Plastics are here to stay and it seems that every new headlight on the planet is made with it. Over time, they all seem to have common issues: dulling, turning yellow, dimming, and even cracking. Not settling for failure, we teach you how to restore headlights. Dumbing it down, the process is pretty simple, and it’s much like polishing a new paint job. The Chicago Pneumatic CP7205-HLRK will help make the process a bit easier.

How To Restore Headlights: Step by Step

The headlight restoration process starts with cleaning, then several steps of sanding and the final step is polishing.

Step 1 – Sanding

The CP7205-HLRK kit includes sandpaper in 600, 800, 1500, 2000, 2500, and 3000 grits. In our case, we were able to start with 800-grit. If you have headlights that are very yellow with deep cracks, you may want to start with 600-grit. We’ve even seen cases where 400 grit is needed as the first step. The first step of sanding (whether 400, 600, or 800) should be used until all “yellowing” has been removed. You will see the lens become clear/white. You can choose to do this first step dry or wet.

Once the first step of sanding is complete, each further sanding grit will be done wet. We used a spray bottle of water with just a few drops of dish detergent (Dawn). This little bit of soap will help to break the surface tension of the water and keep things “wetter.”

Rotary and DA Polisher

Chicago Pneumatic CP7205-HLRK Features

In addition to the sandpaper mentioned above, the CP7205 kit includes two pneumatic polishers. The CP7200 is a rotary polisher, and the CP7201 is a dual-action polisher. We used the dual-action polisher for all the sanding and polishing on how to restore headlights. The kit also includes an intermediate pad for sanding, two polishing foam pads, and even a bottle of polish. All this is included in a single case with laser-cut foam inserts.

Click the link for more info on the Chicago Pneumatic CP7205-HLRK.