Headlight Cleaning

[escortlvr]

Cleaned the headlights today. They both started like the driver's side light. Looks pretty good as always.

 

[Liquid_force]

I've read so many mixed reviews on these headlight restorers I held off for years on buying one.
Eventualy (recently) I bought the $17-21 3m kit from advance auto. It was on sale for $17 and I had a $5 discount code so I paid about $12.
My results were very similar to Escortlvr's. I wish I had tried one years ago.
I will definitely polish the lights on my Contour before I put it up for sale.

BIG improvement in appearance, minor improvement in illumination of the road at night.

 

[escortlvr]

I use a kit from advance auto the requires alot of manual labor. A wax and a Clearcoat. Costs $22, but works on everything I've used it on. Some lights are cracked and hazed from the inside though. So if you have moisture in your lights just replace them.

Crystal View Headlight Restorer

 

[luigisho]

Just picked that kit up today for the GTP. Worked pretty well on the SHO. You have to redo them every now and then though. Once the plastic starts breaking down there's not many options.

 

[escortlvr]

The Crystal View kit lasts about 2-3 yrs or so if you keep the car clean and headlights waxed

 

[luigisho]

My Gen III is so beat up that that doesn't really happen. After the deep rectangular shopping cart looking dent in the round part of the rear quarter, I gave up.

 

[RonPorter]

3M Kit. Got it for $16. Absolutely rocks!! All you need is a drill.

Others have also used it on seriously cloudy yellow SHO headlights and it makes them like new.

 

[Vash]

i did mine a week or so ago and they turned out really good. i just used some sandpaper and buffing compound i had laying around. looks pretty good for less than 5 bucks worth of supplies being used. took about 2 hours though...

 

[kvm101]

Just get some 1000, 1500 or 2000 grit wet n dry sand paper. Wet sand headlight then buff with buffer at around 2000 rpm with Meguiars # 9 power clean.
I saw on the first post clearcoat came with one of the headlight kits. According to a painter at a collision center I worked he said buffing lights without spaying them with clearcoat defeats the purpose.
I never cleared mine after a buff on my 98 Catera ( of course that was just to get it ready to sell for my SHO), but my 97SHO well may be worth pulling them out after buffing and spraying a coat of urethane clear.

 

[Vash]

i did that on my sable sanded them down, polished them and then cleared them they have been good for the last 2 years so far. look great too!

 

[Funmart6]

The lights look really good. I use some turtle wax polishing compound and a buffer to keep my lights clear, it works and is cheap as heck, I have had the same can of polish for years.

 

[digeronimo34]

I used the same product on my gen 2 and my headlights are 300 % betterlooking and I can see better at night.