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It looks like you also have some stone pitting. Mine were cloudy but looked good while wet. I did the Meguires 3 step headlight restoration thingy. Crystal clear after. Easy to do, 1 hour job. Huge results....$30.
If it looks clear when wet...thats good as the hazing is on the outside. If its on the inside of the lens, more difficult. I remember a tutorial on how to use a heatgun to get the lens off to clean/buff the inside. Its not airtight so condensation can build up over time. I \could be wrong.....
Outside Vs inside is easy. Just get it wet, if you can still see the haze its probably on the inside. I still have a tiny bit of haze on the inside, but not enough to warrant surgery. And by tiny bit I mean standing 6 inches away at the perfect angle in the perfect light.
The upside down horeshoe haze tells me its on the inside. I have a less noticeable version like you.
If it's on the inside, which yours looks to be, you can fix it without removing the headlight lens. Get some 91% rubbing alcohol and a hypodermic needle. Remove the headlight from the car and pop off the back caps, then introduce enough of the alcohol in a direction that keeps it away from the electrical components. You need enough where when holding the light lens down you'll be able to swish it around on the inside of the lens. Once you've done that for a while, make sure you haven't picked up any debris from inside the light assembly that is sitting on the lens and then turn it upside (lens at the top now), shake the alcohol out, and let it dry that way for a day or so. If you let it dry lens down any remaining alcohol will run back onto the lens and make a stain. Once it's dry inside that inside haze will be gone.
If you zoom in on the photo of my Cayenne, you can see the same haze - its worst right in front of the main headlight lamps. The headlight below it is the same Driver's side headlight after this alcohol process.
I had Headlight Doctor do mine, as they apply a flexible clearcoat after sanding. I noticed my lights (bi-xenons, with blueish cast) when on looked greenish after a few years so that meant the lenses had yellowed. It was within Headlight Doctor's 5-yr guarantee so they came out and redid it for free. If I were to do it myself I would mask and clearcoat it, otherwise it doesn't last as long. Good tip about cleaning the insides, but before I read people used everclear or some pure alcohol. The isopropyl you get at the drugstore contains some water, so it could leave spots when it dries, especially the ones with lower alcohol concentration.
The isopropyl you get at the drugstore contains some water, so it could leave spots when it dries, especially the ones with lower alcohol concentration.
Yeah, I've been meaning to do this procedure on my 997's headlights and I believe 99.9% pure methanol is recommended for this reason.
Update: Did it with 99.9% methanol and it worked perfectly. No more inside haze.
Update: Did it with 99.9% methanol and it worked perfectly. No more inside haze.
I saw this thread linked in a thread that I had posted. Mind sharing exactly what you did? I have the upside down horseshoe haze/fogging on my headlights, and would love to clean them up.
Do not use isopropyl alcohol. I can cause the polycarbonate lenses to crack before your eyes ( in several seconds!). Use denatured alcohol ( non ingestible ethyl alcohol ). I am sure the inner surface of the lenses are not hard coated.
has anyone tried Isopropyl alcohol? wanted to know if its safe on 997 headlight. isopropyl is the most easy to find alcohol in the market and is usually 91% alcohol.
not sure where to find 99.9% methanol and denatured ethanol (non ingestible ethyl alcohol)
has anyone tried Isopropyl alcohol? wanted to know if its safe on 997 headlight. isopropyl is the most easy to find alcohol in the market and is usually 91% alcohol.
not sure where to find 99.9% methanol and denatured ethanol (non ingestible ethyl alcohol)
Did you read any of the posts in this thread? The one just before yours says to not use 91% Isopropyl Alcohol (Rubbing Alcohol) as you risk cracking the lens. Also, I believe someone else had an issue where that type removed some of the silver coating from the reflector.
In my post further down that's exactly what I used in my Cayenne headlights with perfect results, so using that has been discussed, but I guess use it at your own risk - either I got lucky or the Cayenne headlight may be different material-wise than the 997 headlight, but I find that hard to believe.
Did you read any of the posts in this thread? The one just before yours says to not use 91% Isopropyl Alcohol (Rubbing Alcohol) as you risk cracking the lens. Also, I believe someone else had an issue where that type removed some of the silver coating from the reflector.
In my post further down that's exactly what I used in my Cayenne headlights with perfect results, so using that has been discussed, but I guess use it at your own risk - either I got lucky or the Cayenne headlight may be different material-wise than the 997 headlight, but I find that hard to believe.
Thanks Petza. Yes I had seen the post where the person said not to use Isopropyl Alcohol as it would crack the lens. Wanted to know if someone had actually tried and it didn't crack. There are several types of plastics and not all plastics are the same.
I saw your Caynne post which got me all excited in the first place. My alternative is to look for Methanol which I am not sure how easy to get would be.
thanks for your response and your initial post. highly apprecaited.
has anyone tried Isopropyl alcohol? wanted to know if its safe on 997 headlight. isopropyl is the most easy to find alcohol in the market and is usually 91% alcohol.
not sure where to find 99.9% methanol and denatured ethanol (non ingestible ethyl alcohol)
One can find Isopropanol, denatured alcohol, methanol and other solvents in the paint section at a Home Depot or Lowes. These alcohols are generally sold in metal containers.
I would recommend denature alcohol. It is less toxic than the others and safer than isopropanol with plastics.
One can find Isopropanol, denatured alcohol, methanol and other solvents in the paint section at a Home Depot or Lowes. These alcohols are generally sold in metal containers.
I would recommend denature alcohol. It is less toxic than the others and safer than isopropanol with plastics.
Thanks Fahrer. Making a trip to Home Depot later today. I think I learnt more about these chemicals in the last 12 hours than my time in university lol
04-21-2018, 09:10 PM
