My son is driving his mom's 2009 malibu that has been junk sice it was new in my opinion. It's had more money poured in it over the years than any misengineered car deserves, but I digress.
The headlights on the thing were so cloudy the lights died out about 100ft out. i refuse to put any more real money in the thing. Ive tried those polish kits. They only work if the lights are not real bad. These were bad. I'm guessing this fix won't last forever, but It may very well out last the hunk a crap It's attached to. If not, I'll do it again. I wet sanded the lights with 800 grit sandpaper, then 2000. I then washed them well, dried them off and made the magic happen. A coat of clear krylon spray paint. BOOM! it filled the scratches and made the lense clear again. Jeremy took it out last night and said the difference was unbelievable.
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"clearly a bright idea"! :D 8)
Excellent idea. Ill remember that one.
Not my idea, I saw it on youtube and said Hey!.
That car is sacrilege to the Chevelle of old. I dislike them myself.
I've been told that toothpaste once a year works for cheap, but I distrust the source.
NOW, if they only made those out of real glass, then I'd spend the coin on them for my ride, but alas....
Is there clear paint for plastics? Wonder how long it will stick?
Lee, I figure I got enough left in the can to sand and paint 20 times. All for 4.95.
This is the car you have to remove the front air foils and bumper to change a headlight bulb, and they have a problem. They eat headlights.
@Tacotodd (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=50744) you shoud really brush those teeth more than once a year. ;D :D :D :D
I've heard of being able to take scratches out of plexiglass with a heat gun. Wonder if it would work for headlights?
Or, why not just spray it with krylon like we did? Day 2. Still there.
I used auto rubbing compound to clean mine on my Toyota Tundra. Then paste wax. But they yellow up again in about 6 months.
I replaced the whole assembly on my 17 year old truck last summer. They were a lot cheaper than I anticipated. I think about 250.00 for both. The originals had been polished a few times and were shot. I regret not having done it sooner. What a difference.
Quote from: Jeff on March 24, 2021, 05:16:04 PM
Lee, I figure I got enough left in the can to sand and paint 20 times. All for 4.95.
This is the car you have to remove the front air foils and bumper to change a headlight bulb, and they have a problem. They eat headlights.
do not touch the bulb glass with your bare hands. the oil from your hand will leave a residue and cause excessive heat buildup, thus burning the bulb up faster.
if you have to touch the bulb then use New clean rubber gloves.
it is the UV sun light that causes most of the headlight fogging.
Touching bulbs has nothing to do with this car. That car has a defect. Google it.
Ive also replaced harnesses to try and stop it. It is a p.o.c.
a lemon is a lemon no mater what you do.
cannot even make a lemon meringue pie out of it :D
I use toothpaste and a rubber cup on a drill motor.
I use a bentonite coated chamois buffing cloth, then 99% deet insect repellent to and a good rub with soft cotton. Works like a charm with chalked headlights. As a field expedient, just the deet will brighten them significantly.
They've improved the lights since the days of a T3 Sylvania sealed beams used on '57 Chevys .However the prices are through the roof these days .As I understand it they make something to clear up the plastic on the modern ones .I think sitting in the sun for a number of years doesn't do them any good .
But I sure do like the old school simplicity.
Head lights can be a pain in the back sides at times .I have a pair of Lincoln MK 7's 1984 .One of them would get moisture inside the plastics for some reason .I think how I fixed that was silicon grease on the sealing gasket .Keep in mind that's a Lincoln not a 1949 Ford .No reason for that .Humbug --
My wife had about a 2000 model Malibu, and it was a good car, at least as far as we could tell. Since then I bought her a Toyota Corolla, now that is about a trouble free car. And it makes close to 40 mpg. She had bridgestone tires put on it, now she complains about the road noise. One of these days when she is the only grandma driving a car, will probably tell me she needs a SUV.
Speaking of which. headlights .Driving back from Toledo on Sat .evening on I-75 I thought I finally lost my night vision .Traffic was heavy enough on coming could not run the bright lights .Made a world of difference .Come to find out one of the dims was burned out .Driving around like a cyclopes ,perdiddle in days of old .
These dang lights are not like a '57 Chevy at 4 bucks a pop .$29.95 for one ,wow :o BTW I had to get on You Tube to figure out how to change it .
Yeah, had the same thing. Driver side dim went out and for a few nights (don't drive at night much), I couldn't see too well. Went to the auto parts store to get a new bulb. They had normal, bright, super bright and blinding LEDs. I think the top end was something goofy like $65/bulb - maybe more. Anyhow, reading the packages, the brighter the bulb, the less life they had. Great, pay 50% more and get 50% less life. Also, it was a good deal to buy a pair. So I did and replaced both and saved the one for a spare. My thinking is the new ones would be brighter just because they are new. It would be just my luck to change the bad one and then the other would die the next week.
The danged light bulbs have changed drastically over the years .Plus what you have to go through to change them .I can figure it out but it's just as simple to You Tube it before I even start in .
Some time back I had the lights on a Lincoln MK 7 fog up .It was a Florida car sitting in that hot sun .I used something which I forgot what to buff most of it off .On a '90 Cadillac I had both dims blow out at the same time 20 miles from home at 10 PM .I imagine I annoyed a few people driving with the brights but I really had no other choice .
To revisit this topic I wonder if that Krylon clear paint will renew colored plastic .On the rental house I am trying to sell the plastic features such as attic vents have faded as have the screen/storm doors .They are kind of a reddish lavender .I should have known better because in time anything with red pigment will fad in the sun .That job of vinyl siding was done 24 years ago if memory serves .