removing headlight 'fog'

The "Shiny Car make all better sub-forum" for clean freaks
Post Reply
350matt
Club Member
Club Member
Posts: 3157
Joined: Mon May 15, 2017 9:09 pm
RX-8: 231
Colour: Strato Blue
Location: Northants
Has thanked: 49 times
Been thanked: 587 times

removing headlight 'fog'

Post by 350matt »

Gents


I notice with my lights on I can see a myriad of little tiny marks on the lens plastic which cannot be removed by exterior polishing and make the lens seem a bit 'foggy'

I know they are not dirt on the inside either as my attempts to wipe them off using a small rag through the light bulb hole was not effective

does the plastic craze up over time?

CAn they be fixed by dismantling the unit and polishing inside as well as out?

or is new plastics the only way?
DigitalGremlin
Former Member
Former Member
Posts: 107
Joined: Sat Jun 01, 2013 1:56 pm
RX-8: 231
Colour: Winning Blue
Location: Maidstone kent
Has thanked: 5 times
Been thanked: 5 times

Re: removing headlight 'fog'

Post by DigitalGremlin »

Got any pictures ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
User avatar
bigpete8
Forum Moderator
Forum Moderator
Posts: 2489
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 12:27 pm
RX-8: 231
Colour: Sunlight Silver
Location: Tyne & Wear
Has thanked: 274 times
Been thanked: 269 times

Re: removing headlight 'fog'

Post by bigpete8 »

Probably easier to source some decent replacements from a breaker....
Sunlight Silver 231

Pete/Peter him/he/hrh couldn't really care as have 3 siblings and was lucky not to get called by the dogs name.

Living with a rotary - 7 Years in
viewtopic.php?p=1105043#p1105043
User avatar
warpc0il
Spin Doctor
Spin Doctor
Posts: 32526
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 10:56 pm
RX-8: 231
Colour: Lightning Yellow
Location: Groomsport, Co Down, NI
Has thanked: 825 times
Been thanked: 3535 times
Contact:

Re: removing headlight 'fog'

Post by warpc0il »

If the lights have been "cleaned" with a solvent such as petrol, alcohol or a product that contains a solvent, then they may have micro-cracks that can't be repaired - these sparkle in the sun within the plastic.

However, if it's just surface fogging then there are lost of products out there that will fix this, with little effort.

I had great success with Surf City Garage Ultra-Clear Headlight Restoration Kit, others have used Meguiars headlight restoration kit, and some have reported success with cheap toothpaste.

Search would have found this for you
viewtopic.php?f=137&t=46281&hilit=headlight
Dave
The Spin Doctor ™
uǝǝɹɔs ɹnoʎ ʇɹǝʌuı ǝsɐǝld :ɹoɹɹǝ
User avatar
Delanor
Forum Moderator
Forum Moderator
Posts: 12398
Joined: Mon Jun 28, 2004 11:38 pm
RX-8: 40th Anniversary
Colour: Crystal White
Location: In the land of the big cat!
Has thanked: 57 times
Been thanked: 318 times

Re: removing headlight 'fog'

Post by Delanor »

You can remove most marks in a headlight by using various grades of abrasive from wet n dry paper to an abrasive paste you can use TCut, toothpaste etc but for the best easiest method buy a proper kit with polishing pads to use with an electric polisher or drill as they include a sealer to prevent further damage from ultra violet light.

*
*
Del.
1st Brilliant Black 190. 2nd Brilliant Black PZ. 3rd Strato Blue 230. 4th Crystal White 40th Anniversary.
Rotary FX fender grills, Japspeed stainless exhaust, Cosworth Air filter, Kinetix slotted & dimpled discs, EBC Red stuff pads, Ryan Rotary MK11 coils, Magnecor leads, Stainless front & rear grills, HID main beams, LED tail lights, front side lights/front fogs.
350matt
Club Member
Club Member
Posts: 3157
Joined: Mon May 15, 2017 9:09 pm
RX-8: 231
Colour: Strato Blue
Location: Northants
Has thanked: 49 times
Been thanked: 587 times

Re: removing headlight 'fog'

Post by 350matt »

Like I said chaps the marks are not on the surface

I can buff it a high shine with compound / scrathc X etc etc

however when lights are on lots of little tiny marks are revealed within the plastic

looks like a pair of good used lamps is the only fix
User avatar
warpc0il
Spin Doctor
Spin Doctor
Posts: 32526
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 10:56 pm
RX-8: 231
Colour: Lightning Yellow
Location: Groomsport, Co Down, NI
Has thanked: 825 times
Been thanked: 3535 times
Contact:

Re: removing headlight 'fog'

Post by warpc0il »

Are you sure it's not condensation inside the lights?

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

Dave
The Spin Doctor ™
uǝǝɹɔs ɹnoʎ ʇɹǝʌuı ǝsɐǝld :ɹoɹɹǝ
350matt
Club Member
Club Member
Posts: 3157
Joined: Mon May 15, 2017 9:09 pm
RX-8: 231
Colour: Strato Blue
Location: Northants
Has thanked: 49 times
Been thanked: 587 times

Re: removing headlight 'fog'

Post by 350matt »

rex headlight.jpg
images of the effect, all the little speckles are the damage I'm trying to rectify

its not condense and that drop like stain is always there

I think Dave's daignosis of they have been cleaned with solvent is probably correct
User avatar
Delanor
Forum Moderator
Forum Moderator
Posts: 12398
Joined: Mon Jun 28, 2004 11:38 pm
RX-8: 40th Anniversary
Colour: Crystal White
Location: In the land of the big cat!
Has thanked: 57 times
Been thanked: 318 times

Re: removing headlight 'fog'

Post by Delanor »

Yes that looks distinctly like a solvent reaction.

*
*
Del.
1st Brilliant Black 190. 2nd Brilliant Black PZ. 3rd Strato Blue 230. 4th Crystal White 40th Anniversary.
Rotary FX fender grills, Japspeed stainless exhaust, Cosworth Air filter, Kinetix slotted & dimpled discs, EBC Red stuff pads, Ryan Rotary MK11 coils, Magnecor leads, Stainless front & rear grills, HID main beams, LED tail lights, front side lights/front fogs.
User avatar
warpc0il
Spin Doctor
Spin Doctor
Posts: 32526
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 10:56 pm
RX-8: 231
Colour: Lightning Yellow
Location: Groomsport, Co Down, NI
Has thanked: 825 times
Been thanked: 3535 times
Contact:

Re: removing headlight 'fog'

Post by warpc0il »

Delanor wrote:
Mon Mar 25, 2019 1:18 pm
buy a proper kit with polishing pads to use with an electric polisher or drill as they include a sealer to prevent further damage from ultra violet light.
When we were getting our solar panels installed, one of the guys was telling me about a customer who got fed up with hosing his panels every year to wash the dirt off.

He had the great idea of giving them a good wash, then a polish and seal with the same system that he used on his car, which was one of the top brands, probably Bilt-Hamber, Autoglym, Meguiars, Dodo Juice, or whatever.

Anyway, he was very proud of his efforts but was very disappointed when he discovered that the power output was worse than when they were dirty :?
His wife suggested that the panels were so shiny that the light was being reflected away, which he thought was a "stupid women" idea, and called out the company to check to see if he'd disturbed any wiring.

They checked the wiring and all was fine, so they did a performance test on a section of a panel, using a calibrated light source, and the efficiency was 30% down.

At this point he told them what he had done and all became clear...

Most high-quality automotive polish/sealers leave a UV resistant layer to protect paintwork from the degradation effects of sunlight.

Solar panels generate power when exposed to visible light and way up into the UV end of the spectrum, which is why they can sometimes generate more power on a lightly cloudy day than with clear skies.

His panels were no longer receiving the UV light as it was being blocked, actually reflected away, much to his wife's satisfaction. :oops:

He had to go over the entire nine panels again with a cutting compound to remove the sealant layer. #-o
This got the efficiency back up to normal but the panels were much more prone to getting dirty than before he had started, and the company told him that the panels were no longer covered by the original warranty, as he had damaged them. [-X

Two conclusions from this story;
- the UV protection offered by quality polish/sealants actually works.
- back on topic, it looks like someone may have used an inappropriate "cleaner" on your headlights that's done much more harm than good, even though it sounded like a good idea at the time...
Dave
The Spin Doctor ™
uǝǝɹɔs ɹnoʎ ʇɹǝʌuı ǝsɐǝld :ɹoɹɹǝ
User avatar
Dr. FrankenRex
Committee Member
Committee Member
Posts: 8169
Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2015 1:30 pm
RX-8: R3
Colour: Velocity Red
Location: Cotswolds
Has thanked: 531 times
Been thanked: 1558 times
Contact:

Re: removing headlight 'fog'

Post by Dr. FrankenRex »

Generally RX8 headlights do develop the micro cracks as listed above over time, unfortunately the only solution is to replace the plastic lens. Finding a single lens would be problematic I'd guess, so your options are:

- Try and buy a brand new light from Mazda... (Let's all look at Mr Moneybags who does that)
- Try and source a pair of very good used ones
- Restore them as best you can and hope for the best.

The only thing I would say is that the internals are very soft so trying to polish from that side might not end well
DOC 787B

Club Information Coordinator - Media Team Lead


LM30 VelociBRAPTOR - Josh Scott magic sauce porting, shiny big brakes and a big ole spoiler

Doc's Auto Barn - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7BW_h ... Ym6eGqEIWg
User avatar
bigpete8
Forum Moderator
Forum Moderator
Posts: 2489
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 12:27 pm
RX-8: 231
Colour: Sunlight Silver
Location: Tyne & Wear
Has thanked: 274 times
Been thanked: 269 times

Re: removing headlight 'fog'

Post by bigpete8 »

For discolouring I found this to be pretty good.
Yellow Off Headlight Cleaner Wipes

Takes all of about 10 minutes, put it back in foil wrapper and repeat in 6 months....
Sunlight Silver 231

Pete/Peter him/he/hrh couldn't really care as have 3 siblings and was lucky not to get called by the dogs name.

Living with a rotary - 7 Years in
viewtopic.php?p=1105043#p1105043
User avatar
warpc0il
Spin Doctor
Spin Doctor
Posts: 32526
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 10:56 pm
RX-8: 231
Colour: Lightning Yellow
Location: Groomsport, Co Down, NI
Has thanked: 825 times
Been thanked: 3535 times
Contact:

Re: removing headlight 'fog'

Post by warpc0il »

Having got your headlights clean and polished, I wonder how good this stuff would be to stop the dirt sticking again..
IPONE.jpg
IPONE.jpg (50.45 KiB) Viewed 881 times
I know some people have tried RainX, which seems to work quite well, until it attacks the surface of the plastic.
RainX have confirmed that their product is NOT safe for polycarbonate headlights or helmet visors.

The IPONE product is designed for visors and scored top-of-the-class in recent tests, so might be worth a try on headlights.

Available from M&P either on their website or ebay store https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263418945914

Anyone fancy doing a trial and review?
Could be one for the Youtube channel 🎥 8) ;)
Dave
The Spin Doctor ™
uǝǝɹɔs ɹnoʎ ʇɹǝʌuı ǝsɐǝld :ɹoɹɹǝ
Post Reply

Return to “Detailing - Cleaning”