before i detail the wife's car this weekend i have a question. the headlights on her car have some minor pitting from road debris. in the past, i've used a product from 3m called plastic polish, but it really didn't do squat. i'm considering meg's plastx, but since i'd be applying by hand, i'm not sure if it'll do much. can you acheive any decent results by hand, or should i hold off until i get a DA? thanks.

 

Before I bought my DA I used a drill. Autozone had a foam wheel with a drill attachment. Taped off the light and used that. Worked pretty well.

From my experience it's a temporary fix. My beater cleaned up really nice. However I have to hit it with plastX every 6 months or so to keep it clean. That's even after using the Meg's mirror glaze plastic polish.

didn't produce like a DA would but here are some before and after pictures from using plastX with a drill and pad.

Before



After

 

nice before and afters. so there would probably be no benefit by doing it by hand?

 

Pitting? You mean from rocks hitting it and such? You're not talking about oxidation, correct?

What he showed was oxidation... not pitting.

 

http://www.autodetailingsolutions.co...tion%20kit.htm

 

Again... more for oxidation; not pitting.

We're talking about different things here, I think. If he's wanting something to remove oxidation, PlastX or the kit above is a great way. If they are 'dings' in the plastic from rocks and such, you're likely not going to be able to remove those other than with a full assembly replacement.

This is oxidation:






... and then none.





Procedure used is lined out in THIS THREAD.

--RP--

 

RP is right. If you're talking just pitting, you'd be better off just replacing them.

 

Exactly. Oxidation and pitting are two different beasts.

 

well i'd say there's minor oxidation and some pitting. the pitting is only noticeable when the headlights are turned on. i think i'll try the plastx to see how clear they get. what attachment for a drill can i find locally that will make the process easier?

 

Anything you can put on newer lights to prevent this?

 

Oxidation or road dings?

From an oxidation standpoint -- keep them protected; it's a-o-k to wax your clear plastic.

Avoid harsh chemicals -- what I've seen is that many ultra-caustic chemicals will zap clear plastics in a jiffy.

If you're talking about road dings -- 3M makes a film that is perfect. Search the site for 'clear bra' (I don't think you'll get any 'strange or non-work friendly' hits.

-RP-

 

Keep them waxed.