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Need UV protector for Plastic Headlight

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That works and you know that it works cause you used it over a year ago and your headlights are still clear after sanding and polishing.......and then applying the UV protector.

 

Anybody got any experience with a product that works?

 

I know now that the plastic gets yellow from the UV sun rays and that the yellow is in the plastic. I have been using NOVUS plastic polish but that doesn't prevent the yellow from coming back.

 

Take care of that Subaru,

 

John

I just use wax on mine. Most waxes have some kind of UV protection. There's also kits that have some kind of finishing goop in it.

  • 3 weeks later...
  • Author

The wax sounds like a good move. I heard something about 3M making a film that can be used for UV and rock protection.

I've used the 3M protectors; they're a soft, flexible, plastic material with adhesive on one side.

They work quite well, except if you need to remove them the adhesive remains stuck to the headlight surface and is a nightmare to get off.

After several years, one of the protectors became progressively more opaque, apparently due to prolonged sun exposure.

After softening the adhesive with a hair dryer, it peeled off easily but the adhesive remaining on the headlight took several hours worth of elbow grease using a rag soaked in "Goop"; I tried denatured alcohol but it just didn't cut it. And I was reluctant to use paint thinner or acetone for fear of damaging the plastic headlight surface.

I now use Meguiars PlastX clear plastic cleaner and polish, which I got at an auto supply store, every so often as the headlight surface starts to become oxidized. Takes just a few minutes and works beautifully.

Oh, for the good old days of glass headlights. True, they could break if hit by a stone, but they were far cheaper to replace than the ones on cars now. And the glass ones were far more resistant to pitting than these costly plastic headlight assemblies.

JDM first gen legacies got glass headlights, whilst we got plastic.

 

Any body in Japan want to ship me some headlights for a 93 Legacy???

  • Author
I've used the 3M protectors; they're a soft, flexible, plastic material with adhesive on one side.

They work quite well, except if you need to remove them the adhesive remains stuck to the headlight surface and is a nightmare to get off.

After several years, one of the protectors became progressively more opaque, apparently due to prolonged sun exposure.

After softening the adhesive with a hair dryer, it peeled off easily but the adhesive remaining on the headlight took several hours worth of elbow grease using a rag soaked in "Goop"; I tried denatured alcohol but it just didn't cut it. And I was reluctant to use paint thinner or acetone for fear of damaging the plastic headlight surface.

I now use Meguiars PlastX clear plastic cleaner and polish, which I got at an auto supply store, every so often as the headlight surface starts to become oxidized. Takes just a few minutes and works beautifully.

Oh, for the good old days of glass headlights. True, they could break if hit by a stone, but they were far cheaper to replace than the ones on cars now. And the glass ones were far more resistant to pitting than these costly plastic headlight assemblies.

 

Thank you for the tips ! So the Meguiars PlastX cleans off the yellow too?

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