Clear Coat Removal...

Sounds strange but yes, I want to remove some clear coat. I have a car that is nice, but they chose to use plastic headlights which yellow over time. I decided to wet sand them with 1000 and then 1500, then use some clear coat to cover up the micro scratches. I guess one did not get completely clean of grease and the clear coat cracked on my first application and left spider ridges. Maybe my first coat was too thick but anyways the other headlamp came out very nice. How do I get off the clear coat from the light that I messed up? As a consolation it is no worse than when I started, but one side looks very nice and the other isn't so good. The clear coat I used was Plasti-kote Clear #629. I plan on using rubbing compound to work out some of the small texture on the light that came out good. I am happy with the one light at least... Any help?

Start off with 600 grit wet sanding. Move up from there until you get a 'clean' surface to re-clearcoat.


I might be worth your while to just buy a new set, one at a time if you have to and keep a good coat of wax or sealant on the new lights to inhibit the yellowing/clouding.



Don M
'02 Cavalier LSSC
2200 DOHC

You might want to just replace your set of lenses for replacements. No matter how well you invest in your time & equipment. Your yellowing will reappear in time due to the severe temperture that the lights will put out during night driving along with the reflecting of UV rays.

We have seen a lot of custom vehicles attempt this & they are so upset in the long run of not just replacing the lenses in the first place. Proper neglected treatment should be avoided. Once you purchase a new set, do your regular maintenance with PLEXUS plastic cleaner & you will never have to worry about this problem in the near future. Good Luck with your decission.

Thanks guys, I guess I will try to use a more agressive wet sanding paper (600) and try to work the headlamp back to where I can re-clear coat it. I am very hesitant to use a paint stripper as the base is not metal, its lexan plastic I think. In the future I am planning on getting j-spec or e-spec headlamps to replace the ones I have. The releases of my car in both Europe, Australia and other places besides US and Canada had glass headlamps, which of course will be much better as far as yellowing.