Has anyone done this successfully and, if so, do I need to buy a kit and who makes a good one?

hi all
this is one way, and much quicker than all the rubbing, but it depends on how bad they are.
easy off oven cleaner, spray on yellowed headlight (do not get any oven cleaner anywhere but the headlight lens) count to 10 and wipe off with a clean rag. the yellow will come off on the rag. repat as nessessary.
they i use crome polish for a little while. then car wax.
this process i learned on the brickboard.
you may have the stuff in your house allready and save some $$$
good luck
mike

You can use rubbing compound, a metal polish such as Brasso, or a plastic polish specifically intended for this purpose. Don't expect them to come out looking like new, but considerable improvement is possible. The less discoloration to begin with the better they will clean up.

Be careful. The plastic is thin and brittle--comparable to that which CD cases are made of. Don't push too hard or you will be looking for a replacement.

Here is a link to a thread on what your wanting to do from Bobistheoilguy forum board. http://theoildrop.server101.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=746993&an=0&page=0#Post746993

Ah those beautiful yellow lights! I had a fun time with those. I started by sanding the headlights (have to sand of the raised lettering and nubs) with a 200 grit sand paper(use a file for the nubs and such). THEN take an even finer sandpaper and try to get the headlights as smooth as possible. Take a buffing wheel and start with an aggressive buffing compound and work in small sections at a time. Be sure to apply enough compound at all times. After you use the agressive compound move to a finer compound and buff umtil they look good! It tooke me two hours of solid work, but was totally worth it! Good luck! Those buffers can get a little crazy sometimes. mine got me a few times on my hand...ouch....have fun!
--
1987 240DL...new Flame trap, Sport Air Filter( is now dead), soon to be sport exhuast(non turbo)...

I did a version of the Easy Off oven cleaner headlight lens spiffing up yesterday. I just sprayed some easy off on a rag and wiped...instant improvement, probably restored to about 80% clarity. Will do again when I have the time to let the stuff sit on the surface for a 10 count, wipe, and apply plastic polish. Very happy with the improvement.


Dan

p.s. this was on a '87 240