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Hi guys,

just bought an 1999 R34 GTR a few weeks back.

The headlights look yellowish most probably because of burnt water/fog in the inside of the headlight.

I couldnt find any topics that was telling how to clean them.

I was thinking about putting the HL in the oven in order to melt the seal, then clean it and finnaly buy some black seal glue to put it back together but it might get a bit messy as i've got 2 left hands.

any other ideas?

cheers

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i dont know where u are located but there is a place in melbourne called headlights +

they do all thet sort of stuff and it seems to last very well (better than the kits u can buy)

also if u do buy a kit be careful a mate of mine coroded the film off his lights because it was a very strong sort of polish/cleaner.

Depending on the headlights, some frost over due to the Australian climate and the extreme UV we experience, (others due to a poor seal.) these lenses are designed for the Japanese climate and UV rating. A good plastic polish will bring them back, brands such as mothers are a good bet and arnt too badly priced.....

I've tried many things previously on my headlights - anything from brasso, sandpaper, and PlasticX etc - all of them worked, but some had better finishes than others. All of them started going yellow again after 6-9 months though...

I just used glassylite on my headlights on Thursday night - easy system - brought them up crystal clear and got rid of the yellowing in my passenger-side R34 lense. The final UV coating you apply is supposed to help with Australian conditions and prevent the yellowing from occuring again. For the price I paid (maybe $35 incl. p&h from their website) I figured it was worth a go - especially given they claim it's got that UV sealant/protectant. Purely on their initial results of making them nice and non-yellow and clear - I would highly recommend it - it works.

Only time will tell whether it resolves the yellowing coming back every 6+ months :whoops:

  • 2 weeks later...

I used all of the above methods and can still see fine fracture marks and what looks like dried mosture on the INSIDE .. so nothing will fix them up from the outside. But they're not yellow at all ..just slightly faded in corners.

I used a series of fine grit sandpapers soaked in warm water, sanded the outside of the headlights, then soaked the headlights in a thick thich coat of plastic polish and they come up like brand new.

I've tried many things previously on my headlights - anything from brasso, sandpaper, and PlasticX etc - all of them worked, but some had better finishes than others. All of them started going yellow again after 6-9 months though...

I just used glassylite on my headlights on Thursday night - easy system - brought them up crystal clear and got rid of the yellowing in my passenger-side R34 lense. The final UV coating you apply is supposed to help with Australian conditions and prevent the yellowing from occuring again. For the price I paid (maybe $35 incl. p&h from their website) I figured it was worth a go - especially given they claim it's got that UV sealant/protectant. Purely on their initial results of making them nice and non-yellow and clear - I would highly recommend it - it works.

Only time will tell whether it resolves the yellowing coming back every 6+ months :D

Keep us updated on 'glassylite' because I've wondered (also being a chemist) what it is that causes the yellowing to return so soon?

In any case, if this has an effective UV sealant/protectant, I won't have to keep on rubbing my left hand headlight (on the Forester) like a genie bottle. My GT-R has no such dilemma. :D

Keep us updated on 'glassylite' because I've wondered (also being a chemist) what it is that causes the yellowing to return so soon?

In any case, if this has an effective UV sealant/protectant, I won't have to keep on rubbing my left hand headlight (on the Forester) like a genie bottle. My GT-R has no such dilemma. :D

No signs of yellowing yet - but it's still early days.

What I found interesting is I've never had yellowing issues on my drivers-side light, only the passenger side - perhaps one has been changed in Japan before I bought the car, or maybe one's had the coating scrubbed off at some point from over-zealous polishing - who knows.

I plan on keeping this thread updated, if I see yellowing return tho - never fear :D

I'll also be interested in hearing how this goes. I've been using Meguiar's PlastX - works well enough, though my driver's side headlight still has a very faint tinge to it. But at least I can actually see into them now, so bonus!

I'll also be interested in hearing how this goes. I've been using Meguiar's PlastX - works well enough, though my driver's side headlight still has a very faint tinge to it. But at least I can actually see into them now, so bonus!

Plastx can work very well. I have used it on a number of cars with generally very good results, especially when using it with a car polisher ( gently )

Once that yellow starts though it will need redoing periodically

Hi guys,

just bought an 1999 R34 GTR a few weeks back.

The headlights look yellowish most probably because of burnt water/fog in the inside of the headlight.

I couldnt find any topics that was telling how to clean them.

I was thinking about putting the HL in the oven in order to melt the seal, then clean it and finnaly buy some black seal glue to put it back together but it might get a bit messy as i've got 2 left hands.

any other ideas?

cheers

My headlights we're yellow too, I got some headlight cleaner stuff from SuperCheap Auto and it seemed to work pretty good, just follow the instructions and you'll have no probs :blink:

  • 3 weeks later...

I "think" the yellowing is cause by some sort on algae. Since the lense is quite porous and rain water isn't clean it leaves the ultimate place for algae to form.

- Polish the lense with any car polish.

- I found a little bit of RainX helps keep it clearer longer, maybe because it repels water better and "fills in" the mircoscopic pores on the lense.

But that's my own non-scientifically proven theory anyway - which seems to work :P

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