Sun damaged headlights

[terry2366]

Hi guys just had my car cleaned and was asked if I wanted my headlights cleaned. They were glazed and hopeless at night he got them up like new not a trace of damage on the lens. Cost including the best car clean I've had here 150 tl. Express at the bottom of the rose garden road in Alsanjak

[sophie]

We have our headlights "cleaned" at the end of every Summer (end of Septemberish) and the difference is amazing. BTW, we're looking for a car wash place that will do a full valet i.e. bring the seat covers, inside roof etc, up like new. Do you think Express would do that?

[compass]

I suppose all headlights may be a little different so test a small area first, but I use "CIF" cream cleaner and they come up a treat - takes a couple of minutes only.
Then again I wash my own car so maybe I am a bit odd??

Compass

[frontalman]

No Compass, you are normal, the rest of us are daft! We've got a 2 tonne Santa Fe and only pay 40TL for cleaning in and out, so 150TL seems outrageous, I'd want a re-spray for that.

[Bogaz58]

Toothpaste. I've been told that this is the best for cleaning your headlights.

[munchy]

Also had the headlights done when you were there terry2366. Pleased with the outcome. As the MOT chap was particularly interested in the car lights, I think it did me a favour having them done. Tried the toothpaste trick before but although it worked initially , the result never lasted very long.

[terry2366]

Frontalman the 150 tl was for interior clean carpets headlining door shuts etc exterior clean and the headlight buffed and polished to clear the sun damage NOT a clean. I had my Renault done before re headlights and was charged 300 tl
so very good value. Plus it can save your life see and be seen.Sophie yes they do I would recommend them and I was in the trade in the uk

[sophie]

I wonder how long it takes to do a valet clean? We have only the one car and in this heat I can think of nothing worse than hanging around for a couple of hours, which I assume it would take. We're in the Karaoglanoglu side of Alsancak, could you give me a rough idea as to where Express are, so I can pop in and see them.

[Joe Soap]

I did try toothpaste and agree with Munchy.
I now use ABRO headlight restoration polish. Works a treat. A few minutes of elbow grease and the lights are nice and clean, and they stay like that for weeks.

[Deniz1]

where do you buy it Joe Soap?

[MnM]

What you clean the headlight lenses with is one thing but more importantly is what you clean them with - and how. And i suppose is it just a case of cleaning, or is it to get rid of an ageing tint film which may be bubbling and peeling off? Are they glass or plastic lenses is also important. I had plastic lenses on my FTO a few years ago with what looked like sun peeling all over them. Any abrasive cleaner will do, even Autosol metal cleaner. Use a green backed sponge scourer first and then with a white one after, followed by 2400 grit wet and dry with lots of water. A final polish with a Carnauba based UV inhibitor cream on a polishing bonnet with an electric drill will prolong the result of the effort you put in . Sounds a lot but it's actually quite easy and the time it takes all depends on how bad the lenses are to begin with, getting easier and quicker each time with more time between cleans.

[Johnny Lee]

I do mine (plastic) on a regular basis along with normal home car valet and they are like new. . I have found T. cut to be the best takes about 3 minutes each lens. Ditto rear ones.

[Joe Soap]

Deniz1 I bought ABRO headlight restoration polish at TAYF in Karalanoglu. ( 200 yards past the large GENC store going towards Girne

[Deniz1]

Thank you.

[Becker]

Not sure if Brasso or similar mild abrasive is available but that will work as well as anything. Dry soft cloth & do it in small squares then buff off with clean cloth. Needs doing in shade. Doubtful if glass will discolour.

[EnjoyingTheSun]

No Compass, you are normal, the rest of us are daft! We've got a 2 tonne Santa Fe and only pay 40TL for cleaning in and out, so 150TL seems outrageous, I'd want a re-spray for that.

I’ve bought a car for £20 back in the day! And it had enough petrol to get me to a garage......barely. Thinking about it probably still had more petrol in it then some of the hire cars I used to get here when coming on holiday.

[EnjoyingTheSun]

I wonder how long it takes to do a valet clean? We have only the one car and in this heat I can think of nothing worse than hanging around for a couple of hours, which I assume it would take. We're in the Karaoglanoglu side of Alsancak, could you give me a rough idea as to where Express are, so I can pop in and see them.

There was a car wash at the back of the Deli Cafe in Alsancak. Nice fry up and good milk shakes might make for a more convivial wait? Personally I’m waiting for rain to wash the car

[Kanonier]

No Compass, you are normal, the rest of us are daft! We've got a 2 tonne Santa Fe and only pay 40TL for cleaning in and out, so 150TL seems outrageous, I'd want a re-spray for that.

I’ve bought a car for £20 back in the day! And it had enough petrol to get me to a garage......barely. Thinking about it probably still had more petrol in it then some of the hire cars I used to get here when coming on holiday.

And me, a Vauxhall Wyvern springs to mind, we must use the same car hire company!! The only solution that I have found acceptable for sun damaged headlights in the long term was to replace them.

[EnjoyingTheSun]

And me, a Vauxhall Wyvern springs to mind, we must use the same car hire company!!

Nothing used to get a holiday off to a nicer start that getting dumped at a villa which seemed to be miles from civilisation with a hire car that had fumes left in it.
My other favourite was when you used to fill up your car and the pump would cut out after every tea spoon of petrol delivered. Many’s the time I’d give up after half an hour, pay for my 12p of petrol and hope it was enough to at least get out of the garage!

[sophie]

Almost as bad as being half way up a mountain in Crete with the sun setting fast with one of the 4 nearly bald tyres, being shredded. By the light of a cigarette (we all smoked then) opened the boot to discover we didn't have a spare. Two cigarettes later and swigs of Mataxa 7 star we decided to free wheel down the mountain road (just in case we ran out of petrol as well) on the metal rims. No mobiles in those days and in any case we couldn't have described where we were. The next day the barsteward wanted to charge us for a new tyre. Now, my Greek is non existent BUT I can make my self understood using sign language and he soon got the message with regard a new tyre.

[EnjoyingTheSun]

Well if we are getting competitive on car hire stories.
Me and a few friends went to America once and hired a car and popped it into a car park which as memory served was near a football stadium we were visiting. No one really remembered what floor nor that there were 3 other identical car parks evenly scattered around the stadium in a place where there were zero distinguishing features and where you needed a car to go to the corner shop.
All of us have zero sense of direction and to cut a long story short we had to hire another car to help us find the original car! Took about 2 days.

In Disneyland with my 3 cherubs I forgot what car park we were in and when getting the complimentary bus to our car the only help I could give the driver was it was named after a cartoon character maybe Goofy, Pluto or something like that and maybe 13 or 14? Due to the efficiency of the staff and me giving them a rough time of arrival they amazingly managed to help me find it. They did point out that they were running with the clever marketing strategy of naming ALL the car parks after cartoon characters being Disneyland!

In America with my friends we managed to knock off and lose the wing mirror and noticed that the excess on the insurance would wipe out every penny we had or were likely to earn in the next year so spent a lot of the holiday looking for an identical model and colour car so we could ‘borrow’ a wing mirror from it. We found one outside the roughest bar I’ve ever seen and found out how loud car alarms were in America. That was a fun evening.

[sophie]

I agree, USA can be a bit problematical regarding car hire. Arrived at LAX on way back to Holland only to discover the firms return area was 4 miles from LAX. Had less than half and hour to go before KLM flight took off and dumped the hire car right outside main entrance and made a run for it. Sudden shrieks from a grossly overweight security man "You can't park there mam" "oh yes I can, so catch me" He stopped running and I threw keys to him. Never heard another thing. But I bet that nowadays I would have been shot or at least tazered. Things were a lot different 30 years ago, that's for sure.

[Deniz1]

What have all the last few posts got to do with sun damaged headlights?

[sophie]

Deniz1, it can get very hot in Crete, LA and Disneyland. !!

[BILLYBONDZ]

For what’s its worth......just had a go with cif kitchen cream.......on the 14 year old fusion......they look like brand new......shame about the rest of it though......great idea...,,......aye thank you....,.,,