FocusCanada Forums

Full Version: 3m Plastic Cleaner
You're currently viewing a stripped down version of our content. View the full version with proper formatting.
Well I had picked up a set of used headlights off of DrunkinMonkey a few weeks back. They were in poor shape, very poor. They are yellow, hazy, in desperate need of polishing. I was prepared to get all of the required grits of wet/dry paper to remove all the surface coating and polish up the lense. I stopped into a local paint supply shop here in Scarborough ready to all the paper that I would need to complete the job.

Well after finding out how much wet/dry paper costs and that I would have to recoat the light with a UV coating or Laminx the guy at the store offered me another option. 3M Plastic Cleaner 39017. For $13 I think its money well spent. Lets just say I am quite supprised with the results so far. With a little elbow grease and persistance the haze is just being buffed away. Check the pictures below and see my results so far.

[Image: IMG_3658.jpg]

Before
[Image: IMG_3645.jpg]

After
[Image: IMG_3648.jpg]
[Image: IMG_3657.jpg]

I know that I still have a bit of polishing to do but I am happy with how things are turning out so far. I will post final pic's when I am complete.
Good job. Looks Great! I also find Meguires PlastX works very well.
I forgot to include this in my original post. I picked this polish up at at a paint supply shop around the corner from my house. The info is as follows:

Gard-X Automotive Refinish Inc.
4500 Sheppard Ave E. Unit 42
Toronto, ON
M1S 3R6

(416) 656-0663

Another service that they offer is custom mixed rattle cans. They are larger than a standard spray bomb and they charge $30 per can. They are a PPG Platinum Distributor.
Here is a good tutorial on how to make your headlights look like new again
http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/clean_nas...html?amp;t=5844
It's a more involving process because you have to polish them with 3-4 types of sandpaper but it's worth it. It took the yellow out of mine but I still have to do it again cause last time I did not had a finer sandpaper and it's still a it blurry.
3M also has full kit to do this, here it is http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_U...ucts/Headlight/
Well I was thinking of going that route but I was warned that I would be removing the UV protectant film that was factory installed on the lense. I would have to apply a Laminx coating after completing the sanding or the lens would yellow within months. What I am doing is actually polishing the UV coating to a like new condition. As you can see from the pictures it is coming along very well.
Focus man, Focus.,May 3 2009, 10:36 AM Wrote:Well I was thinking of going that route but I was warned that I would be removing the UV protectant film that was factory installed on the lense.  I would have to apply a Laminx coating after completing the sanding or the lens would yellow within months.  What I am doing is actually polishing the UV coating to a like new condition.  As you can see from the pictures it is coming along very well.
[right][snapback]286417[/snapback][/right]

Never thought about that. I'll do it one more time on mine and immediately I'll install some smoked Lamin-X for protection
I have also used the Maguiars PlastiX, and I got great results with it. My dad used it on the lightbar and headlight lenses on his Topaz, but he used a 6" orbital polisher with it, and then he used actual wax on the lenses to seal them, and that actually worked out really well, and lasted a long time before he had to do it again.

Maybe I'll look for that 3M stuff, as it's really good quality...