Honda Car Forum

The plastic covers that go over the headlights on my 2002 RSX have
gotten kind of frosty-foggy. I'm not sure of the proper way to describe
it, but I'm sure most of youo know what I mean. I'm aware that there
are several commercial preparations to alleviate this, and would like
recommendations on which ones work best. I'm also curious if anyone
knows any homemade remedies for this - I'd hate to spend money on some
kind of preparation and then discover that the same thing can be done
with a mixture of [example] drano and dishwasher detergent (not a real
solution - do not mix these!)
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I only talk like that in the movies

Yoda <yoda@Dagobah.net> wrote in news:2009032822592616807-yoda@Dagobahnet:

> The plastic covers that go over the headlights on my 2002 RSX have
> gotten kind of frosty-foggy. I'm not sure of the proper way to describe
> it, but I'm sure most of youo know what I mean. I'm aware that there
> are several commercial preparations to alleviate this, and would like
> recommendations on which ones work best. I'm also curious if anyone
> knows any homemade remedies for this - I'd hate to spend money on some
> kind of preparation and then discover that the same thing can be done
> with a mixture of [example] drano and dishwasher detergent (not a real
> solution - do not mix these!)



Plastic headlamp lenses (not "covers") are required by US law to be coated
with an anti-abrasive epoxy. It is this epoxy which gets yellow and cloudy
with time and exposure to sunlight.

The only cure is to remove the epoxy entirely, then replace it with a new
coating.

I've never actually tried the commercial preparations myself, but I
understand that, properly administered, they are effective in restoring the
headlamps. Auto detailing places often offer headlamp restoration services
which involve epoxy removal and renewal.

I suppose you could simply remove the epoxy entirely and just polish the
plastic, but the underlying lens may not be optimized for use without that
coating. If you want to try this approach anyway, Brasso metal polish may
dissolve the epoxy sufficient to restore clarity to the lens. Brasso is
excellent for removing scratches on watch crystals and those clear
instrument panel covers on your dashboard. A caveat: I'm told that Brasso
and other such potions can embrittle headlamp plastic, which may make them
more prone to stone fracture. Brasso is available at any grocery store.

--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

On 2009-03-29 16:21:57 -0500, Tegger <invalid@invalid.inv> said:

> Yoda <yoda@Dagobah.net> wrote in news:2009032822592616807-yoda@Dagobahnet:
>
>> The plastic covers that go over the headlights on my 2002 RSX have
>> gotten kind of frosty-foggy. I'm not sure of the proper way to describe
>> it, but I'm sure most of youo know what I mean. I'm aware that there
>> are several commercial preparations to alleviate this, and would like
>> recommendations on which ones work best. I'm also curious if anyone
>> knows any homemade remedies for this - I'd hate to spend money on some
>> kind of preparation and then discover that the same thing can be done
>> with a mixture of [example] drano and dishwasher detergent (not a real
>> solution - do not mix these!)
>
>
>
> Plastic headlamp lenses (not "covers") are required by US law to be coated
> with an anti-abrasive epoxy. It is this epoxy which gets yellow and cloudy
> with time and exposure to sunlight.
>
> The only cure is to remove the epoxy entirely, then replace it with a new
> coating.
>
> I've never actually tried the commercial preparations myself, but I
> understand that, properly administered, they are effective in restoring the
> headlamps. Auto detailing places often offer headlamp restoration services
> which involve epoxy removal and renewal.
>
> I suppose you could simply remove the epoxy entirely and just polish the
> plastic, but the underlying lens may not be optimized for use without that
> coating. If you want to try this approach anyway, Brasso metal polish may
> dissolve the epoxy sufficient to restore clarity to the lens. Brasso is
> excellent for removing scratches on watch crystals and those clear
> instrument panel covers on your dashboard. A caveat: I'm told that Brasso
> and other such potions can embrittle headlamp plastic, which may make them
> more prone to stone fracture. Brasso is available at any grocery store.

Thank you for the wealth of stuff I did not know! Perhaps my headlamp
lenses can stay cloudy.
--
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I only talk like that in the movies