Why 3M Headlight Restoration Kit > Meguiar's Plastx X 100,000
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Has anyone ever determined what causes the haze? My lenses were horrible. I live in FL and usually park outside so the sun could be the culprit. Right after I polished my headlights, I used a do-it-yourself car wash, and some of the chemicals instantly caused my lenses to haze.
I tried nearly every product out there. Maguire's Plast-X is ok and easy to use. Only lasts about 1 month. I used the 3m kit. A little better than plast-x, but much more labor. Maybe 2 months. The best and easiest I have ever found is some stuff called FW1, High Performance Cleaning Wax with Carnuba. Discovered it on accident. I was doing my car and got overspray on the headlights. When I wiped it off the "yellow" haze came off easily. It works as well or better than the 3m and lasts 2-3 months. By far the easist to use that I have found.
I tried nearly every product out there. Maguire's Plast-X is ok and easy to use. Only lasts about 1 month. I used the 3m kit. A little better than plast-x, but much more labor. Maybe 2 months. The best and easiest I have ever found is some stuff called FW1, High Performance Cleaning Wax with Carnuba. Discovered it on accident. I was doing my car and got overspray on the headlights. When I wiped it off the "yellow" haze came off easily. It works as well or better than the 3m and lasts 2-3 months. By far the easist to use that I have found.
#52
I've tried rubbing compound, it does a comparable job to plast-x, lasts about the same. I enjoy detailing. I pretty much devoted 2-3 years to find a product that would work (which most of them did to some extent) and last (none of them was a permanent solution). The FW1 product lasts as long or longer than anything else I've tried and it is by far the easiest to use (3-4 minutes per headlight and most of that is waiting for it to dry to a haze). It comes in an aerosol can. It is actually pretty good stuff for the paint too, i use it in between full waxes or to quickly protect areas that i used a clay bar. I don't make the stuff or sell it or have any economic interest in the product for those wondering.
The 3m process scared the crap out of me. To tell you the truth, I was just happy that the headlights survived. And 3m is a lot of work compared to the others.
The 3m process scared the crap out of me. To tell you the truth, I was just happy that the headlights survived. And 3m is a lot of work compared to the others.
#53
I didn't just hear about it, I DID IT!! When I opened my headlights to paint the bezels, I noticed the inside of the lens had a "film" on it. I used a microfiber cloth gently and it destroyed the inside. The more I tried to fix my mistake the worse I made it. Unless somebody else has experience and the right product or process, my recommendation is: DO NOT TOUCH THE INSIDE OF THE LENSES.
Just beware, I've heard (never anything official though) that the inside of the lens has some sort of UV coating that you would be stripping off if you were to do the inside... although obviously if they're starting to have problems on the inside, that coating must be starting to go anyway.
Just do the outside first though, and you'll have a much better idea of what's going on inside the lens.
Just do the outside first though, and you'll have a much better idea of what's going on inside the lens.
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