how do you clean s5 fog lights?
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i want a radio in my car!
Joined: Jul 2008
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From: hayward, CA
how do you clean s5 fog lights?
i just got a pair of s5 foglights and they were left out in the rain for a while and they have rust spots on the reflective material inside and also the clear plastic is really faded, so i want to see if people know how to clean them up really good, let me know what you got and be specific on the process
Lense Restoration
Alright i run the down the process i used when i restored my FTP lenses, it works just the same on fog lights. First you are gonna need some supplies; 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000 wet sand paper, a spray bottle with a soapy water solution, Mothers Power Ball (or equvilent), an electric drill, and I used Meguirs Plastic X.
First you start our with the 600 grit paper wetted down, use light pressure and continue to spray the water on the lense. Continue to lightly sand the entire lense evenly until it looks dull, next you'll do the same thig with the next grit and continue too the 2000 grit paper. I used my air gitter bug and lighty put in in a vice with some towles around the jaws not to ruin the lenses. I know what you are thinking, take 600 grit to the lenses???? the 600 grit paper is to take out any imperfections in the lense, once you start to use the other grits the lense will start to clear up. Once you hit the 2000 grit you won't believe these are the same lense you started with. When you are done with the 2000 grit dry off the lense.
Apply the Meguirs plasit X to the Mothers Power Ball. The reason you want to use an electric drill is because you run the risk of spinning the Power ball too fast and damaging the lense with an air drill. and use the side of the ball to go over the lense in an even motion. You may have to do this once or twice to get a real nice crystal clear lense. Now you are done, if you want you can clear coat the lenses or apply some car wax to the lenses to keep them from fading.
If you wanted, I could post a before and after pic that i have of my lenses.
Izzy
First you start our with the 600 grit paper wetted down, use light pressure and continue to spray the water on the lense. Continue to lightly sand the entire lense evenly until it looks dull, next you'll do the same thig with the next grit and continue too the 2000 grit paper. I used my air gitter bug and lighty put in in a vice with some towles around the jaws not to ruin the lenses. I know what you are thinking, take 600 grit to the lenses???? the 600 grit paper is to take out any imperfections in the lense, once you start to use the other grits the lense will start to clear up. Once you hit the 2000 grit you won't believe these are the same lense you started with. When you are done with the 2000 grit dry off the lense.
Apply the Meguirs plasit X to the Mothers Power Ball. The reason you want to use an electric drill is because you run the risk of spinning the Power ball too fast and damaging the lense with an air drill. and use the side of the ball to go over the lense in an even motion. You may have to do this once or twice to get a real nice crystal clear lense. Now you are done, if you want you can clear coat the lenses or apply some car wax to the lenses to keep them from fading.
If you wanted, I could post a before and after pic that i have of my lenses.
Izzy
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this is pretty much the best way to clean them up. I mean you could always try a headlight restore, but i doubt you'll have much success. If you do them like my write up says, you should have them both done in about 2 hrs and trust me you wont regret spending the time.
Joined: Mar 2006
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From: Tropical Rainforest - Puna, Hawaii
Bringing this old thread back to add a pic...
Thanks Rotorhead, I followed your directions except that I started with 400 wet sandpaper and ended with a Headlight Restore Disc.
Aloha,
~j
Thanks Rotorhead, I followed your directions except that I started with 400 wet sandpaper and ended with a Headlight Restore Disc.
Aloha,
~j
Freshly Built Streetport
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 206
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From: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Another method for mildly faded lenses is acetone. Get some paper towels and pour enough acetone on them so it will completely cover whatever surface you plan on cleaning. Then in one clean and even swipe, DO NOT RUB/SCRUB, pull it across the surface. After this, look at the paper towel and you'll see a lot of dirt and grime. You can only do this a couple of times before it has the opposite effect and starts to make the lense worse again. I did it to my S5 fogs and blinkers and they turned out great. It doesn't work quite as well for bigger surfaces like headlights.
I just bought a 3M kit after reading thi, and did my white front blinkers and FTP, and an hour later the turn signals look NEW. FTP I put some swirlies on them, so I'll have to redo them after I get some more sand disk. It says on the package not to use them on glass, so I guess there is a difference (glass vs plastic?)
you only need to wetsand if the surface is gritty. if it's simply faded all you need is a buffing wheel and some polishing compound. wax it with regular automotive wax afterwards.
pay attention to the amount of heat the plastic is taking however, you can burn it, at which point you WILL need to wetsand to get rid of the burn spot.
you will need to wax them periodically if you remove the clearcoat. you can attempt to clearcoat them again but believe me it's a royal pain to try and do it and keep the finish looking like glass through the lens.
pay attention to the amount of heat the plastic is taking however, you can burn it, at which point you WILL need to wetsand to get rid of the burn spot.
you will need to wax them periodically if you remove the clearcoat. you can attempt to clearcoat them again but believe me it's a royal pain to try and do it and keep the finish looking like glass through the lens.
