Cleaning cloudy headlights

October 1, 2018 | By Staff

Question:

The headlight lenses on my 2006 Corvette are getting cloudy and I am not sure how to remedy that situation other than to replace them, and that is expensive. They seem to be bright enough, but they look bad. Is there a way to restore them?

Answer:

CSI Detailer makes a good lubricant for the micro-fine sandpaper or steel wool.

Use 1500-grit wet and dry micro-fine sandpaper to remove oxidation.

Put a ring of Ceram X polish in the middle of a sheepskin pad so you won’t get it all over yourself while buffing.

Buff at a slight angle, and work evenly across the lens to avoid heat.

After scuffing and buffing, this Saturn headlight lens is as good as new.

The job is actually quite simple, can be done in your driveway, and takes about half an hour. You will need some 1500-grit wet and dry sandpaper, a little CSI Q7 Detailer, and some CSI Ceram X Polish. (CSI stands for Clearcoat Solutions, Inc.) Other polishing compounds will also work, but these have done a great job for me. They are professional products for buffing out your paintwork and are intended for body shops.

Wipe the headlight lenses clean, shoot on a little CSI detailer to lubricate the sandpaper, and then use the 1500- grit micro-fine sandpaper to scuff off the oxidation and deteriorated plastic. Don’t use a lot of pressure; just let the sandpaper do the work. Fine steel wool will also work for this purpose. When you have the lenses uniformly cleaned, they will look a little hazy, but much better than before.

Next, get out your buffer and squeeze a ring of CSI polish around the center of the pad so it won’t spin out all over your clothes and glasses. Polish the lenses by holding the buffer at a slight angle and set on a slow speed, and moving it evenly across the whole lens. Don’t linger in one spot for long, though, because you could overheat and distort the lens.

Finally, wipe off the haze and give your newly bright and clear lenses another coat of the detailer. Your lights will be good as new. You can order CSI auto polishes and detailing products from Amazon.