Headlights Fogging Up?

[Beetlescott]

Ernie's headlights are starting to fog up a little. Does anyone have any "tried and true" methods of cleaning this off? Or is it worth the effort? My Jeeps couldn't be cleaned, but they were much worse than Ernies. Anybody have this problem?
Thanks!
Scott

[macdave]

pretty much all plastic headlight lenses have this problem. It is from UV in the sunlight that hits it(kinda of hard to keep sunlight of of them). You can get a polishing kit I think from 3M that should remove it for a while but it will come back. VW does sell replacement lenses but I think they are over $100 each.

[unrlmth]

I just polished a set of mine.

Sandpaper 320 to 800 to 1500 to 2000 then rubbing compound the polishing compound then plastic polish. I think they turned out well, but they still aren't as clear as new. They still have chips and stuff from rocks but its a huge improvement and definately worth the 20 bucks I spent.

[unrlmth]

VWvortex Forums: Polish Headlights

Sorry about the double post. The other forum I use regularly auto merges them and I forget that other ones don't.

[Beetlescott]

Hey thanks! I appreciate it! I may try that before I break down and get new ones maybe next Spring.

[Genifer Teal]

Someone who works at a dealer told me lenses can be ordered separately. No need to replace whole assembly if you want to get new. May be easier than doing the work. Might be worth checking the price.

Gen

[FarrisK]

Originally Posted by unrlmth

I just polished a set of mine.

Sandpaper 320 to 800 to 1500 to 2000 then rubbing compound the polishing compound then plastic polish. I think they turned out well, but they still aren't as clear as new. They still have chips and stuff from rocks but its a huge improvement and definately worth the 20 bucks I spent.

I would recommend pulling them out of the car before you do this. I remember someone on the org complaining that they had effed up their paint doing this.

Originally Posted by Genifer Teal

Someone who works at a dealer told me lenses can be ordered separately. No need to replace whole assembly if you want to get new. May be easier than doing the work. Might be worth checking the price.

Gen

Definitely NOT easier. You have to heat the assembly up and carefully remove the lens, then use some type of very strong glue to hold the lens back on. IMHO, it's not worth the effort and risk of the lens flying off at highway speeds.

[Beetlescott]

Originally Posted by FarrisK

I would recommend pulling them out of the car before you do this. I remember someone on the org complaining that they had effed up their paint doing this.



Definitely NOT easier. You have to heat the assembly up and carefully remove the lens, then use some type of very strong glue to hold the lens back on. IMHO, it's not worth the effort and risk of the lens flying off at highway speeds.

So you can't replace the lenses themselves without gluing them on?

[FarrisK]

Originally Posted by Beetlescott

So you can't replace the lenses themselves without gluing them on?

As far as I know, no there isn't.

[unrlmth]

Originally Posted by FarrisK

I would recommend pulling them out of the car before you do this. I remember someone on the org complaining that they had effed up their paint doing this.

Yea I forgot to mention that but you definitely want to take them out before you start sanding. I used a power sander which sped up the process and if you have one you might want to use.

[jdubvdub]

Yes you can buy new lenses, I bought some new ones, they just unclip from the housing its the lens and the inner chrome part, simple to change. I tried polishing mine and it worked great but I wanted crystal clear so I went with the new ones...

[upsbroke]

First- Google "fogged headlights". Make a few hits and you'll find someone that has filmed the procedure. Like said before- progressing grades of wet/dry sandpaper. Then-when sufficiently sanded and much clearer-put a polishing pad on your drill and use Meguiar's Plastx and polish. Do this a couple of times and enjoy your results. One step further though-go to X-pel website and order plastic laminate covers for your freshened-up headlights. That will KEEP them looking clear for years.
I put the Xpel laminate on my 98 NB, my wife's 05 Passat tdi wagon and my new 09 Jetta Sportwagen. The Beetle is the easiest to do. It's almost been a year and the NB headlights still look great.

[orionredwing]

Meguiar's PlastX and similar over-the-counter headlight restoration kits work pretty well, but I'm guessing that many of you with extreme fogging wasn't able to clear it up 100%.

This is because there is a limit to musclepower and the abrasiveness / cutting strength used in those kits.

I typically clay bar the surface, which yields a noticeable improvement, followed by an orbital polish. The orbital polish make the headlights look as good as new saving the need to go to extreme solutions like replacing the headlight housing.

Here are some pics from my detail last year. Wish i had some close ups of the headlights which had 8 yrs worth of 'fogging' before I got to it. The tailight looks pretty good close up j/k

orionredwing Detailed: 2000 VW Beetle GLX Turbo

[Beetlescott]

Thanks guys, I'll give the orbital buffer a try, it sounds like it might just work. It would be worth it to me. Again, thanks for all the input!!!


Scott

[Beetlescott]

I was in Pep Boys Monday having the Jeep serviced. I mentioned my headlights on my Bug. The service tech said they could get the yellow or fog off them for 70 bucks. I took it in this morning, they had Ernie for over 2 hours, almost 3. The tech came in and sat down in the waiting area looking like a doctor with bad news after a surgery. THEY COULDN'T GET THE YELLOW FOG OFF!!!! That's right, he said most of it was on the inside of the lens. Obviously they didn't charge me anything. The drivers side is worse than the passenger. They are getting pretty bad. I was driving home last night with my wife, I almost missed 2 turns because it was so hard to see! I turned the lights on bright, and did fine. Oh well, I guess I'll look through junk yards for a pair. I called a place that sold me the headlight assembly for my Jeep for 80 bucks each, and they asked 234.00 for EACH side?! If I hadn't of been sitting down, I would have fallen! I do hope I can get the lens without the whole assembly. Oh well, at least I tried.

[CGK]

You CAN buy just the lenses which includea the outer reflector but will not have the rubber gasket.
They are not exactly cheap. About $140-$150 for each lens and about $8 for the gasket.
If you find one at a junk yard chances are that they will be yellowed by UV rays as well unless your lucky.
Anywho here are the part numbers for the lenses and gaskets just in case you decide to go the "new" route.

1C0941115B:left
1C0941116B:right
1C0941119:gasket

[Beetlecup]

Originally Posted by jdubvdub

Yes you can buy new lenses, I bought some new ones, they just unclip from the housing its the lens and the inner chrome part, simple to change. I tried polishing mine and it worked great but I wanted crystal clear so I went with the new ones...

Were did you buy your lens? I'm wanting to replace mine also.

[Judee]

I've always just waxed my lenses when I wax the car... I've never had hazing problems with the plastic lenses on any of my cars.

[antonym]

When my lens flew off.. it was cheaper to just buy the whole light assembly.

[SMG]

For $300 a pair I'd definitely polish them.