Well I am getting constant PM's asking me how I polished my tail lights. Here are some constant questions I get:

Q: Do I have to sand all of the tail light?

A: No. Only sand the parts that have blemishes. I sanded down the DOT lettering flush to get rid of the ugly things. WET sand this using 400 grit sandpaper on a sanding block.

Q: What do I need to do this project?

A: You will need a buffing wheel (loose style), plastic polishing compound from Eastwood, and something to mount the buffing wheel on...I.E.- bench grinder or a high RPM drill (1250+).

Q: What steps do I take to do this right?

A: Take your time when buffing. Pay attention to what you are doing. Be careful for heat build-up as it can happen quickly. Apply medium pressure as hard pressure is not required...let the buffing compound do the work. Wear safety glasses and no loose clothing. Work in a well lit area so you can see what you are doing. It may require going over it several times to acheive the results that I received.

Q: Can this be done on Camaro tail lights?

A: Yes, but I haven't ever done it before so I don't know if the steps are any different.

Q: How much are supplies?

A: Supplies will run you about $20. However, if you don't have a drill or bench grinder/buffer you may have to rent/borrow/buy one.

Here are the steps that I took:

1) Remove the tail lights from the car. If you look at the lenses, you will see raised DOT numbers. These have no use except for collecting dirt and wax, so I solved that problem. Take your 400 grit sandpaper on a sanding block, apply water to the lense, and in about 20 swipes the letters are gone and flush with the surface of the lense.

2) Wash the lenses with soap and water to get rid of any dirt or plastic particles.

3) Apply the buffing compound to the buffing wheel sparingly...once the wheel has started to change to the color of the compound, you have enough. You now have 2 choices when buffing:

A) Go slow and go over the surface once
B) Go fast and go over the surface several times.

*I chose to go slow...the only disadvantage with this is heat build-up. I didn't have a problem with heat build-up, but you may want to check every so often when you are doing it to avoid it.

4) Keep a clean terry cloth nearby so you can wipe away any compound build-up or particles/strings from the buffing wheel. If you start to get a rubber type residue on the lense, this signifies that you are using too much compound, so back off with the compound.

5) You can buff for as long as you want to...it just depends on how well you want it to look. I settled for what I have and they look like glass and took me about an hour of actual buffing.

6) Keep in mind that buffing is a project that requires time. If you rush through it, you will not get brilliant results. Also keep in mind that you do not need to apply much pressure at all when buffing, let the compound do the work, not your arms.

If you have any more questions, please ask and I will add them to the list and answer your question.

-Josh

Here are my results:

 

Your taillights look awesome after the polishing...

 

hey, tail lights look awesome by the way, i was just wondering, i polished my lenses as per your instructions, they look awesome too, i was just wondering what you did about the grid part... mine have dark spots in them, looks like water or air bubbles, that are underneath the grid, is there neway to make the grid part look like the lenses? thanks, mike

 

Hello
Just a warning when using bench grinder or drill mounted wheels for buffing. Excessive buffing wheel speeds will build heat causing the plastic to melt/discolor. Ensure that you use the fluffy wheel as mentioned earlier. Also ensure the wheel is not caked with polishing compound, this will cause heat build-up. Keep the wheel moving and do not apply alot of pressure. I made these mistakes and I have one taillight that has melted. The melting occurs very fast and is irreversible. Take it slow and easy-enjoy the results.
Just another reminder

 

Many thanks for the instructions Josh! I'll think I'll do this soon.

One thing, could you possibly post 'before' pics for comparison please?

 

That looks extremely well done.

I have a question. Would it be possible to use something such as a dremel tool to buff the tail lights instead of a drill or bench grinder?

 

If you can figure out a way to mount a buffing wheel on a spinning tool, by all means go ahead. Just as I said in the first post, I can't stress enough about heat build-up. It comes very fast if you aren't careful...so BE careful.

sikwitit...I'm not exactly sure what you mean...

I only have 1 before picture...here it is along with the after picture in the next post:

 

after...

 

joshp14
I just want to let you know that my melting incident happened about a year ago and not after following your post. Just letting you know.

 

i think he's saying that the grid is separating from the lense. Mine are doing that too, i'm on my 3rd set of used taillights, and i was about to polish them when i saw them separating. I just can't figure out how to fix the grid part.

 

Ohh, mine isn't doing that so I wouldn't know how to fix it...:shrug:

 

Most likely a clear adhesive to put behind it to glue it back on. Just pull it out completely and glue the entire thing back on. Maybe something such as leaving it out all together may work. But mine are doing the same thing so I’m going to have to look at them.

 

hey kidrcth, if that works, please let me know how you did it, i took the tail lights off, and it looks like the plastic is kind of layered on top of the grid... the only way i could see to get it out would be take it out in pieces, such as redraif did i believe... but i really dont want to go rummaging for new tail lights, so if you get yours out, pm me or something, cuz that would be great, thanks, mike