Headlamp Clear Coating

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Eurythmian

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I recently purchased an '05 LS.
Love the car!!! It looks as if it's new and only has a little more than 25K on the odometer.

Question: The only thing that seems to show it's not new is the driver's side headlamp. The glossy black area along the top of the headlamp appears to be peeling it's clear coat finish. Are these headlamps prone to do this? Is there anything I can do to stop it from getting worse? Or should I just replace the headlamp? :eek:

Thanks for your help.
 
My driver side was the same way when i bought it. i use head lamp polish that i picked up from a local parts store and it works pretty good to clear up the fade, but never makes it look original and i reapply about once a month. its got a little bit of i grit to it and thats what kind of scrubs the lens.
 
I had some of this plastic lens polish... I will try it.

Why would they put a clear coating on the outside of the lens where it's going to get chipped and start to come off like this. Just doesn't make sense. :slam
 
they will usualy be fine as long as you wash you car regularly and if it doesnt sit in the sun continously. just keep it clean andit shouldnt get any worse.
 
I put lamin-x on my headlights before this happened. All the new plastic headlights will peel no matter what kind of car you have. I also put this on my wife's pt cruiser and they look new again. They had started to peel and turn yellow. i polished them and put lamin-x on them and no worries
Here is the link http://www.lamin-x.com/Lincoln-LS-s/492.htm
 
Mine did the same thing. I took the car to my local Lincoln body shop and had them polished and a layer of clear coat re-applied. They look brand new now!
 
Yea I remember reading that post 96. That was an awesome job. To the OP, I would polish them and put lamin-x on.
 
96hotrod,

Your lights looks like a before and after pic from the box or an advertisement. That is amazing.
 
customgtrs said:
I put lamin-x on my headlights before this happened. All the new plastic headlights will peel no matter what kind of car you have. I also put this on my wife's pt cruiser and they look new again. They had started to peel and turn yellow. i polished them and put lamin-x on them and no worries
Here is the link http://www.lamin-x.com/Lincoln-LS-s/492.htm
Click to expand...

Thanks - ordering today! :dancefool
 
Why would they put a clear coating on the outside of the lens where it's going to get chipped and start to come off like this. Just doesn't make sense
Click to expand...
Because they would be yellow in a month without it. The clearcoat protects the plastic from UV damage. UV ray exposure is probably the fastest way to degrade plastic. (besides fire or a solvent)

Sand them down, polish, clean with alcohol, then spray them with polycarbonate clear coat. It's made for plastics and will adhere in such a way that prevents it from peeling. Or use one of those restoration kits.
 
97stscaddy said:
Because they would be yellow in a month without it. The clearcoat protects the plastic from UV damage. UV ray exposure is probably the fastest way to degrade plastic. (besides fire or a solvent)

Sand them down, polish, clean with alcohol, then spray them with polycarbonate clear coat. It's made for plastics and will adhere in such a way that prevents it from peeling. Or use one of those restoration kits.
Click to expand...

What grit sand paper do I use or do I use something other than sand paper?
Where can I pick up this polycarbonate clear coat?
 
The laminex protects from debris also. MAke sure you use a hair dryer or heatgun when you install them. The curve of the headlight on the top will ripple if you don't heat it. Not that hard of an install
 
Eurythmian said:
What grit sand paper do I use or do I use something other than sand paper?
Where can I pick up this polycarbonate clear coat?
Click to expand...

Start around 500 and work your way progressively finer up to about 2000. You can go finer than that but if you just break out the plastic polish and a buffer the 2000 grit marks will be gone in nothing flat.

Polycarbonate/plastic clear coat can be bought at just about any hobby shop or craft store. But any clearcoat that says it can be used on polycarbonate will work.
 
The Glassyglight Kit was awesome!

I couldn't believe how well the driver's side now matches the other. Easy simple instructions which take about 20 minutes total to complete.

Once you wipe on the Nano Sealant, the lens is as glossy as the factory coating. I really recommend this. I ordered it on Amazon.com and it came within two days.

Great stuff!
 
Eurythmian said:
The Glassyglight Kit was awesome!

I couldn't believe how well the driver's side now matches the other. Easy simple instructions which take about 20 minutes total to complete.

Once you wipe on the Nano Sealant, the lens is as glossy as the factory coating. I really recommend this. I ordered it on Amazon.com and it came within two days.

Great stuff!
Click to expand...

PICTURES!!!

If I understand correctly, the top of the headlight was peeling, right?
 
In addition to sanding, polishing, and spraying with clear, you can protect the finish with a regular paint sealant. I do it all the time on the details I do. Specifically, I use Duragloss 105 on the head/tail lights.
 
LS4me said:
PICTURES!!!

If I understand correctly, the top of the headlight was peeling, right?
Click to expand...

Yes the top was peeling and it had started coming down on the face of the housing. I couldn't be happier with the results of this product. It's as glossy (like new) as the passenger side housing. I was very skeptical and nervous about sanding on clear plastic knowing a new Headlamp housing is close to $500.00 from FORD. But once I started there was no turning back. And after applying the nano sealant coating - I wanted to jump up and down with joy. I will try and get photos once the weather clears and I can get some taken.
 
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