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      06-20-2015, 11:26 AM   #23
MRatedZ
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I did a 3M kit as well.. but believe it or not... this was the best advertised product I have ever used on a vehicle of mine!

http://www.wipenewheadlightrestore.c...FcgXHwodlWsA8g
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      06-24-2015, 10:31 AM   #24
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Wow. Just read the reviews online. Seems like it works! I'll have to give it a try next time.
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      10-01-2015, 08:42 PM   #25
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Good to know.. I'd been wondering as well. I put in an order.
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      10-03-2015, 02:35 PM   #26
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Here's how I polished 13 year old plastic headlights on my Focus (same plastic lenses as the Z) - takes about an hour. I found hand sanding worked best, start with enough grit to remove the existing haze - I used 180 (depending on the degree of haze you may start higher or lower). I then worked with wet paper through 320, then 1000, then 2000, finally machine polished with 1500 and 4000 polish. Needs a clear coat after to prevent UV from creating the haze. I forgot to take an after photo of the right light so the final is the other left lens. Photos show:
1. Before - pretty ugly
2. 180 sanded (scary to see at this stage but it gets better)
3. 320 grit (wet - use lots of water)
4. 1000 grit (wet - use lots of water)
5. 2000 grit (wet - use lots of water)
6. polishing
7. finished (yes its the other lense I forgot to photo the R-side one)
If you have the sandpaper and polish this costs basically nothing to do....
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      05-16-2016, 07:40 PM   #27
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Quick update to this thread.

I used the Turtle Wax kit on my zenons last night and the results were spectacular. It has a compound that you apply and buff clear with a terry cloth and then a base coat wipe and sealer wipe to finish. It also comes with four staged sanding pads and lubricant so you can wet sand stubborn oxidation.

I highly recommend it, particularly if you are wary of using a rotary polisher or drill attachment on your lights. (In Canada a new set is about $1500 per side). So I understand those who want to be careful.
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      06-20-2016, 10:11 AM   #28
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I don't have a new method, but I have a picture that shows the results. A giant picture but not bad for my first post. I bought the Turtle Wax kit and it didn't quite get me there. Used the spray in the kit and my own 1000 and 2000 grit sandpaper by hand, then finished with a rotary polisher using the Turtle Wax compound and finally the Meguiar's Scratch X. About an hour or two later and the headlights are like new. I sealed them with the Turtle Wax kit 2-part sealer and now time will tell. Any flaws on the lens photo are reflections, they really came out nice.
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      06-20-2016, 12:02 PM   #29
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Nice job, they turned out great!
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      06-20-2016, 12:59 PM   #30
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Looks good!

I have used the Turtle Wax kit on my car and mine turned out very nicely, with just the kit by itself. Great results for a minimal investment in my opinion.
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      06-20-2016, 07:08 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Huz-Z View Post
Looks good!

I have used the Turtle Wax kit on my car and mine turned out very nicely, with just the kit by itself. Great results for a minimal investment in my opinion.
Yeah, that's the bottom line for me. The kit was pretty cheap and the ingredients were helpful in getting the desired result.
Now I have to fix the high beams, they don't stay on when I move the stalk.
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      07-19-2016, 02:42 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Z4Lee View Post
Here's how I polished 13 year old plastic headlights on my Focus (same plastic lenses as the Z) - takes about an hour. I found hand sanding worked best, start with enough grit to remove the existing haze - I used 180 (depending on the degree of haze you may start higher or lower). I then worked with wet paper through 320, then 1000, then 2000, finally machine polished with 1500 and 4000 polish. Needs a clear coat after to prevent UV from creating the haze. I forgot to take an after photo of the right light so the final is the other left lens. Photos show:
1. Before - pretty ugly
2. 180 sanded (scary to see at this stage but it gets better)
3. 320 grit (wet - use lots of water)
4. 1000 grit (wet - use lots of water)
5. 2000 grit (wet - use lots of water)
6. polishing
7. finished (yes its the other lense I forgot to photo the R-side one)
If you have the sandpaper and polish this costs basically nothing to do....
I agree with this approach, except:

180 grit is way too aggressive. You'd end up with deep scratches that will make more work for you later. Start with 320.

I would also stop at 600 grit, since you're going to spray the lens with UV-resistance clear coat anyways. Paint will stick much better to a 600 grit sanded surface than a 2000 grit sanded surface. The clear coat will fill the scratches and you would never know the difference.

I used the U-POL clear in the orange can with spectacular results.

Before and after (and yes, that's smoked clear paint over the turn sig indicators, done by the previous owner....it sanded out nicely:

[/URL]
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