Have any of you thought about waxing your headlight lenses? I have aftermarket lenses (like a lot of us here), to keep from getting stress cracks or fading, do you think putting a coat of wax on them would help to protect them more?

 

wax wont really stop them from cracking but it is a good idea to do it... i have waxed my headlights and they do stay really glossy and protected from other things...

 

ive waxed mine, and most of the cars from the dealerships have waxed headlights and tailights.

 

helicopter tape 3M clear....

 

Nice...I'll get to it. I figured since was protects against UV and other elements, it couldn't be a bad idea to do it.

 

The tiny cracks and yellowing is mostly caused from ultraviolet light (UV) damage as well pitting from sand and other fine debris as well as contaminants in the air/moisture (i.e. acid rain) breaking down the hard exterior surface of the plastic. There are a few different protectant film products 3M and others make that block nearly all UV rays and also provide some limited protection against rock chips. You have to be careful when installing them to make sure you don't stretch the film too tight (which can occasionally lead to some minor webbing cracks) but they usually work pretty well. My only concern about some of the products is the long-term service life and what happens if you eventually try to remove the film down the road.

I've waxed plastic headlamps before but usually only ones that have already severely yellowed. I start with a good super fine grit plastic polish and once shined up with as much yellowing removed as possible will apply a polishing wax and/or a high quality general purpose automotive wax. It usually last for a few months but once you start that process you almost always have to keep doing it.

What concerns me about waxing new headlamps or ones in great shape is that it might damage the hard resistive coating/surface on the lens. Especially if you accidentally use a wax that has a slight polishing grit you don't know is in there. The best recommendation would be to o call a couple of the tech hotlines for some of the aftermarket car care companies such as Mothers, Meguiar's, etc. (Meguiar's in particular has a good support hotline and should be able to provide a recommendation if any of their products are safe for use on a plastic headlamp).

 

I was just going to use the Mother's carnauba wax that came with my clay bar kit.

 

i use mcguires plastix to clean, then i use wax, keeps the headlights nice

 

i wax headlights and windows and side mirrors

 

Great! I like all these answers. Anything to prolong the life of my lenses is a good thing!

 

what about rims

 

I have stock wheels and I use wax on them every so often. It actually says in the manual to wax them lol.

 

Wax on many clear coated and chromed wheels is a good thing and will prolong the finish life. Before assuming all waxes are the same and using one on a plastic headlamp housing it would be a good idea to contact the wax manufacturer and see if they recommend it. If they say it's okay then go for it.

 

Yeah...I should call Mother's and see what they have to say.