Foggy head lamps on Mercury Sable

I have a 97 Mercury Sable that the headlights are almost useless due to the lenses/covers on them. Is there something I can use to buff these clear?

Reply to
Mike
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Just get new ones.

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Reply to
thenitedude

A few months ago, Popular Mechanics magazine had an article about how to clean up/renew foggy head lights and tail lights.Check your local libraries for the article.Or online,

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cuhulin

Reply to
cuhulin

I had a '93 Plymouth that had the same problem. I mounted a set of 55W driving lights on top of the bumper. I also cleaned the ground wire connections where they attach to the rad support. I wired them into the high beam feed through a relay. Did the job for me for 4 years.

Chris

Reply to
golden oldie

I've had very good luck with "Mothers aluminum mag wheel polish". It has just enough bite to grind off the bad layer from the plastic buckets and make them shiny again. Check wally world, it's not very expensive. It works wonders on alloy wheels too :)

Chris

Reply to
Hal

Permatex makes a lens repair kit for under $20

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any autoparts store should have it.

Reply to
m6onz5a

3M sells a plastic polish/cleaner that does the trick nicely. It is a two step polishing process, using two different grit compounds.

A lifetime supply can be found at NAPA for less than $20.

I have used it successfully several times.

Another product to consider are the Novus plastic polishes but they are considerably more expensive.

Reply to
Anumber1

Yes, there are a number of plastic polishes out there that work. Ask at your local auto parts store.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

Do they seem to be hazed with scratches or just have transluscent crud on 'em? I had some good luck clearing up turn signal lenses and the plastic cover on my house's gas meter by rubbing hard, several times, with Rain-X. A lot of stuff came up on the rag, and the lens became quite clear. Might be an easy first thing to try before the polishing kits.

This was a common problem with "internal surface plate" lenses, which were the thing for a while. _Car: A Drama of the American Workplace_ by Mary Walton, a fly-on-the-wall look (a la _Soul of a New Machine_) at the development of the second-generation Taurus, commented on how bad it would look for the "eyes" of their new flagship product to have cataracts.

Anyway, you could replace 'em, as others have pointed out, but if they aren't actually broken, some elbow grease and well-selected abrasives should save you a lot of money and puzzling-out of the mounting and aiming scheme. Good auto parts stores or your favorite search engine should yield the right products.

Cheers,

--Joe

Reply to
Ad absurdum per aspera

Is the fog on the inside or the outside? Are they plastic or glass?

Reply to
Radioguy

Typical acrylic based plastic headlamp covers pretty much like GM and all the rest. When the durable plastic coating wears off, then the headlamp covers themselves start to deteriorate.

Reply to
Paul

Some interesting responses. The kits work well, but they have a lot of steps to follow with sanding discs and applying the coating. Replacing them with aftermarket lights is easier but can be a pain depending on component placement around the headlights.

The 'best' (easiest/cheapest) suggestion I saw here was the Mother's Mag Polish. I use 3M Microfinish, a buffing/rubbing compound, but I happen to have a quart bottle hanging around. Some light rubbing compound (~$8 at Autozone), some microfiber cloths and Pledge should do the trick. Get the lightest rubbing compound you can and *GENTLY* work it into the headlights until it starts to dry out a little. The drier it gets, the grittier it gets, so adding a little more or moistening the cloth keeps it a bit more fluid. Rub a small area in the corners to start in order to get the hang of it and avoid damage. Once you've had some success, move to another area and a bit larger area. When you've completed rubbing the entire headlight, buff with another clean cloth or an orbital buffer if you have one.

Now, follow up with Pledge by putting some on a clean cloth and rubbing it into the headlight. Not as permanent as the kits, but if you follow up with Pledge ever few weeks it will keep the headlights from clouding up.

For a bit more permanence, use a good paste wax if you have one. It lasts longer than the Pledge. I do both; Pledge gives it a lustre, and wax keeps it from clouding up.

Reply to
Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B

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