How to Restore Faded Headlights
- 1). Wash and dry the headlights to remove any road film, dirt or grime.
- 2). Wet 600-grit sandpaper and sand the headlights in a circular motion. Continue wetting the sandpaper to ensure the paper does not get clogged with sanding material from the headlight. Continue sanding the headlights until the faded outer layer is removed.
- 3). Wash and dry the headlights. Wet-sand the headlights with 1,000-grit sandpaper to remove any sanding marks from the 600-grit paper. Use water to keep the sandpaper from clogging.
- 4). Rinse off then dry the headlights. Use 1,500-grit sandpaper and polish them in a circular motion. This finely grained sandpaper will remove any scratches and restore the surface to a polished appearance. As with previous wet sanding efforts, keep the sandpaper rinsed and wet to ensure no clogging occurs. Wash and dry the headlights.
- 5). Use a plastic polish (Mother's, Meguiar's, Nexus, 3M or another brand) to buff the headlights to a high gloss. The polish will also add protection to the plastic, increasing UV resistance and protection from the elements.
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