84 Legacy pitted headlight covers

[Zootal]

The plastic headlight cover things that my headlights are in have become
badly pitted over the years, and now the headlights are very noticeably dim.
I went to the dealer and they said you have to replace the entire assemply
for about $280...each(!!!).

Any alternatives? Anyone else have this problem? This car isn't worth
spending close to $600 just so the headlights are bright again.

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

The plastic headlight cover things that my headlights are in have become
badly pitted over the years, and now the headlights are very noticeably dim.
I went to the dealer and they said you have to replace the entire assemply
for about $280...each(!!!).

Any alternatives? Anyone else have this problem? This car isn't worth
spending close to $600 just so the headlights are bright again.

There are polishing kits and DIY approaches to the problem. Basically
2-3 sanding steps and a mechanical or chemical polish followed by heavy
wax or clearcoat.
Unless the problem is inside - then you're likely hosed.

try a search on 'headlight polishing' or 'fix yellow headlight lens' etc.

Carl

 

[altgeezer]

The plastic headlight cover things that my headlights are in have become
badly pitted over the years, and now the headlights are very noticeably dim.
I went to the dealer and they said you have to replace the entire assemply
for about $280...each(!!!).

Any alternatives? Anyone else have this problem? This car isn't worth
spending close to $600 just so the headlights are bright again.

Usually the problem is the clearcoat on the outside. I have had a
number of vehicles with this problem. The halogen bulbs are hot and
cause the clearcoat to "craze" just like the varnish on old furniture
exposed to sunlight.
You can buff it out. If you don't have a buffer, get a friend who does
to do it.
(Of course, you must use buffing compound.)
Easy fix, mine need it no the old Legacy I just purchased, not to
worry.

I would be surprised if this is pitting from gravel, alone.

 

[nobody >]

The plastic headlight cover things that my headlights are in have become
badly pitted over the years, and now the headlights are very noticeably dim.
I went to the dealer and they said you have to replace the entire assemply
for about $280...each(!!!).

Any alternatives? Anyone else have this problem? This car isn't worth
spending close to $600 just so the headlights are bright again.

Pick up a bottle of Meguiar's #17 Plastic Polish. You'll have to work
at it a little (follow the instructions, obviously). I find that if you
hand-buff hard enough to feel a definite warmth, you're getting a good job.

This is the same stuff that the USAF used for years to polish Plexiglas
canopies. Most any decent auto supply place has it.

 

[Vanguard]

The plastic headlight cover things that my headlights are in have
become badly pitted over the years, and now the headlights are very
noticeably dim. I went to the dealer and they said you have to
replace the entire assemply for about $280...each(!!!).

Any alternatives? Anyone else have this problem? This car isn't
worth spending close to $600 just so the headlights are bright
again.

http://www.myheadlights.com
$20 at Advance Auto (probably the same at Walmart)
Not cheap but you'll probably spend that on getting the PROPER
do-it-yourself alternatives, like wet sand paper (1200 grit or
higher), plastic polish, and lexan clear coat (like airplanes use on
their plastic windshields).

Just make sure you have done a thorough job of sanding the lens before
coating it to make sure all the yellow is out. However, if you
actually have *pits* then you would have to grind your lens down a
hell of lot to remove them.

There was a thread on this over at
http://www.bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?t=739. However, it
discussed how to get rid of dullness and yellowing, not actual pits.

 

[Ook]

http://www.myheadlights.com
$20 at Advance Auto (probably the same at Walmart)
Not cheap but you'll probably spend that on getting the PROPER
do-it-yourself alternatives, like wet sand paper (1200 grit or higher),
plastic polish, and lexan clear coat (like airplanes use on their plastic
windshields).

Just make sure you have done a thorough job of sanding the lens before
coating it to make sure all the yellow is out. However, if you actually
have *pits* then you would have to grind your lens down a hell of lot to
remove them.

There was a thread on this over at
http://www.bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?t=739. However, it
discussed how to get rid of dullness and yellowing, not actual pits.

$19.95 at Walmart. These pics say it all

http://zootal.no-ip.info/stuff/2006 Oct 21 Subaru headlights/images/DSCF6251.jpg
http://zootal.no-ip.info/stuff/2006 Oct 21 Subaru headlights/images/DSCF6252.jpg

 

[Vanguard]

"Ook" <Ook Don't send me any freakin' spam at zootal dot com delete
the Don't send me any freakin' spam> wrote in message

$19.95 at Walmart. These pics say it all

http://zootal.no-ip.info/stuff/2006 Oct 21 Subaru headlights/images/DSCF6251.jpg
http://zootal.no-ip.info/stuff/2006 Oct 21 Subaru headlights/images/DSCF6252.jpg

I used the kit on my 92 Legacy. I had actually already picked up a
pair of headlamps at the salvage yard (which turned out would not fit)
but mentioned the yellowed lens while at Advance Auto and the salesman
mentioned the kit. I was skeptical but had nothing to lose (since, at
the time, I thought the salvaged headlamps would fit). Worked great
but I did have to re-wet the polish compound to keep sanding away the
yellow (I probably sanded more than I had to but I was going to be
damn sure I had done a thorough job).

Besides getting rid of all the yellowing (which seems to be on the
outside of the lens where you sand it off), it gets rid of dulling,
too. To be truthful, the restored headlamps don't look perfectly (I
have another new Subie for comparison) but they're damn close. If I
had tried the kit beforehand, I would've never bothered picking up the
salvaged headlamps. Before hearing of the kit, I was going to try
some 1200 grit, or finer, sandpaper and some marine polishing compound
but finding the lexan clear coat used by airplanes for their
windshield was turning out to be a problem. Some folks simply used
clear coat spray paint, like what you paint your body panels with, but
I doubt that would survive the high temps from the headlight bulbs.

The OP mentioned pits. So much sanding would be needed to get rid of
pits that it is likely the lens would be damaged or warped (and be out
of focus). While not quite as old as the OP's, my 14-year old
headlights don't have any severe pits and neither did those that were
salvaged. The OP must drive on gravel roads a lot, or an area when he
is unlikely to get stuck with road resurfacing that uses stone chips
(which can also cause flat tires).

 

[Ook]

<snip>

The pitting wasn't that bad - I didn't intend it to sould like they were
severely pitted. I too used some extra water and sanded away for about 5
minutes or so - wanted to make sure I got it all. But the yellow sanded
right off! I'm not sure what the clearcoat is that comes with this stuff, I
ended up putting 3 coats on because I had enough to do so.

The only other thing I might mention - don't believe them when they say 5
minutes a headlight. That is probably after you have done a few and have the
system down pat, and also you are hustling. I spent close to an hour working
on them. I did chop some wood waiting for the clearcoat to dry before
putting the last coat on, but from opening garage door to finishing cleanup
was about an hour.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Pick up a bottle of Meguiar's #17 Plastic Polish. You'll have to work
at it a little (follow the instructions, obviously). I find that if

Hi,

That stuff's been around forever--used to use it on ragtop plastic
windows 40 yrs ago!

Meguiar's has added a new product in the last few years, specifically
for lenses and such: Plastx. It works a bit faster than the older
polish, and contains some kind of "conditioner" to help recurrence of
yellowing, though if the lenses are really bad, they'll probably have to
be re-treated on a regular basis. It will remove light scratches. Deep
pits are going to remain...

Rick