headlights fogging up

Hey guys, I was wondering if you knew what caused headlights to get fog spots on them.

and also is there anyway to remove them...i'm thinking not?

and would these look good on my car do you think?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/97-98-99-MITSUBISHI-ECLIPSE-BLACK-HALO-HEAD-LIGHTS-JDM_W0QQitemZ180117114238QQihZ008QQcategoryZ33710Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

thanks guys!

I know I've seen a special cleaner for fogged up head lights at stores, I don't remember how much it cost. Does it actually work? I don't know, haven't needed it, but I assume it does. I did hear from somewhere that you can use Transmission fluid to clean out those headlights too, but don't hold me to that.

Are you talkin about spots on the inside of the headlight or outside?

Inside spots means you have a crack or opening somewhere in the headlight seal and moisture is collecting inside of it. Only way to fix that is find the opening and seal it shut or replace the headlights.

Outside spots is oxidation on the plastic and any fine rubbing compound with a clean rag will remove this. Of course sometimes it will reoccur too...

thanks, I will try that out.....I beleive its the outside


what causes it??

Just natural abuse from the sun, rain, heat, cold, etc... It would be like a painted bumper without wax... Another great way to test the theorys of sunlight abuse is to take something black and set it outside where it will be in constant sunlight for weeks. When you look at it again it will not be black anymore unless it is something waxed or protected with some type of coating...

I used to have the same problem with my 1995 talon. The secret is... Flitz, it can be bought at a local autozone, advance auto, ect. Just use some of that and they will look brand new. Just whenever you take it throught a automatic car wash you will have to reapply Flitz. Flitz will run you about 7 or 8 bucks if i remember correctly, but its totally worth every penny

I used to have the same problem with my 1995 talon. The secret is... Flitz, it can be bought at a local autozone, advance auto, ect. Just use some of that and they will look brand new. Just whenever you take it throught a automatic car wash you will have to reapply Flitz. Flitz will run you about 7 or 8 bucks if i remember correctly, but its totally worth every penny
I never heard of it... Whats it do? What kinda chemical is it?

I'm guessing your talking about this...I will have to give this a try, thank you


http://www.properautocare.com/flmepofipare.html

Yeah not alot of people have heard about it but it work amazing. Im not really sure what kind of chemicals are in it, but it works. It just basically applied like a wax would be except you dont want to let it sit on there you want to apply it and then wipe it with a dry cloth

yea thats the stuff. try it you wont be disappointed

I will do that

thanks!

I never heard of it... Whats it do? What kinda chemical is it?

If you go with the paste, it's:

Assorted Petroleum Distillates
Polydiethanolamid
Crystalline Silica
Ammonia
Water

I couldn't find the Flitz stuff anywhere around here, but I did try this $15 kit that had different grades of sandpaper and some plastic polish.

waste of money

anyone else with any other ideas, i think i'm just going to give up and buy some new ones

Give me your old ones, I'll pay the shipping. ;)

why?

Theres some custom stuff I want to try and I don't want to do it on mine because they're in perfect condition.

I couldn't find the Flitz stuff anywhere around here, but I did try this $15 kit that had different grades of sandpaper and some plastic polish.

waste of money

anyone else with any other ideas, i think i'm just going to give up and buy some new ones
Why would you use sandpaper on em???

Did you try a fine rubbing compound on a rag yet?...

I couldn't find the Flitz stuff anywhere around here, but I did try this $15 kit that had different grades of sandpaper and some plastic polish.

waste of money

anyone else with any other ideas, i think i'm just going to give up and buy some new ones

I got the ones you showed there (except 95/96) Il lget a picture up sometime to show you what they look like in mine... the black housing is sexy.

----
Will get one up tomorrow, dont have any on me.

Why would you use sandpaper on em???
It works AWESOME! some wet sand, and some WD-40... works the best! :smokin: i used it with some rubbing compound afterwords, my headlights look actually BRAND SPANKING NEW! NO yellow, NO fading, NO oxydation, NO chips, nothing! BRAND NEW HEADLIGHTS... only cost about $6 for several wetsand sand paper, then the rubbing compound... WORKS the BEST in my opinion! check it out!
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x104/DSMtuner646/beforeafter.jpg
ok so thats pretty much what mine where like, not yellow and shit, just cloudy with the lights on, but then i did the wet sand, and Wah-La... their is a write up on tuners that i followed only rather then water i used WD-40 (WAY BETTER), and stole the pic from! ;) but i didnt save the link...

Why would you use sandpaper on em???

Did you try a fine rubbing compound on a rag yet?...

the idea is that you are only using really fine sandpaper, and you start with 1000 grit and work your way up to about 2500 grit then use the compound to polish




It works AWESOME! some wet sand, and some WD-40... works the best! :smokin: i used it with some rubbing compound afterwords, my headlights look actually BRAND SPANKING NEW! NO yellow, NO fading, NO oxydation, NO chips, nothing! BRAND NEW HEADLIGHTS... only cost about $6 for several wetsand sand paper, then the rubbing compound... WORKS the BEST in my opinion! check it out!

ok so thats pretty much what mine where like, not yellow and shit, just cloudy with the lights on, but then i did the wet sand, and Wah-La... their is a write up on tuners that i followed only rather then water i used WD-40 (WAY BETTER), and stole the pic from! ;) but i didnt save the link...


what kind of sandpapter did you use?

http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/3893/picture007bv9.jpg

And to really see them... (this one isnt resized so it keeps the quality)
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/3230/picture008eh8.jpg

ya, they are nice...but didn't want to shell out all that money for new headlights

what kind of sandpapter did you use?

I used 1000 and A LOT of WD-40 to start with, and sanded it down till it all was about the same texture and the same cloudy look all over the whole lense (do it right, take the lights off the car!), then i sanded the HELL out of it with 2500, and just enough WD-40 to keep it moist. then i cleaned them with rubbing alcohol untill they wherent slick anymore from the WD-40, then i polished them with some rubbing compound and they came out AWESOME!

thanks for the tip

wet sand and buffing with rubbing compound is the best way to get rid of fog headlights... heres mine after...they were yellow!

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a285/crazydriver7686/11talonheadlight.jpg

http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/3893/picture007bv9.jpg

And to really see them... (this one isnt resized so it keeps the quality)
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/3230/picture008eh8.jpg
What the freak... I looked all over the place for those that didn't have the corners cut like mine. I thought I had seen them before but couldn't find any sign of their existence... Oh well, mine make it look more aggresive. lol

After reading this thread I decided that my headlights were a little bit foggy too. So today I took some 2000 grit I had laying around and hit the headlights up, using some soapy water as a lubricant. Most work I've done in a long time....time consuming too. After that I buffed them with some KIT buffing compound that I also had laying around. After that I finished them up with some Mothers wax. They came out beautiful.....the lenses are sooo smooth and slick, I lovey.

After reading this thread I decided that my headlights were a little bit foggy too. So today I took some 2000 grit I had laying around and hit the headlights up, using some soapy water as a lubricant. Most work I've done in a long time....time consuming too. After that I buffed them with some KIT buffing compound that I also had laying around. After that I finished them up with some Mothers wax. They came out beautiful.....the lenses are sooo smooth and slick, I lovey.

told ya! what about pix?

told ya! :1:

I didn't take any before, But i can take some after if you care to see.

Hmmm If it works that well I might go do it on my stock ones and see how they look, maybe put them back in or just sell them haha.

well, as said earlier. I spent alot of time doing this method (wetsanding with 1000-2500 grit/polish with rubbing compound) and when it was all said and done it looks still kinda band, maybe my headlights were just that bad

Well if you want to get rid of them hit me up.

Well if you want to get rid of them hit me up.

lol sounds good

You guys are putting way too much work into it. I took about 3 minutes with some finish cut buffing compound and the buffer.....my headlights now look tits.

You guys are putting way too much work into it. I took about 3 minutes with some finish cut buffing compound and the buffer.....my headlights now look tits.
Isn't that like what I told em to do on page one? lol :dunno:

I don't have a buffer, plus I didnt feel like having to take the headlights out then having to put them back in and realign them.

I don't have a buffer, plus I didnt feel like having to take the headlights out then having to put them back in and realign them.
Dude, you coulda hand buffed em in place! lol :lol:


Your makin it out to be so much harder than it is... I am sad. lol

I didn't remove my headlights, I just buffed them when I buffed the rest of the car.

Dude, you coulda hand buffed em in place! lol :lol:

I did hand buff them...with them on the car.

wow, i didn't think this thread was going to be 3+ pages long

well, as said earlier. I spent alot of time doing this method (wetsanding with 1000-2500 grit/polish with rubbing compound) and when it was all said and done it looks still kinda band, maybe my headlights were just that bad
try it agian with someting like 1500 and take your time! i spent about 4+1/2 hours on EACH lense! but mine look BRAND NEW! so its all about what your going for... i will work, i promise! just take your time and keep it wet!

Edit: here is EVERYTHING i did to make mine look BRAND SPANKING NEW!!!

-You need grits 320,600,800, 1500, 2000, and 2500 of Wetordry sandpaper, Mother's metal polish, a rag, Plastic polish, and a buffing wheel (I used a plug-in Black&Decker 7" 2 speed, 3/4 HP buffer).

Start off by removing the entire headlight housing from the car. Begin wetsanding the surface with the 320 grit and KEEP IT WET. Take your time and make sure you sand equally over all of the lense. Keep at it with the 320 until the rockchips are gone. Next, move on to wetsanding with the 600 grit, then to 800, 1500, 2000, and 2500. I took at least 7-10 minutes with each grit for best results. Now, the lense should look really fogged up and way worse than when you started. This is normal! IMPORTANTbreak for smoke between each grit change...

Take a cotton rag and use it to rub metal polish across the lense. Begin buffing it by hand using the rag. Be generous with the metal polish and put some muscle into it. Take at least 10 minutes with this stage. *another smoke...

Now the lense should look clear, but no very glossy. Take another rag and use it to smooth plastic polish over the surface of the lense. Now use the powered buffing wheel to buff the lense until all the polish is gone and the lense is looking glossier. With an amazing 3/4 Horsepower-powered wheel, I had to secure the headlight housing between my feet. Do this 4 or 6 times. * smoke breaks between obviously!

If you completed all of the above, the headlight lense should look as good as new. Stick the housing back in, switch on your lights, and be amazed.. It looks clean

hope that helps...:smokin:

try it agian with someting like 1500 and take your time! i spent about 4+1/2 hours on EACH lense! but mine look BRAND NEW! so its all about what your going for... i will work, i promise! just take your time and keep it wet!

Edit: here is EVERYTHING i did to make mine look BRAND SPANKING NEW!!!

-You need grits 320,600,800, 1500, 2000, and 2500 of Wetordry sandpaper, Mother's metal polish, a rag, Plastic polish, and a buffing wheel (I used a plug-in Black&Decker 7" 2 speed, 3/4 HP buffer).

Start off by removing the entire headlight housing from the car. Begin wetsanding the surface with the 320 grit and KEEP IT WET. Take your time and make sure you sand equally over all of the lense. Keep at it with the 320 until the rockchips are gone. Next, move on to wetsanding with the 600 grit, then to 800, 1500, 2000, and 2500. I took at least 7-10 minutes with each grit for best results. Now, the lense should look really fogged up and way worse than when you started. This is normal! IMPORTANTbreak for smoke between each grit change...

Take a cotton rag and use it to rub metal polish across the lense. Begin buffing it by hand using the rag. Be generous with the metal polish and put some muscle into it. Take at least 10 minutes with this stage. *another smoke...

Now the lense should look clear, but no very glossy. Take another rag and use it to smooth plastic polish over the surface of the lense. Now use the powered buffing wheel to buff the lense until all the polish is gone and the lense is looking glossier. With an amazing 3/4 Horsepower-powered wheel, I had to secure the headlight housing between my feet. Do this 4 or 6 times. * smoke breaks between obviously!

If you completed all of the above, the headlight lense should look as good as new. Stick the housing back in, switch on your lights, and be amazed.. It looks clean

hope that helps...:smokin:

thanks for the advise man!

I would NOT suggest using anything coarser than 1000 on your headlights, a simple powerbuffer will take the fogging away, but wetsanding them is for getting out SMALL rockchips, but the more you sand on them, the thinner they get and tend to chip/crack easier.

Like I said, 5 minutes with a buffer and you'll be good to go.

I would NOT suggest using anything coarser than 1000 on your headlights, a simple powerbuffer will take the fogging away, but wetsanding them is for getting out SMALL rockchips, but the more you sand on them, the thinner they get and tend to chip/crack easier.

Like I said, 5 minutes with a buffer and you'll be good to go.

using the rougher grits to take out the scratches and rock chips only! (Dont use more anything coarser then 1000 if you have no rock chips) *looks like dust in the headlight when you turn it on, thats what i had, used exactly what i posted, exactly the same way, my headlights look 100% BRAND NEW!!! i know coarser shit is scary to use, but i did it and mine came out GREAT! i can get pics if you like. just got to find the Damn camera... :popcorn:

^^^ With that said, just be very, very careful when using anything rougher than 500 because it won't take long to wear out the plastic and the next thing you know you've sanded right through. Sand down only as far as you must go and no farther.

When I did mine, I used 2000 and 2500 grit wet sand paper I sanded the shit out of them for about 20 minutes each. Then I used Maguires Plastics cleaner to take away the fine scratches, I buffed them both with a rag for about 10 minutes each. Both lights came out perfect and I did remove them from the car to work on them. After I did them my buddies noticed cause when I'd pull up to there house they could see how nice they looked and we ended up doing there head lights too. Also I've heard that you can use Alluminum polish as well instead of the plastics cleaner but never got around to trying it out. Good Luck.

Anybody else nervous they're going to mess up their oh-so-expensive-to-replace headlights? haha

ya, thats why i just said "fuck it"

it no longer a big deal to me anymore, maybe this winter when its garaged i'll pull them off and try the above ideas

Dude, Its crazy I know, but toothpaste helps. Of course it washes off and is by no means a perminate fix. But it'll hold you over if you want your car looking hott for a night out. :loser:

Simple as:
1- toothpaste on rag
2- rub toothpaste firmly into headlights (like you're waxing)
3- rub clean spot of rag accoss lightly to remove access

Gives your headlights a minty fresh feeling :icon16: