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Replacement headlight lenses

rg_bucks

New member
Hi,

the front headlight lenses on our Gen2 987 are looking tired, the rest of the unit is fine. Does anoune know whether its possible to refurbish or replace them? And where from?

thanks,
 
Yes, it's quite possible to refurbish the lenses. There are a number of DIY kits on the market which contain various grades of abrasive sanding discs to remove the fogging and polish the lenses using a drill, together with a UV solution to protect them after treatment.

If you don't fancy that then there will probably a few local detailing companies who can do the job.

Here's a recent forum link:

https://www.porscheclubgb.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=1053142

Jeff

 
Two of my wife's Fiat 500 front lights were covered with sanding marks from where the dealer's had recovered the top coat and run the sander across them. Ten mins with a small machine polisher and some compound and they gleam. I was so pressed, I did the same to my daily driver too.

My 981 lenses have a lacquer coating, so not sure if I could do the same with them. Best to check your gen 2.

 
I have a small, cheap kit as Jeff describes. I haven’t used it yet so can’t comment - however my local Subaru dealer suggested toothpaste and said that is what they used.

Worth a try?

 
Hi,

Just to say: I don’t rate the toothpaste idea! I just tried it (just to be helpful!) and it leaves quite a few scratches - which the cheapy kit takes out - fortunately!

I‘ll finish the job and post photos later on.

 
If you're feeling really energetic you could always try using scratch remover ... and plenty of elbow grease..!

Jeff

 
Scary but it works! Quite enough elbow grease involved with these kits, thanks Jeff.

Unfortunately, Flikr refuses to play nicely so I can't get photos included.

Basically, this was a £5.99 kit from Aldi. It includes micro sheets of 'wet and dry' and suitable sanding block, polishing paste and cloths and a finishing coat.

It seems totally wrong to think of sanding Perspex and seems even more so once you have sanded it! Scratches look horrible (but similar to the toothpaste version). Wet and dry is used progressively, moving from 2000 to 3000 and finishing with 5000 grit. Each one is done in an alternate direction, i.e. horizontal, vertical, horizontal again. Finally, the polish (applied vertically) restores everything to a gleaming finish with no cloudiness. I actually forgot about the finishing coat and just put some car polish on; looks great.

This was the offside light and I previously did half the nearside one with the toothpaste version. I'm going to go back and finish it using toothpaste to prove (or disprove!) a point.

If you want to pm me rg_bucks, I may be able to send you photos that way if that would help.

Gordon.

 
Fortunately my Cayman lenses don't need any attention Gordon, but those on my ancient Mk5 Golf GTi are looking the worse for wear after nearly 100,000 miles. Surprised I haven't yet received an MOT advisory, so I'll have to keep a look-out for the Aldi kit. Incidentally, I'd apply the finishing coat if I were you because I presume it provides UV protection whereas car polish or wax won't.

Jeff

 
Thanks for that, Jeff, I’ll take your advice.

Yes, these lights are on my Forester XTE which did get an advisory for this this year.

 
Gordon,

Your mention of Aldi reminded me of this, posted a few weeks ago at the height of the panic buying spree and which provided a genuine LOL moment for me.! Maybe Headlamp Lens Refurbisher should be added to the Aldi list? [:)]

Jeff

 
I like it, Jeff! [:D]

For the record, toothpaste actually works fine. It is less work than sanding but needs a bit more polishing. I used it wet with a toothbrush the first time but dry on a cloth seems better - and in one direction, then polish at right angles. I would also recommend only treating the affected area if you can get away with that. It was the top and sides of mine and the main area was fine; I could have left the main area and just polished it to reduce the risk of any residual scratches.

 
Interesting article, Jeff. Just shows we (I) should remember to research things the easy way rather than re-inventing the wheel.

In defence of toothpaste (!), while Colgate failed to impress, my free sample “Oral B Pro-Expert” was alright!

So anyone seeking guidance from this thread would be well advised to read the Auto Express article as a starting point (Jeff’s link above) and probably ignore my ramblings!

Best of luck.

 
Good point re Oral-B Gordon. I've got a choice of four toothpastes - Oral-B, Euthymol and two Colgate freebies (Sensitive and Total) - so could experiment. [:)]

From what I can gather, whatever method is used it's very important to protect the lens from UV degradation afterwards otherwise all the hard work will be wasted.

Jeff

 
Interesting on the Oral B! Especially as I use it on my teeth.

I have used Megiures fine cutting compound to remove scratches in the past but found it excellent for cleaning up dull headlamp lenses. Wouldn't try it on my teeth though!

 
Used some toothpaste on my old VW Fox headlights a few months ago, as they were very cloudy on the top area of the lenses. Cleared them up marvellously and they’ve kept ok.

Worth a try first, I reckon [;)]

(...993 lenses are glass, of course)

 

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