Hope you guys and ladies will find this useful.
All newer cars and migs have polycarbonate plastic as headlight cover. This is very strong and resistant but is affected by stone chips, uv light (sunlight) and becomes dull over time. Not sure about first migs but later prefacelift with projectors and facelifts are all affected by this problem.
Tools needed to sort this are, masking tape, warm water, wet sandpaper 800, 1200 1500 2500, orange or yellow polishing pad and plastic polish, Greygate used (Meguiars PlastX or similar)
On the lower pic dullness of the lens is really shown.
These are HID lamps and I was driving like a Batman through the night, actually more like a bat cause couldn't see anything with dipped beam on.
So let's start. take a bucket of warm water, drop the sandpaper in and a few drops of car shampoo and leave it for half an hour. Mask the surrounding of the headlight with a tape, take the 800 grit sandpaper and start rubbing it with moderate pressure. Do not forget to dip the paper in water frequently or spray the lens with water while you are rubbing. Try to remove all stone chips damage if you have it. Don't worry if the lens go milky. In severe damage cases start with 500 grit but be careful with this sandpaper
here is the pic after 800 grit
Now take the 1200 grit and repeat the process. Glass can go even milkier than before, I used car shampoo with wax so headlight was VERY milky when it dried a bit after sanding with 1200 grit. Surface should feel smother now than after 800 grit
Pic is bellow
After a big break and moaning about you arm repeat the process with 1500 grit surface, do not forget to dip the sandpaper in water often.
Pic is bellow.
At the end use 2500 grit. On he lower pic you can see on the left (uk drivers side) a lamp after 2500 grit polishing and on the right the one which was done with 1200 grit.
Lens will still go milky after 2500 grit especially when it dries out, now wash it and dry it off.
Take a polishing pad and plastic polish, I used Greygate and polish it.
WARNING, if you are gong to machine polish it, DO NOT I repeat DO NOT polish one place too long but move the machine constantly over the headlight. If you polish by machine in one place too long you will burn the plastic.. Polish it to shine.
Lamp after polishing is bellow, job done
Put some wax or sealant over headlight to protect it, admire your work for a while, and then go to the pharmacy and buy some painkillers cause your arms will fall off tomorrow.
Hope you find this useful, and sorry for the poor pics.
