Will this polish out?

[Scylla]

This crazing affects the same area on both headlamps, 2016 Cayman. The rest of the cover is unaffected. Do you think it would clean up or will I just make things worse? Cheers

 

[marc_tt]

It should polish off.

Had this with neighbours Cayman (was on surface of headlight lens), popped the headlights out and polished it out by hand. Started with more abrasive polish and then used finer polish and no longer visible.

 

[Scylla]

Hey, thanks for the instant reply! Can you advise on what kind of polish I should buy please? I’m a complete dunce when it comes to anything like this

 

[marc_tt]

You can buy a headlight polish / restoration kit and there's loads to choose from at different price points both online and in store.

For abrasive polish our local indie recomended the Poundland £1 car polish and we've found it's the 'smokers toothpaste' of polishes and great for hand polishing. For finer polishing I use T-cut or similar.

The polishing / restoration kits also come with a 'sealer' that you apply after polishing and this delays the headlights deteriorating (crazing / yellowing recurring).

Hope this helps.

 

[Scylla]

Very helpful sir, thank you

 

[Scrounger]

Be careful. Lenses on the 718 are plastic. There is a headlight refurb company that will replace the lens for you. Just google Porsche headlight lens replacement.

Dan

 

[Scylla]

Ok, appreciate the tip - mine is a 981 but I assume the lens is also plastic. Marc - was it a plastic lens on the fix you did, do you know?

 

[Greenman986S]

These might mask the probem

Porsche Cayman/Boxster 981 Headlight Trims, Pair (Vandergrafix) | eBay UK

These fantastic headlight trims are designed to be a perfect visual upgrade to your Porsche Cayman 981 or Boxster 981. You will be buying a pair of trims, left and right. 2 x Bonus freebies! A selection of usable 981 Porsche graphics.

ebay.us

 

[marc_tt]

Yes, they are all plastic and have been since 90’s.

recommend do them by hand, rather than machine, to avoid over polishing and pop them out of car so you don’t polish off surrounding paint lacquer on car.

Plenty of you tube videos showing how the refurbisher's do it

 

[Scylla]

15 minutes of just T-Cut has made a noticeable difference. The lighting is different from earlier obviously, but I think you can still see it’s a lot better. I’m very encouraged and will give it a few more goes. Thanks again

 

[Scrounger]

Great job. Well done

Dan.

 

[Jamoran]

Scylla, did you do this from inside or outside the lens? If inside is it difficult to access the inside?

 

[Scylla]

Outside. I thought at first that the crazing was all deep inside the plastic, and I think some of it is, but the surface in the affected area felt rough under my fingernails. I just used small amounts of t-cut on a kitchen sponge, and rubbed in circles. The rough areas are now a lot smoother and that’s where the visual improvements have shown. I’m having another go at it tomorrow.

 

[Scrounger]

I would use some form of coating after you've polished the lens as you may well have removed some of the UV coating.

Dan

 

[Nick_USA]

If you want the right product for the job, use this one. It was designed for aircraft acrylic canopies.

Restore Faded Plastic, Plastic Restorer | NOVUS Plastic Polish

NOVUS Plastic Polish products are best for restoring plastics and acrylics - bringing them back to life. Buy our plastic polish kit for use on cars, headlights and more.

novuspolish.com

UK source [there are others] including ebay.

https://www.plasticstockist.com/Novus-Plastic-Polish/59ml-Set-12-And-3-Novus-Plastic-Polish.aspx

Comes in three grades 1-3. 1 is the weakest cut [use first and then last]. If 1 doesn't cut it then 2 [then 1], lastly 3 the strongest [then 2, 1]

Been using it for years, and re: your headlights have seen a lot worse than have been made good.

Nick