Off-Topic, Automotive Division

[BruceB]

So....

We bought a new truck back in September, and driving it (occasionally) I saw a HUGE difference in the amount of light it puts out, compared to my ol' '97 Suburban.

I took a hard look at the Suburban's headlights, after checking the electrical system's voltage....14 volts, not bad. The lenses of the headlights are really cloudy and feel rough to the touch, which isn't too surprising after seven years of airborne Nevada abrasives.

The local GM store quotes $255 to replace the two plastic lenses, parts only! That'll buy a fairly-decent military rifle to play with, or THOUSANDS of primers, or, or....!

Thus, my question: does anyone know of a method to polish those plastic lenses back to complete clarity, or am I dreaming?

All help appreciated, as usual.

[StarMetal]

BruceB,

Type this into Google and the results will blow you away:

polishing automotive headlight lenses


Joe

[C1PNR]

Dang, wills, that's REAL interesting.

We just got rid of our old Ford, which had some badly "fogged" headlight lenses.

Now that I know what's up, I'll keep it in mind for my other vehicles with the same type lenses.

Thanks again!

[BruceB]

Thankee, Joe!

You're right, there's enough info there to keep me going for days.

I only went into it for about four pages, but that's plenty. If I decide to replace them outright, it'll only cost about $75 for the pair, and I do believe I'll try some of the polishing techniques I found, first. I have nothing to lose, after all.....

[Frank46]

Why don't you try using flitz?. They are always advertising that drill buffer and flitz. Or if you have a local air port in your area maybe you could find a compound that is used to polish airplane windshields. The windsheilds probably get more junk blasted into them by the prop wash when taking off and landing. Could be what you are looking for. Worth a try.
Frank

[shooter575]

Some guys said that toothpaste was a good polish for motorcycle face sheilds. I never tried it though.

[StarMetal]

Why not just use the proper products made for it????

Joe

[felix]

Powdered calcium carbonate is a good polisher, and can be found is some toothpaste formulations. Might have to read the fine print. Calcium carbonate is not that hard of a material, and is good for the purpose of cleaning most anything. Objects made of brass would enjoy a ph adjustment to be more acidic after such a cleaning, though. Use a vinegar solution to do this. ... felix

[StarMetal]

Tootpaste use to be a pretty simple thing back alot of years ago. I think that's when they are talking about it being an okay light polishing agent. Today it's a totally different animal. Did you guys know that sodium flouride had been banned in most of Europe? They don't want it in their toothpaste or water. Did you know that potassium flouride and sodium flouride are used to make military chemical weapons that that both are Federally controlled? Did you know sodium flouride is used in insecticides? I don't think I'd like it my toothpaste alone polishing plastics with toothpaste that has flouride in it.

Joe

[NVcurmudgeon]

I have apparently lived through the history of headlights, other than kerosene and carbide. I started driving when there were cars from 1928-1954 around. The oldest ones had bulb headlights which everybody lost no time in converting to sealed beams. We were convinced that sealed beams,with their own glass lenses were the ultimate. Of course, the cheap illegitimati in Detroit, Wolfsburg, Tojohama, etc. can't rest until they bring out something new, inferior, and more profitable. Hence the plastic lenses containing (arrrrrrgh) bulb headlights. One of the most irritating car problems I ever had was on the 1984 Ford Tempo that my wife had when we got married. One winter it began eating headlight bulbs on one side, at a cost a whole lot more than the price of an honest sealed beam. After three replacements, I removed the lens and found it contained several ounces of water. I filled the lens and watched to see if water came out. It did, because there was a small crack where two pieces of plastic were bonded together to make the lens. I priced a replacement lens and found that I would need a co-signer, so I fixed it with Micro-Bed. IMO, these new and "improved" headlights were developed by Lord Lucas of England. It will be remembered that Lucas' dying words to his family were, "don't drive at night!"

[Jumptrap]

ILLEGITIMATI

Now there, is one fine word! Me thinks I shall adopt it into my vocabulary from hence forward. Sounds far less uncouth than plain old ********...don't you think? HAR!

[Herb in Pa]

Lord Lucas.............The Prince of Darkness! The reason they drink warm beer in England is that Lucas makes refrigerators! :hijack:

[waksupi]

Bon Ami

[StarMetal]

Lord Lucas.............The Prince of Darkness! The reason they drink warm beer in England is that Lucas makes refrigerators! :hijack:


There you go Herb, the biggest downfall of Brtishi bikes was there electrical system..LUCAS of course [smilie=b:

Joe

[Dale53]

As a motorcycle competitor of the late fifties (I had zippers installed on my Triumph electrics) I couldn't resist: Enjoy!
The Lucas motto: "Get home before dark."

Lucas denies having invented darkness. But they still claim "sudden, unexpected darkness."

Lucas--inventor of the first intermittent wiper.

Lucas--inventor of the self-dimming headlamp.

The three-position Lucas switch--DIM, FLICKER and OFF. The other three switch settings--SMOKE, SMOLDER and IGNITE.

The original anti-theft devices--Lucas Electric products.

"I've had a Lucas pacemaker for years and have never experienced any prob...

If Lucas made guns, wars would not start either.

Did you hear about the Lucas powered torpedo? It sank.

It's not true that Lucas, in 1947, tried to get Parliament to repeal Ohm's Law. They withdrew their efforts when they met too much resistance.

Did you hear the one about the guy that peeked into a Land Rover and asked the owner "How can you tell one switch from another at night, since they all look the same?" "He replied, it doesn't matter which one you use, nothing happens!"

Back in the '70s Lucas decided to diversify its product line and began manufacturing vacuum cleaners. It was the only product they offered which didn't suck.

Quality Assurance phoned and advised the Engineering guy that they had trouble with his design shorting out. So he made the wires longer.

Why do the English drink warm beer? Lucas makes the refrigerators.

Alexander Graham Bell invented the Telephone.
Thomas Edison invented the Light Bulb.
Joseph Lucas invented the Short Circuit.

Recommended procedure before taking on a repair of Lucas equipment: check the position of the stars, kill a chicken and walk three times sunwise around your car chanting: "Oh mighty Prince of Darkness protect your unworthy servant."

Lucas systems actually uses AC current; it just has a random frequency.

Dale53

[C1PNR]

Bon Ami
Don't you mean "Mon Ami" my friend?;-)

[David R]

Thanks for those Dale53

David

[wills]

Don't you mean "Mon Ami" my friend?;-)


Hasn't scratched yet.

[waksupi]

Don't you mean "Mon Ami" my friend?;-)

I believe the first is "good friend", where mon ami, is "my friend". Don't know, never took any French. But I do know it is a very fine abrasive, used by glass workers.

[felix]

100 percent calcium carbonate = Bon Ami ... felix

[BeeMan]

This forum is great - I will be polishing the oxidized headlights on my Aerostar this weekend.

FWIW, the minerals in Bon Ami were commonly mined in the western part of North Carolina. We visited an old mine while on vacation and it was quite interesting.

http://www.geology.enr.state.nc.us/proj_earth/feldspar_data.html

BeeMan

[StarMetal]

That's something about this forum. You fellows must be tighter then frog asses, and those are waterproof. Rather then go out and buy the specific product for what you need done, you'd rather make some concoction at home that maybe not be suitable. Those specific plastic polishes not only have the mild abrasives in them to polish, but also driers to make it dry faster of course and waxes, in addition some have UV protectors, etc.

I'd rather be safe, spend the few bucks more for the right product, rather then totally fog out my plastic lenses. IMHO

Joe

[StarMetal]

There's two Bon Ami powders. One is Bon Ami Polishing cleanser and this it what their website says about it:

Bon Ami’s unique ingredients remove dried on splatters and spills, burned-on grease, baked-on food, and sticky messes. Recommended by major plumbing fixture, appliance and cookware manufacturers because it cleans without scratching. Bon Ami Polishing Cleanser is made from calcite & feldspar mineral abrasives, and biodegradable detergent. It does not contain chlorine, perfume, or dye. Bon Ami Polishing Cleanser is offered in supermarkets, small grocery stores, mass merchandisers, and many other stores.

The other product is the original 1886 formula and is called Bon Ami Cleaning Powder. Here's what the site says about it:

http://www.bonami.com/products/images/1886_formula_head.gif Since 1886—the original formula in the nostalgic can. Defogs windows and mirrors. Cleans and polishes glass, windows, mirrors, porcelain, unlacquered metals, chrome, aluminum, stainless steel, ceramic tile, cast iron cookware, whitewall tires and tools. Natural ingredients contain no detergent, bleach, perfume or dye. Recommended by allergists because it is pure and gentle. Bon Ami Cleaning Powder is offered in hardware stores, some small food stores, and mail order catalogs.

The second they said can be found in hardware stores, small food stores and mailorder. The newer stuff is most likely what is found in the bigger chains like Walmart etc.

Joe

[David R]

Way off topic here, but this reminds me of something we used to do. If we had an engine that didn't break in (seat the rings) or was burning a lot of oil, we would run the engine at a high speed and sprinkle Bon Ami the cleanser into the carb. This mild abrasive would rough up the cylinders and make the rings seat or re seat. If you used too much at once, the engine would seize. If you did it right, it worked.

This will not work on an engine that is totally worn out. There is NO mystery powder or snake oil that will make an old wore out smoking engine stop burning oil.

David

[Safeshot]

No question, I agree that sealed beams are better. The sealed beams that I purchased for my 91 Ford Van were advertised as 85% bighter than OEM. They sure seem to be. Really nice. best headlights I have ever used. Much superrior to my vehicles with the plastic lens and housing and the "Bulbs". The total cost for the pair of the brighter sealed beam headlights was less than $18. My son replaced one plastic lens/housing assembly (only) on a Ford Escort at a cost of about $74 (part only, he did the install). I later saw an escort that had been "converted" to sealed beams with the large rectangular sealed beam headlights installed. I do not know how it was done, but it was a nice looking job and did light up the road nicely. Does anyone know of an avalible "kit" to convert to sealed beam headlights? (History repeats itself- just like years ago, conversion to sealed beam headlights is desirable.) Last headlight I replaced was in an old chevy truck. It was a large round style sealed beam (brighter) type for a cost of about $9. Sold an 80 Pontiac last year that had 4 of the small rectangular sealed beam headlights. It was as bright or brighter than the pastic lens and bulb type of the newer cars and when any of the sealed beam units needed replacement everything got replaced. The bulb/filiment, the reflector. the lens, and the contacts. The cost for replacement was very low and replacement easy. Why did they have to "fix" something that was not "broke"? I

[floodgate]

Safeshot:

If you're talking about the Quartz-Halogen plastic-lens headlights on current cars, I hate 'em! We have rather bouncy 2-lane highways here, and the sharp cutoff on the low-beams makes it look like oncoming cars ar flicking their high beams, and they get mad when I respond in kind. Plus, to some of us they look blue (not so much to me, but to other people I know), and only police vehicles are supposed to show blue lights. Wish they made sealed beam conversions for our Honda Civic Hybrid, but no go.

floodgate