TC535i
11-19-2004, 11:09 AM
Decided to post this one up here, some of you may have 2nd cars that use plastic headlights, luckily our 5-series don't suffer this fate.
Over time, plastic covers can get pretty nasty, increase glare, decrease light output, and make a car look worse. As cheap as the materials are, most automakers don't even make these replaceable, so the only option is to buy a whole new housing.
Well, my Kia's headlights were starting to get a bit nasty. In this shot, you can see the weird "scum" buildup I had on there. There was a haze on the plastic that wouldn't come off with ANY cleaner I used (including 3M plastic cleaner, 3M plastic polish, rubbing compound, "headlight cleaner", wheel polish, etc).
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/TC535i6/PassSideDirty.jpg
Anyway, hit it with some 2000 grit sandpaper, and used a pitcher to pour water over it so it stayed wet while I was sanding. I could feel it getting smoother, but once I dried it off, it looked WAY worse. :(
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/TC535i6/PassSideSanded.jpg
It felt nice and smooth to the touch tho, and those were just very fine scratches. Enough to make it look completely hazed over, but easy to remove. Some rubbing compound mixed with a touch of elbow grease, applied with a rag, and voila!
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/TC535i6/PassSideClean.jpg
So, there you have it. Definitely works, and it makes the car look totally different. Doesn't have that "yellowed" look anymore, really made the car look much older/cheaper than it was... Looks MUCH better now!
So, the comparison side by side... these photos weren't edited in any way, besides for contrast. You can DEFINITELY tell the difference, worthwhile job in my opinion!
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/TC535i6/PassSideDirty.jpg
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/TC535i6/PassSideClean.jpg
And yes, afterwards I did go fill up the tank, and double the value of the Kia, just to get that out of the way... :D
Over time, plastic covers can get pretty nasty, increase glare, decrease light output, and make a car look worse. As cheap as the materials are, most automakers don't even make these replaceable, so the only option is to buy a whole new housing.
Well, my Kia's headlights were starting to get a bit nasty. In this shot, you can see the weird "scum" buildup I had on there. There was a haze on the plastic that wouldn't come off with ANY cleaner I used (including 3M plastic cleaner, 3M plastic polish, rubbing compound, "headlight cleaner", wheel polish, etc).
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/TC535i6/PassSideDirty.jpg
Anyway, hit it with some 2000 grit sandpaper, and used a pitcher to pour water over it so it stayed wet while I was sanding. I could feel it getting smoother, but once I dried it off, it looked WAY worse. :(
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/TC535i6/PassSideSanded.jpg
It felt nice and smooth to the touch tho, and those were just very fine scratches. Enough to make it look completely hazed over, but easy to remove. Some rubbing compound mixed with a touch of elbow grease, applied with a rag, and voila!
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/TC535i6/PassSideClean.jpg
So, there you have it. Definitely works, and it makes the car look totally different. Doesn't have that "yellowed" look anymore, really made the car look much older/cheaper than it was... Looks MUCH better now!
So, the comparison side by side... these photos weren't edited in any way, besides for contrast. You can DEFINITELY tell the difference, worthwhile job in my opinion!
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/TC535i6/PassSideDirty.jpg
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/TC535i6/PassSideClean.jpg
And yes, afterwards I did go fill up the tank, and double the value of the Kia, just to get that out of the way... :D