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Dull Headlights

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  #31  
Old 04-01-2010, 01:56 PM
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Originally Posted by durangoguy16
i think there is enough ideas to clean the outside of your headlights...... NOW for the INSIDE..... stake the headlight out.... fill the headlight 1/4 the way with water.. add a bunch of ice cubes... and a good helping of salt... SHAKE VIGOROUSLY.... the water helps wash the crud off the salt acts as an abrasive and the ice cubes agitate the salt to remove the crud..
This is what I was looking for cleaning the inside, anymore ideas?
 
  #32  
Old 04-01-2010, 02:48 PM
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Autogeek has a few products:

http://www.autogeek.net/headlight-lens.html

FF
 
  #33  
Old 04-14-2010, 01:26 AM
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Originally Posted by TheLoBO
This is what I was looking for cleaning the inside, anymore ideas?
You need to replace those headlights, If you try to repair the inside you will b wasting your time and you still will have to replace them.
 
  #34  
Old 04-16-2010, 09:03 PM
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if u have plastic lenses don't use glass cleaner! it will leave scratchs
pledge all purpose works real good on cleaning inside/outside.

it won't get rid of yellowing or fogging. to restore ur headlights u need more then a polish. i recomnd 3m's headlight renewal kit. with this u sand the lenses w/ three different grits of sand paper(finner grits). it comes w/ a drill attachment. after the finnest grit u can polish ur lights till they look new.
mine were yellowing, fogged and flaking heres an after pic.

 
  #35  
Old 06-09-2010, 09:31 PM
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Originally Posted by 00dakSport
mine were yellowing, fogged and flaking heres an after pic.
If your headlights were flaking, they had been cleaned and sealed before. You can expect them to again yellow rapidly.
 
  #36  
Old 08-08-2010, 11:02 PM
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Originally Posted by dacaur
My grand cherokee headlights were really badly scratched and yellowed, I tried a few things, but what ended up working was starting with 120 grit sandpaper, then 400, then 800, then 1000, then 1500, then used polishing compund... it takes a LOT of elbow grease, but the result was worthwhile....
I used to do it on the side in high school. I always wet-sanded it. Add some water to your sanding to make sure it stays cool. Then just use a rubbing compound with a buffer on a low speed. Night and Day effect
 
  #37  
Old 08-30-2010, 01:27 PM
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Originally Posted by ShocK
If your headlights were flaking, they had been cleaned and sealed before. You can expect them to again yellow rapidly.
Actually, all headlights have a coating from the factory.

Eventually, due to neglect and exposure, that coating yellows and can ultimately flake and/or crust. In these severe cases, you need to wet sand to remove that coating, so a kit that includes sanding pads as well as polish and a polishing tool is a good investment.

Restored headlights can require more maintenance such as a light polishing every 2 months or so.
 
  #38  
Old 08-31-2010, 08:23 PM
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You can by the 3m lens restoration kit from amazon for $14

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ef=oss_product
 
  #39  
Old 09-14-2010, 09:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Jim D.
Actually, all headlights have a coating from the factory.

Eventually, due to neglect and exposure, that coating yellows and can ultimately flake and/or crust. In these severe cases, you need to wet sand to remove that coating, so a kit that includes sanding pads as well as polish and a polishing tool is a good investment.

Restored headlights can require more maintenance such as a light polishing every 2 months or so.
The factory coating does not flake. The flaking is a side effect of after market sealers.
 
  #40  
Old 09-15-2010, 03:07 PM
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Originally Posted by ShocK
The factory coating does not flake. The flaking is a side effect of after market sealers.
You may be correct on this model and/or year of Dakota, or possibly on some Dodges in general. Supply-run changes can also vary.

I will say that I have seen on many vehicles, depending on the severity of deterioration, it does indeed flake. I have seen it many times on many other makes that were not recoated -- maybe not necessarily this model and year of Dakota as I will admit I don't recall specifically if I have seen one of these Dakota lenses flake.

In general, if there is exterior degradation from a coating -- factory or not -- the lens can be cleaned up and visibility improved. A lot depends on the degradation of the core plastic, and Chryslers/Dodges in general are a challenge in this manner.

Part of the coating's purpose is to protect the plastic from UV damage (yellowing), and if it's not doing its job, the lens turns yellow throughout and there's nothing that can be done to get rid of the yellow.

So yes, sometimes a lens simply needs to be replaced.
 


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