Got to be honest...when I did my GF car I used 1500 grit sandpaper and some rubbing compound. Worked great.

 

I have a similar issues... But different at the same time. I bought my headlights from Password:JDM and they sent me a shitty set that has a thin layer of plastic that's chipping on top. Think the same method of cutting/buffing/polishing would work?

 

I forget on hondas, but most plastic headlights are polycarbonate with a uv film on top. Some times when people polish their headlights they spray them with a clear coat protectant as any sanding at all will remove the UV film. The layer chipping off may very well be a clear coat added by a previous owner. There is NOTHING WRONG with using sand paper on headlights. There is no grit that is too low either. You could theoretically even use 80 grit if you wanted to, the lower the grit just affects how long its going to take you to remove all the scratches. Meaning, if you start with 80 you need to work up every 120 or so until you reach 2000+. 1500 will be fine for most people to stop at, especially if you are using a cut compound after that since most cut compounds end up being equal to 3000 grit wet sanding. In order to fix your chipping layer you can first apply a SMALL amount of laquer thinner to the chipping area and see if it disolves the layer, do NOT use carb clean/brake clean/ acetone on this as it dissolves polycarbonate and becomes a HUGE mess. You can either test it like that, or simply go straight to sanding, if you have some big chips probably best to start with 400ish and work your way up, stick to wet sanding if you can. Again, there is ALOT of bad information on this forum about wetsanding head lights. 1. It doesn't matter if the liquid dries, you can take it off later no biggie. 2. Wet sanding allows the paper so slide smoother across the surface and therefore is less abrasive. 3. It takes a WHILE to do properly. It may look like you got out alot of the scratches from the lower grit, but you most likely didn't, go wet sand it more.

 

thanks bro

 

actually the point of wet sanding is to free the surface of dirt or other grits easier before they do more damage by constantly rubbing it into and scratching the surface

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by E-Rok &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Either microfiber towel or a foam applicator pad.
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sand paper isnt coming near these. i'll use the above mentioned first. then i'll come back if it doesnt work.

 

You can wet sand it 2000 then 3000 grit then cut polish them

 

yeah, to prevent the paper from being as abrasive, and to prevent the paper from getting clogged.

 

i use 1500 then 2000. Then buff with rubbing compund then polish and wax. They always come out crystal clear.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by STREETWERKZ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

sand paper isnt coming near these. i'll use the above mentioned first. then i'll come back if it doesnt work. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Sand paper isnt going to be much different than the polish you will use. They both work the exact same way. You are just using an abrasive to remove the oxidation while having a fine enough grit that the finished surface is smooth.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by b18bEKcoupe &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Sand paper isnt going to be much different than the polish you will use. They both work the exact same way. You are just using an abrasive to remove the oxidation while having a fine enough grit that the finished surface is smooth.</TD></TR></TABLE>


his results will be just fine without sandpaper

 

i think with polish, it'll be a little more uniform than sand paper.


too many times people sand deep grooves into this **** with paper.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by STREETWERKZ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i think with polish, it'll be a little more uniform than sand paper.


too many times people sand deep grooves into this **** with paper.</TD></TR></TABLE>

well, your light only has minor haze so sandpaper isnt really needed IMO.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by STREETWERKZ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i think with polish, it'll be a little more uniform than sand paper.


too many times people sand deep grooves into this **** with paper.</TD></TR></TABLE>
That isn't correct, sand paper would end up the same, wether its oxidized on not, the deciding factor is how DEEP the damage is into the plastic. If you have a huge fear of simply sanding headlights, you should know that every car after its painted is sanded and them buffed, and they seem to turn out just fine. Also, sanding would be a more permanent solution, it would remove the oxidized layer of the carbonate and allow you to reapply a clear coat to the plastic. Polishing simply adds a temporary protectant to the newly exposed plastic, and will tarnish over time, some times even within a week or two. Also, polish will not remove the micro damage from stones and what not striking the lens over time, sanding will. I'm not saying you HAVE to sand these to fix them, by all means try just polishing, I wish mine had required polishing only.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Ohgodzirra &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
you should know that every car after its painted is sanded and them buffed, and they seem to turn out just fine. </TD></TR></TABLE>


you dont have me sanding cars though. hahaha, id score a hole for sure.