Its a matter of perspective. As a kid in school, I'd go with a polish/restoration kit As an adult with a decent job I'd go with new lenses. As an adult with a very good income I'd opt for a new car.
Try DEET bugspray and newspaper.
You know your huckleberries, so I trust your opinion. That means the stuff works. And $15/headlight is in this kid's budget! Thanks!
Why is that the standard? I haven't seen anyone claiming that they will restore them to be indistinguishable from new. I used a kit, I think it was 3M, worked great. It included an attachment for a drill with pads. There was a huge improvement, I was very happy, but no way I'd say they were indistinguishable from new. It lasts several years, but obviously the process continues. Same thing will happen with new ones. The choice is up to you, but I'm sure you're not going to find new ones for $10 which is about the cost of the polishing kit. And the lenses were poly or similar, not glass (does anyone still use that?), so the part about it not working on anything but glass is BS.
There is always grit to worry about on the road. I know the formula used for scratch resistant plastic but cannot divulge it. It would basically be applied like a wax. That's why it may be in a lens refinish kit but I do not know for sure. These finishes are also used on plastic eyeglass lens which easily scratch. Composition I had seen was for acrylic sheets.
Both acrylic and polycarbonate have good outdoor resistance but both are much softer than glass and easily scratched and dulled. Years ago I had a watch with plastic lens that I occasionally restored clarity with tooth paste. Toothpaste contains particulate that will not scratch teeth but is a mistake to use on plastic dentures as it could wear them. I have an old dental bridge that once had a plastic coating. Now years later after years of brushing it is gone and all metal.
I looked over what you posted and you have a mixture of abrasives and surfactants and a bluish coloring agent.
Blue tint is often added to plastics to make them look less yellow but does not improve brightness. Laundry detergents often contain bluing.
The polydimethylsiloxane might improve scratch resistance. It is also water repellent.
I'm a retired chemist but still do consulting and write a lot of MSDS's, now just called Safety Data Sheets, SDS's, meeting Globally Harmonized System requirements.
It is not necessary to divulge all ingredients except those mandated by the EPA but all hazards must be disclosed. The Blue Magic SDS discloses all ingredients and hazards but is outdated and not quite GHS compliant. It is not particularly hazardous and probably does not require the new hazard symbols.
I've ridden a motorcycle in my youth for tens of thousands of miles, so, I'm aware of what happens when you drive behind almost any dump truck.
I also own a sand blasting kit, so, I'm aware of the power of sand blasting.
Still, my gut feeling (but no science yet) tells me that these lenses are yellowed from sunlight alone, and not from being sandblasted. I suspect if I left a car in the sun and never drove it, that the lenses would still yellow.
I'm not saying that sand blasting can't happen - I'm just intimating (without hard science) that it's not happening. I could be wrong. (That's why I have my huckleberry friends here to advise me.)
The BlueMagic MSDS says "acrylic copolymer" as an tiny percent ingredient.
I think everything "gritty" will be harder than the plastic that is used on those headlight lenses. I'm thinking the Bentonite Clay that a well driller gave me is the right size (it's a powder) but if I can get a hold of aluminum oxide powder, that would be a good second bet.
The toothpaste grit is often silicon dioxide (sand) but they used those blue plastic beads for a while (I hope they stopped that by now).
The trick, of course, is to get the right grit. The good news is that the worst thing that happens is we ruin an already ruined headlight - so luckily experimentation is not risky.
That's a fair question. AFAIK, there are only three options:
Maybe I had simply *assumed* that they would be indistinguishable from new. Can someone who has done it tell us how they compared to brand new?
Three kits have been mentioned most here:
Most kits seem to have two parts: A. The stripper B. The sealer
This is good to know because it turns out that the original owner called today when we asked about some of the paperwork saying they had in their garage a brand new unused driver side headlight lens, still in the box, which they'd give the kid for free.
So now we have only one lens to "match" to the driver side.
There is an open question as to whether the erosion process is
*accelerated* by the polishing, or if it's the same process, but starting fresh.Most kits seemed to come out at around $30 for the two components. But I didn't look all that hard yet on price 'cuz I'm just looking at chemicals right now.
I agree. Glass isn't the problem here, at least not with the Camry.
Thanks for looking over the chemistry of the "blue magic" ingredients of the lens restorer and protective seal.
I, for one, do not believe in "magic" elixers, so, I suspect they all have essentially the same ingredients so looking at the Blue Magic is probably almost as good as looking at any other.
While I had never heard of these ingredients below, and while they're in minute quantities (hence, they may not be meaningful), I did look them up so I write a summary for the rest of the team to benefit from.
CI 77007 seems to be a deep blue pigment
Pluronic F seems to have a bunch of numbers after the F, as shown here
Argilla seems to be my old friend Bentonite, of which I have plenty that a well driller gave me years ago for poison oak.
The Argilla (aka Bentone) is used to thicken greases:
Neodol seems to be an ALCOHOL ETHOXYLATE surfactant/emulsifier whose precise mix of chemicals depends on the number after the word.
So those 4 mystery ingredients (admittedly in small quantities) are
Easy to repair, Get a 3M headlight kit Either remove the light units or tape around them to protect the body paint. Wet down and wash the grit off the lights. Then use the coarse paper and keep the lens wet and sand until the yellow and scratches are gone. Switch to the finer paper and sand until the larger scratches are gone, switch to the last grit and keep going until you get to the polishing step.
NOW to keep the lights looking like new for a long time, spray them with automotive 2part clear (you can buy it in a spray can or have a bo0dy shop give them a spritz).
This is how I deal with the yellowed/cruddy ones. They yellow due to the UV from the sun, it kills the protective coating on the plastic. The 2 part clear when you're done will restore that plus it will seal the plastic. I use bulk supplies but the 3M kit includes enough to do a couple sets of lights and it's good stuff. DON'T use a high speed drill with it, you can burn the surface of the light.
Since you like to micro analyze, are those OEM lenses from the dealer? Ones that are OEM quality from one of the OEM suppliers? Ones that are from some aftermarket company and supply chain that at least has some credibility? Or ones on Ebay claiming to be of some of the above pedigree? Or Chinese crap from China?
I did mine for ~$10 to $15, think it was the 3M kit, Walmart.
They come out looking good, clear, well worth it, but no way you'd think they were new ones.
Well, that changes the equation.
Who cares? They look good again for at least several years, at least mine did. How long is your kid going to have the car? Plus I would think you could do it a second time.
I have no idea.
Lots of votes for the 3M kit over the Sylvania and Blue Magic.
Thanks. That makes a lot of sense.
It's not my kid, but we're a close-knit family (Italians & Jews mostly, with a few Arabs sprinkled about just to keep the conversation salty).
She's going to be a junior, having just graduated from a 2-year school (they don't even give AA degrees anymore, I'm told) so it's her first year at a 4-year college, where she's going to live off campus so she needs a car.
How long will she own it? Dunno. I owned my first car for about a decade and it was a decade old when I got it, so, I assume she'll own it for a decade. Besides, my first car was a Chrysler and hers is a Toyota. Two different beasts in terms of longevity.
Anyway, I think we have pretty good answers to the questions. a. It won't look like new but it will look pretty good b. You have to sand and seal (not just sand) c. The 3M kit gets the most votes (Sylvania & Blue Magic in second) d. The main ingredient is grit with clearcoat being the sealer e. Don't use electric tools - just use elbow grease
Thanks for that suggestion as this is the first suggestion, I think, for an automotive "2-part clear" as the protective coating.
Searching, is this what you mean?
Or maybe this?
Or, maybe more likely this?
Does the irony of that statement ring true for you as it does for me?
A lot of people are voting for the 3M kit components. Fewer for Sylvania and Blue Magic.
The 3M kit works very well. NONE of the chemical only kit's work. I've done hundreds of headlights using the sand, polish, clear coat method.
The UV, age and other chemicals just destroy the lights. The plastics have gotten better but some brands just seem to turn to crap faster.
or if you have a spray gun and know how to use it
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