Hi All,
Hoping someone can give me some advice. 2 part question.
1) Is this headlight lens salvageable(2007 F150)? I spent a couple hours yesterday trying to polish. After using a couple different kits I had on hand with marginal results, I tried wet sanding with 400-500-800-1000 and then back to the kits. I can not seem to get the spider micro cracks out. Has anyone had any luck in sanding them out? I don't mind spending more time if they will come out.
2) If they are NOT salvageable are there any QUALITY replacement? I've done a fair amount of reading on this sub forum and there doesn't seem to be a real consensus, I could go to the dealer for OEM but I think the cost would be obscene.

Thoughts? Suggestions?
Thanks in Advance

 

After the lenses get old(mine were 10 yrs old), you can still polish them but then your on borrowed time. You polish off all the UV coating and have to redo the polish every year.

I have a 2006, I went ahead and bought OEM Harley Davidson headlights, $400 for the pair. You can get the regular chrome ones for $300 a pair or less. I went with the Harley lights because I liked the gloss black paint matched lenses, and I didn't want to open mine up to paint.

But if you just want something that looks stock and will last you a few years, I would just buy a set of EBAY knockoff lights, they can be had for $60 a pair.

 

Wetsand with 1500, then polish them with polishing compound on a wool pad, then polish them again with Meguiars PlastX on a foam pad. Redo the PlastX by hand frequently.

You don't need to buy a buffer, pads for an electric drill are fine.

 

You can try to bring them back, but as I think you've already discovered, they're pretty much toast. What you have is really deep oxidation / crazing and by the time you sand through all of it, you'll probably be better off replacing them.

If you want my 2 cents, find some new or used OEM Ford headlights and skip the aftermarket junk out there. Be especially wary of the cheap Chinese "OEM looking" replacements. Although they look pretty much the same, the optics, materials and construction are junk.

 

Thanks... Will give this a try. And will keep it up until I am ready to replace them.

tufelhundin
2009 Ford F150 4x4 SuperCrew
156k miles
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