I'm gonna put on the clear headlight lens protection film on but though I'd try and polish out some of the minor scratches and nicks beforehand.
Picked up the Meguires headlight restoration kit.
Anyone have any experience with this stuff? Should I mask off the fenders?

 

in my experience you should definitely mask off painted areas because the plastic polish is abrasive
more importantly the lens surface doesn't stay clear for long after polishing...

 

I tried that stuff with my 996. I didn't really need to mask it off as I took care when near the edge.
It didn't really work all that well, might of taken out some really minor stuff but the deep sand blasted marks remain. This is where the sand paper comes in and I myself wouldn't dare try that.
I spent probably an hour per light and they only look maybe slightly better. Also tried in on the Cayenne head light, in which don't think it even helped at all.

 

Apparently the key is to get the kits with sand paper, I believe 3M has one. And this video is good:

 

the best method i found was using 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit sandpapers and wet sand the headlights until they are prefectly smooth. I then used plastX to buff out the scratches and sealant to seal the headlights.

Dont forget to mask the surrounding paint areas

 

Yes and go with the 3m restoration kit. I did my old SAAB and it worked like a charm. I masked off with multiple layers to protect the paint.

Make sure you have extra batteries for your drill or a corded drill.

 

+1 on the 3M kit, masking area is a good idea as the paste will splatter a bit no matter how careful you are with the drill as you progress through the stages.

 

damn, one of my new (used) led fogs could use a little bit of polishing... this thread could be gold. thanks guys.

will likely buy the 3m kit and report.

 

Excuse me Ma'am... I couldn't help but notice yer plastic headlight needs a polishin'...

 

Yup,the 3M kit from CDN Tire works well,although once you start you have to repeat a few times a year but it definitely does the job !

Cheers
Phil

 

Did the windshield of an old boat and it went from horrible to not bad. Used a product from a Harly store that sounds similar.

 

If you don't want them turning yellow or fading again you can always spray on some UV safe clear coat after sanding... No need to buff.

 

Also a light application of plastic polish every two months keeps them looking like new. I used the mcguires plastic polish to maintain the clearness after the 3M treatment.

 

I've done headlight that you'd swear need to just be scrapped...lots of sanding and wet sanding, then a good compound...look about 90% right.
Can either clearcoat them, or occasionally seal them with quality wax/sealant, do light rebuff if needed

 

I'm in the process of doing mine using wet sandpaper. Looks very good although I'm not satisfied yet and will be doing it again. They are now almost perfectly clear, but I missed some scratches that I probably put in with 800 grit sandpaper. The problem is that it is hard to see the scratches when working.

I have recently polished my Sport Techno wheels to a mirror finish mostly by hand (which took > 6 hours per wheel) so I have experience with polishing. Does anyone have any tricks to see the scratches when polishing plastic? I switch directions with every grit, but my lighting is not good enough to see the scratches. Maybe in the summer with direct sunlight...

Otherwise the approach is pretty simple. Remove the lights and use increasing grits of sandpaper followed by polish. I think I used 800, 1000, 1500.

I also purchased Lamin-x pre-cut plastic film for my headlights that will go on once I'm happy.