Restoring Clarity Of Headlamp Lenses

[NewportLori]

I am original owner of a 1999 2WD RX 300 purchased in June 1998. The acrylic headlamp lenses have lost some of their clarity and I'm looking for the best product to use to restore and polish them to as close to new as possible. There are many products and kits out there and they all claim to work.

Any advice on what works best? I'd rather not have to go through the process of using 1000 grit sandpaper and buff with a drill if possible.

[RX in NC]

When my wife had her previous 2000 RX300, I found that using a small amount of the bathroom cleaner product called Soft Scrub on a wet washcloth did the trick quickly and inexpensively. It's actually made for cleaning countertops and sinks without scratching them and we use the product in all of our bathrooms as well as our kitchen, utility room, and garage.

Dab a small portion of Soft Scrub on the wet cloth, scrub the lens vigorously, wipe with clean water, and repeat a couple of times and finally dry with an old towel. This system was never a permanent fix, but you simply won't find a permanent fix for this particular design flaw (lousy-quality lens cover plastic). The "headlight grunge" would eventually return, and I wound up using Soft Scrub on her lens covers every 45 days or so. Took me about two minutes total to clean both lens covers. This method is very inexpensive and easy, and I would try it first before you invest significant money in other attempts to restore your lens covers.

Her current 2004 RX330 appears to have a much better-quality lens cover material so the "headlight grunge" issue has not been a problem with that particular vehicle thus far....

[RobertLx]

Hey guys. Im new here.

Regarding your headlight problem, I work in a garage, we use this product all the time. It works great.

Its not "cheap" plastic. Its actually clear coat that wears off over time. Just like the paint on your car has clear coat, so does your headlamps. This stuff restores the clear coat after you sand off the original coat.

Anyways, it works great. I suggest you try it out.

[NewportLori]

When my wife had her previous 2000 RX300, I found that using a small amount of the bathroom cleaner product called Soft Scrub on a wet washcloth did the trick quickly and inexpensively. It's actually made for cleaning countertops and sinks without scratching them and we use the product in all of our bathrooms as well as our kitchen, utility room, and garage.

Dab a small portion of Soft Scrub on the wet cloth, scrub the lens vigorously, wipe with clean water, and repeat a couple of times and finally dry with an old towel. This system was never a permanent fix, but you simply won't find a permanent fix for this particular design flaw (lousy-quality lens cover plastic). The "headlight grunge" would eventually return, and I wound up using Soft Scrub on her lens covers every 45 days or so. Took me about two minutes total to clean both lens covers. This method is very inexpensive and easy, and I would try it first before you invest significant money in other attempts to restore your lens covers.

Her current 2004 RX330 appears to have a much better-quality lens cover material so the "headlight grunge" issue has not been a problem with that particular vehicle thus far....

That's an interesting and inexpensive way to go. I wonder if you apply some sort of polish and sealant following the Soft Scrub if the clarity would last longer. I may try Bar Keeper's Friend (which is much less abrasive than SS) first to see if that works. If not, then SS followed by BKF for a fine polish, then a sealant (which one - I don't know).

[NewportLori]

Hey guys. Im new here.

Regarding your headlight problem, I work in a garage, we use this product all the time. It works great.

Its not "cheap" plastic. Its actually clear coat that wears off over time. Just like the paint on your car has clear coat, so does your headlamps. This stuff restores the clear coat after you sand off the original coat.

Anyways, it works great. I suggest you try it out.

Thank you. It looks like I have to contact a sales rep to order it. I've seen similar kits online but they involve a pad that is used on a standard two-speed drill to buff the lenses out. You are supposed to mask off the surrounding painted areas to make sure you don't accidentally strip them as well. I may try this if a simpler method doesn't work.

This product is heavily advertised and promotoed online and claims to be "backed by the Federal government" because he was able to get a patent. Looking at his eBay feedback, it doesn't work well. His FB is actually funny because he adds his own glorifying comments to each one. Just the excessive claims alone would make me skeptical of trying it.

[blk_on_blk]

I used $2/can polishing compund with some elbow grease and mine cleaned up beautifully. I still have some minor deep stains/marks, but I'm going to hit them again with the polishing compund using a power buffer and that should bring them right back up to a nice brilliant shine... then I may finish them off with some plastic polish, just to take out any swirls from the polishing compound. Cleaning them isn't rocket science... you've just got to polish off the pitted and oxidized surface, then it'll look nice and new again!

[ethridgedsb]

I tried the Soft Scrub on my 99 RX300 headlamp lenses and it worked really well. My lens covers look almost like new again. I followed up with a couple of coats of wax. I'll report back in a month or so as to how it holds up. Thanks for the tip.