Headlight lenses......HELP!

[Rick Parker]

Maybe some of you can relate to this on your own daily driver.

I have a '98 Ford SVT Contour that I drive 60+ miles daily, to & from work. The headlight lenses have yellowed and are not as clear as they once were and the amout of light projected suffers too. It feels like there is a build up on the lens surface. The car is washed weekly and we don't have any snow or any real harsh weather. Is there a product or procedure available to clean or polish the surface of the lens to renew the appearance, or is the only solution to replace the lenses?

Thanks

Rick

[Bumpster]

I've got the same problem on a 1993 Ranger. I've seen some products advertised for this but I've been told that they don't work well.

Bumpster

[Fox]

I polish the plactic lenses and window of my Miata with Novus Plastic Polish.

It comes as in three grades, #1 is a polish, #2 is for light scratches, and #3 is for deeper scratches. Like grits of sand paper, if you use #3 you must follow it up with #'s 2 and 1.

It does a great job. I bought mine through Moss Motors, but I have seen it in many cataloges and at NAPA/Autozone.

Hope that helps.

-John

[Ron61]

Rick,

I am not sure if this would take the stain off the lens but I use a product called wet paint on all of my cars, body, chrome, and glass and I have never had a problem. It doesn't fill in scratches but gives a very deep, slick finish and bugs just slide off easily. I use it on everthing except something pourous. My 65 Comet headlights are just as clear as they were 20 years ago but I don't know if this is because they are glass instead of the plastic type or not.

Ron

[DougD]

Rick
I have the same problem on two of our Fords. I've tried polishing them, but if the car sees significant sunshine, the yellowing just returns. Replacement is the only sure cure. You might be able to find aftermarket lenses (marketed to the "ricer" crowd) or replacements from Ford. Neither option will be cheap.
Doug