Headlight ?'s

Young-SC-Owner

Registered User
Whats the best way of getting clearcoat off of headlights?
My buddys 96 Stang...got repainted and they shot the headlights:eek::confused:

now they got ozidized and whats the best remedy
 
Carefully remove the lamps and place them in a nearby trash recepticle. Then open the boxes, remove the new ones, and install per service manual instructions.
 
Whats the best way of getting clearcoat off of headlights?
My buddys 96 Stang...got repainted and they shot the headlights:eek::confused:

now they got ozidized and whats the best remedy


Sorry to Say

Nothing will work thinner with eat into the plastic rubbing compound will scratch the serface. The reason on the headlights they have a clear coating from the factory and your clearcoat has etched into them already. Check with SCPI see if they have some replacement headlights
 
Carefully remove the lamps and place them in a nearby trash recepticle. Then open the boxes, remove the new ones, and install per service manual instructions.

I second that. Easier than trying something that doesn't work and wasting your time.
 
I second that. Easier than trying something that doesn't work and wasting your time.

Yep, these headlamps are molded from polycarbonate, which is a styrenic based plastic polymer. Remember when you were a kid? Model kits were (and are) made from styrene (also a styrenic based polymer, obviously). Remember the little bottle of liquid glue with the brush in the cap? Well, it wasn't really "glue", it was solvent. When applied to the plastic, it caused the part to melt, and weld to the adjoining part.

Same thing with polycarbonate headlamps. Anything much hotter than mineral spirits will attack the resin, causing it to melt or craze. And, from what I've seen, sanding/polishing only yields modest results at best.

So, throw 'em away and buy new ones...

JD

PS: What kind of shop would spray clear-coat on headlights, anyway?
 
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