I decided to try to get the haze out of my headlights with a plastic polish. The only one I could find was Blue Magic polish. I was helping my friend put chrome rings in his instrument cluster at the time so he asked me to try the polish on the plastic cover while it was off. So I did, and in the end, the plastic piece had swirls all over it like I had just used sandpaper on it. Ok, maybe not that bad, but it definitely did more damage than good.

Needless to say, I'm not gonna use this product on my headlights. So what brands are effective, and where can I find them?

 

i think you used a crappy towel. that stuff is great.

 

It was a brand new shop rag. Is there something special I should've used?

 

Renovo, Novus, Meguiar's, or 3M

 

Not a shop rag! Shop rags most likely contain polyester because it is cheap. It will also scratch delicate surfaces. Use a microfiber cloth or 100% quality cotton from a good source (made in USA like Canon, Fieldcrest, etc... Quality control is much higher than other countries).

If in doubt about your choice of cloth, do the CD test. Just rub the cloth on the shiny side of an AOL or other CD of your choice. If it leaves scratches or a haze, it will on your paint/plastic too.

For checking if it is 100% cotton, do a fiber burn test. Light a corner of it on fire. If there is thick, black smoke, it contains polyester or other fibers and should not be used on delicate surfaces (auto paint, plastic, etc...). It will also appear to melt instead of burn (rolling up on itself). 100% cotton will burn like a candle wick; gray smoke with gray ash.

Also, when polishing plastic, use light pressure. It may take more passes, but you'll end up with a much better result.

I've used the Blue Magic plastic polish. It's not bad, but Novus works better for me. I use Novus #2 for general plastic polishing (headlights, gauge cluster lens, etc...). I only use Novus #3 on really scratched surfaces, and it needs followed with #2 to remove the hazing. I don't use #1 because I use Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish for light plastic cleaning/polishing.

Dave

 

Blue Magic plastic polish is great. The shop rag is what did it. Also, "brand new" isn't good. You should always wash new towels 4-5 times without fabric softener before using using them on your car. The older they get, the softer they get.

 

how long did it take you guys to get the haze out? I was trying to get the haze out of my gf's volvo for an hour using blue magic plastic cleaner and barely any change. how long is this suppose to take? After an hour of cleaning, I barely made a dent on the haze.

 

It should come right out. Sometimes old plastic just won't get clean.