bloody elbows out rubbing.

 

I only use Peek cos i've found a bloody cheap supplier for 1litre cans, almost half the price of autosol.

[TRW]

A kit can be bought for renewing plastic lenses. I know they sell a kit for such issues in Machine Mart.

[Junkman]

If the headlights of your post Millenium motor turn yellow, trade it in for a pre Millenium one.

Do it anyway, since you shouldn't drive such newfangled tosh on a general principle.

[fiatdaft]

Meguiars plastx is very good or removing them as well.

[Vince70]

I normally use a very fine grade wet and dry and washing up liquid followed by a quick compound..

A friend of mine recently had her 99 Suzuki Baleno fail the mot because of knackered headlight lenses and the main dealer price was over well over £200 a pop for a headlight.

 

So I bet quite a few cars are ending up going over the bridge over such a simple fix.

[dollywobbler]

Looks bloody awful too. Rover 75s and Jag S-Types both do it pretty well.

[Spiny Norman]

I did the ones on my old W210 Merc with Autosol and they came up like new. Took me about an hour and my arms were just about hanging off but it was cheaper than new lamps and made a big difference.

[philsford]

I done the ones on my old vectra. First off some 2000grit wet and dry then lightly with the bench polisher. looked mint when done.

[hauserplenty]

It could be the bulbs too. When They force* me to buy replacements in pairs, I like to change 'em both and keep the one that was still working as a spare.

* Bl00dy packaging. Bl00dy making you buy bl00dy two when you only bl00dy need bl00dy one...Aaand fiercely proud of it!

Well, it wouldn't do to keep the burned out one as a spare, would it?

Twice the ballache, but half the worries. AUTOSHITE.

Plus, THEY DONT M8KM LYKDEYUSED2 M8.

Seems a bit of both, IMHO.

[dave21478]

Everybody and their dog round here offer a service to polish up headlights. Every motor factors, tyre place and anything vaguely car related seems to have a sign up offering lense re-polishing for anything from 30 to 80 euros per lamp.

 

I assume the strong sunlight doesnt help things here, I see plenty of cars chugging around with headlights that are almost completely opaque.

 

 

When I changed the headlights on my C2, I could only find 1 in a scrappy and had to buy the other new from ebay. It looked wonk with one perfect light and the other mildly faded by comparison so I hit it with the polisher and some t-cut, then a layer of Autoglym super resin polish and it came up like new.

[cort1977]

Yep, same here in the Southern US.   I believe it's the UV that affects the plastic.   $20 gets you a little kit with 800, 1500 and 3000 grit discs, a bit of compound and polish.   An easy job with a drill and a very pleasing result, wife was delighted as the fix was so visible.

[RichardMoss]

We get a bit of intense sun here in the United Arab Emirates and that is what causes these plastics to degrade. The UV radiation kills them.

 

Basically, you need to flat them back with wet and dry paper to get ride of the discolouring and then polish them back to a shine. The polishing kits include a sealant which is supposed to delay the reoccurrence of the problem. It's pretty much an annual event or you can do what a lot of the locals do which is ignore the fact that your lights are shite and trust in God.

 

My Jag:

Before (left/outer light) and during (right hand/inner)

After:

[Stixy]

Thanks for the answers   , now i know it isnt terminal  

[overrun]

Im seeing a lot of post Millenuim motors with yellowing headlamps  

 

Im guessing  degrading plastic lenses ?  can these be polished back to clear ?

Wet and dry and cutting compound brings them up like new.

A mates mate has just done his Focus ST170 and they look fantastic.

[srad34]

Wet and dry and cutting compound brings them up like new.

A mates mate has just done his Focus ST170 and they look fantastic.

 Just use plenty of water to stop the plastic burning and you will be reet.....

[mercrocker]

This thread is not what I thought it was about!    I assumed the pineapplers had discovered another bit of retro fuck-wittery....

[Junkman]

Plastic headlights. Me arse itches, and me dick falls off in slices.

[Squire_Dawson]

Bad case of psoriasis you got there, Junkman. Incidentally, one of my cars failed the MoT for 'not showing a white light' at the headlamps. I had some continental R2 40/45w bulbs fitted at the time.