I was going to buy a new pair of headlights for my 1990 Vovlo 240 DL for $140.00. Mine are cloudy. But this guy at work told me that I could buff mine and they would be as good as new. I don't really want to buy the materials and go through the work if it isn't true. Does anyone know?

 

I've used the scratch remover and it does remove a good bit of the haziness. However, it does come back and you have to re do it every once in a while.

I've seen posts where people go through a much more involved procedure using rubbing compound, sandpaper, etc. and it is supposed to last longer.

 

If you dont wanna keep doing it, then buy new ones. If you wanna buff it out, get ready to do it yearly. The coating on the headlamps has worn off and the lenses have oxidized. If you buff them, you will be removing every bit of the coating, and the oxidation will keep building. Now, I live in PA, so I deal with all seasons, if you live in an all year round warm climate, it shouldn't be as bad.

 

I bought a kit from the local parts store for $10, here are the before and after pictures. The polish was only used on the outside of the lens.

 

If I buy a cheap pair for $140.00 brand new, is there a chance the coating on them will wear off fast and they will oxidize just often?

also, did you have to take them apart and clean the inside also?

 

It will probably last for about a year, then you will need to do it again after the re-oxidation.

 

I dunno, I had to buy new ones, after a wreck, and the advantage is that they havent oxidized in 2 years... and I haven't had to keep doing it. Also why replace the whole headlight, there is an ebay company that sells just the lenses for 45 ea... or at least that was 2 years ago

 

Think about how long you intend to keep the car. If it's a d/d beater that you're gonna dump in a year or two then do the least expensive and least labor intensive thing...buff 'em. If you want to keep the car for the long haul, why drop $140 for el cheapo plastic lensed headlamps when you could spend less than $300 and buy a complete set of e-code headlamps and parking lights. The e-codes are glass lensed and provide amazing illumination.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by swiftjustice44

spend less than $300 and buy a complete set of e-code headlamps and parking lights. The e-codes are glass lensed and provide amazing illumination.

I like the sound of that; are these readily available dealer items or is there another source?

 

Joseph, there are genuine Volvo/Cibie e-codes out there but they aren't sold stateside to the best of my knowledge except used. By now, even glass can be chipped and sandblasted and people typically want upwards of $500 for used stuff. I've bought mine from our sponsor fcpgroton.com. They used to not be listed on line...had to call 'em. They are typically made by a company called DJohns, distributed by Scan-Tech and sold by fcp. They also list 'em occasionally on eBay. They have them for 86+ 240's and pre-90 740's. Not only do they provide an enormous amount of light they come with neat 2 tone parking lenses!

 

I tried the Turtle buffering kit...it didn't really restore that good. I went at it for a long time to doing it over and over. I think there is corrision on the inside of mine because there was a hole in one of them. I'm just going to buy a pair of new ones in a couple of months.

 

I bought a product from Advance Auto, on a friend's advice, it is called Crystal View. I followed the instructions, and it worked pretty well. Mine were pretty hazy, and they really did benefit. However, it is a stopgap measure the E-codes are the way to go. Anybody going across the pond?

I also added relays to power the headlights directly from the battery, that really made a difference. It was enough to place the 1997 965, and Chevy PU on the to do list.

Good Luck

 

We bought a "professional" buffing kit here at the shop a few years back. Cleaning compound, 6 grits of paper, buffing pad, final buffing pad and buffing paste. Oh...a handy dandy spray bottle. Although it took time, the results were very good. As mentioned previously, the problem is the new surface has been abraded and not sealed the way they were originally. They cloud back over in 3-6 months here in Texas...really just not worth the trouble unless you're immediately selling the car IMHO.

 

I actually do this on the side for some extra money. What swift just mentioned sounds like the process I put the lights through, and then I use a sealant that is supposed to lasts about 2 years before it starts to cloud again. I used it on one of my volvo lights (other one must have been replaced just before I got the car because it looked great) and it's been about 7 months and it looks the same as the day I did it. Problem is, getting the stuff for the sealant is pretty pricey (30-40 bucks) if you search for sealants you can find some recipes. It would be cheaper and much easier to just have someone do it (just make sure they use a sealant at the end of the process) I and some others have advertisements on craigslist. I charge 30$ and it takes about an hour.

 

I was polishing some of the aluminum on my Harley. I had a big sheep's wool pad for my big DeWalt angle grinder. My 240's headlights were so clouded, and had been for so many years, I didn't figure I had anything to lose. So I slathered one of the headlights up with polishing compound and went at with the wool pad at high rpm. WOW, it came out looking GREAT! So I did the other one and, in no time at all, it matched the first one perfectly. I don't know anything about a protective coating on them. If there was one, I'm sure that power of that big angle grinder zipped it right off. But it's been at least 6 months now and the headlights are still looking very, very nice.

No promises but it worked for me.

 

the cause of the hazing is UV rays affecting the lexan plastic. Many manufacturers have gone back to glass lenses.

 

Well, keep in mind Volvo used glass exclusively except for the Mickey Mouse US spec 86+ lamps on 240's. Those lamps were designed for one thing...to pass US DOT standards on a car that was living on borrowed time as the 240 was slated for extinction every year from the end of the 85 model year onwards. The issue was, it continually sold better than the 7 series designed to replace it!! Installing e-code glass lamps gives the cars the lighting they were designed to have...clean, clear focused. Just exceptional!

 

hm, i think ALL 740/940 1990 through 1995 had PLASTIC headlight lenses, except for the "fog light" option cars which had the actual "fog" lenses made of plastic, too, but the headlight part was glass...

 

Wrong. 82 through 87 740/760s had quad glass headlights from the factory. Beginning w/ the 90 740 and the 88 760's came the plastic lenses for US spec lenses

 

like i said, ALL US 740/940 1990 through 1995 had PLASTIC headlight lenses, except for the "fog light" option cars which had the actual "fog" lenses made of plastic, too, but the headlight part was glass...

up to '89 all 740 US cars had universal US "sealed beams", which were glass of course, Europe had single glass lenses. US version 760s starting in '88 until their demise in 1990, got he "fog lights" which were also plastic but the headlight part was glass. In Europe they had a single glass lens, a version which was continued on the 940 until its end in 1998 (1995 in the US)