Polishing landing light lens

[Bolter]

The plastic landing light lens on my '83 J model was distinctly hazy when I bought it this year.  Being who I am, I thought I would try to save it rather than replace it.  I tried wet sanding by hand and was unimpressed with the results.  So I used one of the kits from the auto parts store, using my drill with the included attachment.  The result was a crystal clear lens again.  I figure that this not only helps with seeing and being seen, it is keeping down the heat on the lens to help it last longer.

Two purposes for sharing this.  First, I could not find any reference to this with a forums search, so this is to let people know it works really well if they have the same problem.  Second, is there any reason not to do it (be gentle with me, I am relatively new to the forums).

thanks -dan

[N1026F]

sounds like you "cleaned" it. no paperwork needed.

[laytonl]

I did the same thing awhile back.  Worked great.  Lee

[rbridges]

which kit did you use?  I saw a few at autozone that were in the 20-25 dollar range.

[N1026F]

Meguiar's makes a clear plastic polish and cleaner that work very well. If you can't find it at an auto store, I'd look at an auto paint store. They come in little flask-like bottles. I haven't had to use it on anything other than the wing tank mounted gas level indicators so far. Worked very quickly and efficiently.

Keeping the plane out of the sun or covered will keep the poly from "solarizing" a bit longer, as well.  

[rainman]

I just polished my hazy lens cover this month and had an amazing result.  I will say the kit I used came with a type of painters tape and various grits of paper and paste. It was a bit messing as it required use of the drill to hold the discs and polish pad but it worked great.  I didn't remove the lens cover because it's so old and potentially brittle I feared it would have some fractures if I started to retighten it.  I followed the instructions to the letter.  Well worth the effort.

[Bolter]

Quote: rbridges

which kit did you use?  I saw a few at autozone that were in the 20-25 dollar range.

[Shadrach]

I 2nd the 3M product. It actually removes the damaged surface of the lens and is superior to the filler polishes that are on the market. As with most things worth doing, it is the most labor intensive way of tackling the problem, but will give the best and most long lasting results.