[ridevintagemtb]

All,

I apologize if this has been covered before. I tried searching and found no results.

My wife has a 2002 Outback and the headlamp covers are severely fogged. I removed the assembly from the car but could not figure out how to access the cover from the inside to clean. Removed all screws I could see. Is it possible to clean the covers from the inside or do I need to order new headlamp assemblies?

Thanks

 

[frogsthatmoo]

Are you just talking about the clear front of the headlight? If so, these are glued on and must be baked to soften the glue and allow you to separate it.

Are you getting condensation on the inside of the light? Is that the fogging you're talking of?

 

[FORANE]

I just sanded one of my 2001 outback headlights with 240, 320 and 600 grit, then painted them with clear plastic compatible paint picked up at wal-mart. It looks like new; it is truly amazing at how quickly and drastically this can transform the headlights on these cars.

 

[babiker712]

All,

I apologize if this has been covered before. I tried searching and found no results.

My wife has a 2002 Outback and the headlamp covers are severely fogged. I removed the assembly from the car but could not figure out how to access the cover from the inside to clean. Removed all screws I could see. Is it possible to clean the covers from the inside or do I need to order new headlamp assemblies?

Thanks

If there is condensation inside, you'll need to do a headlamp bake and reseal them. If it's just external, 3M makes a good cheap polishing kit and you can do it on the car with some taping and a drill and they should clean up real nice...

 

[series8217]

Are you sure its fog on the inside? If so, that's pretty uncommon.

The lenses are usually foggy due to oxidation on the outside. The UV protective coating wears off from sun damage and road grit, and the lenses will start to turn foggy and eventually yellow. You can sand off the oxidized plastic and polish it until it's clear. It won't last as long as new headlights (since the protective coating is gone) but it's easy to enough to do every couple years to keep them clear.

You can get a "headlight restoration kit" at most auto parts stores that will contain everything you need.

 

[ridevintagemtb]

Thanks everyone. I guess I never considered the oxidation being on the outside.

I have plenty of fine grit sand paper from bike restorations so I'll give that a try.

Thanks again!

 

[frogsthatmoo]

If you go to walmart or some other auto parts place, they sell these kits that have 4 sets of discs to polish the headlights. It works fantastic. I highly recommend this and it's about $13-15

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

yeah, there are ways to put together your own supplies - and probably plenty of youtube videos for the process - but 3M and Meguiar's are often mentioned as having good kits for polishing the plastic.

I may need to do this soon on one my cars. The WRX is never garaged and starting to look a little hazy after 6+ years in the texas sun.