Safest way to clean polycarbonate headlamp lenses?

[jaycee88]

I've been using Plexus Plastic Cleaner and Polish, and more recently Sumner Laboratories 210 Plastic Cleaner and Polish, to clean my motorcycle's headlamp. I do this before every ride, even when the rest of the bike doesn't get cleaned.

Will these cleaners degrade the lens's UV coating over time? If so, what would be a safe alternative? Ideally an easy spray on, wipe off solution, but if dishwashing liquid is the safest way, I guess it wouldn't be too much trouble to mix some up with water in a spray bottle.

 

[alpg88]

unless you got some grease, or road tar, you do not need chemicals at all, use wet microfiber cloth to wipe them clean, every time you use some chemicals, you are risking damaging your UV coating.

 

[Sadden]

Avoid handwashing them entirely when you can..

If the headlamps need cleaned odds are good the rest of the car does as well. Give it a bath.

If you are driving somewhere and need too stop and clean them i have been having good success with mothers protectant. They dont seem too scratch as easily when using that too wipe them down with a clean damp cloth.

 

[-Virgil-]

They're not delicate hothouse flowers or anything. It's fine to hand-wash them, not going to cause any problems, you just want to avoid dry-wiping them which would tend to scratch them. Use plenty of liquid -- whether it's soapy water, car wash solution, Windex, Simple Green, or etc. You are washing a clearcoat, harder than that on a car body.

 

[Sadden]

I do NOT reccomend windex. It is what the majority of the guys in our fleet use and it is extremely hard on the lenses.

While they arent houseplants, any little bit of debris, road salt, dust or otherwise is an abrasive. Wiping an abrasive all over your lenses will prematurely wear them.

The more you hand wipe your lenses the faster they degrade. Im talking about dealing with fleets of hundreds of trucks here. Sometimes in the winter we have too wipe ours off a dozen times a day.

I have been running an experiment for the past year tracking headlight degregation on identical rigs. Company supplies windex and mither protectant. So far the two trucks running mothers are holding up waaaaaaay better.

But really. Dont wipe them down if you dont have too.

 

[Alaric Darconville]

I do NOT reccomend windex. It is what the majority of the guys in our fleet use and it is extremely hard on the lenses.

It's only hard on the lenses if the ammonia can reach the polycarbonate through the hardcoat, which if you're cleaning correctly you're not damaging that yourself.

While they arent houseplants, any little bit of debris, road salt, dust or otherwise is an abrasivee. Wiping an abrasive all over your lenses will prematurely wear them.

You've not heard of... rinsing?

 

[Magio]

I have found that waterless carwash works great. Its pretty much the only thing I have washed my car with for the past 2 years and the car's clear coat has no scratches. It adds it's own lubricant to the surface so that dirt and rocks won't scratch it.

 

[LeanBurn]

also...if you can park front end away away from direct sunlight. From my observation, those that park towards the sun path always have much quicker degradation of the coating.

 

[jaycee88]

unless you got some grease, or road tar, you do not need chemicals at all, use wet microfiber cloth to wipe them clean, every time you use some chemicals, you are risking damaging your UV coating.

I haven't gotten much grease or road tar on the headlamp, but insect guts can be tough to remove especially when they've been baked on for a while. The plastic cleaner/polishes I've been using do a good job of cleaning, but I wasn't sure what effect the 'polish' part would have on the UV coating.

Use plenty of liquid -- whether it's soapy water, car wash solution, Windex, Simple Green, or etc. You are washing a clearcoat, harder than that on a car body.

The way I've been cleaning them is spraying a generous amount of plastic cleaner/polish on a microfiber cloth or directly on the headlamp and then gently spreading the stuff around first before applying cleaning pressure. Good to know that the clearcoat is pretty tough.

If anything, it's the microfiber cloths themselves that can cause problems, as sometimes the tiny fibers shed (in not insignificant amounts) and then get stuck on the lens requiring multiple cleaning passes to remove. Brand new cloths don't seem to do this nearly as much as ones that have been washed to be reused.

Maybe the cloths I've been using are just junk (Amazon stuff).

also...if you can park front end away away from direct sunlight. From my observation, those that park towards the sun path always have much quicker degradation of the coating.

The motorcycle's five years old with about 55K miles and the headlamp lens has no hazing that I can see. It would look almost new except for a few small nicks from road debris. It's a weekend toy that is parked indoors when not used so I guess that helps.

If the headlamps need cleaned odds are good the rest of the car does as well. Give it a bath.

It's a motorcycle that doesn't have a windshield so keeping the safety critical components (i.e., external lighting) clean is easy enough that I just do it as part of my pre-ride check along with tire pressures, lighting and brake functionality, etc.

 

[Sadden]

You've not heard of... rinsing?

Yeah thats why i strongly reccomend washing them as opposed too wiping them down.

Your hardcoat gets damaged by rocks and other road debris as well so eventually the ammonia will get down too the polycarbonate. Thats why i strongly reccomend against windex.

 

[alpg88]

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/post-factory-installation-us/paint-protection-film/

They say

[FONT=&quot]Exceptional clarity[/FONT]

 

[Sadden]

If you go the film route i would have it changed every fall. They do yellow eventually.

 

[alpg88]

that is too often, i had my wifes bmw bumpers wraped in clear film, the day she got it, it hasn't yellowed, or became less clear over 3 years she had the car. to the eye the film was invisible, it may be clear enough for headlights,

 

[-Virgil-]

that is too often, i had my wifes bmw bumpers wraped in clear film, the day she got it, it hasn't yellowed, or became less clear over 3 years she had the car. to the eye the film was invisible, it may be clear enough for headlights,

Um, alpg88, let's have less of this kind of guessing and assuming and providing baseless advice that doesn't apply to the question at hand. Film on car bumpers ≠ film on headlamps. Sadden's correct; these "clear" films degrade significantly when applied to headlamps, and annual replacement is the wise thing to do.

 

[xevious]

Aren't all headlamps on cars and motorcycles frequently bombarded by small particles of dust and dirt that are kicked up by other vehicles, in addition to insects during the warmer months? I can't imagine microfiber cloths doing any damage, unless you're really scrubbing hard with them.

I use a lambswool mitt when washing my car. The good thing about it is that dirt particles are easily taken up and not dragged across the paint, as typically happens with soft sponges. For cleaning a headlamp at the end of a day's riding, apply a pre-wash foam to loosen up stuck-on debris, rinse after a few minutes, then use a soapy lambswool mitt to get the rest. Dab dry with a towel.

 

[-Virgil-]

+1 xevious

 

[TechGuru]

Since mine have been restored with a Mothers NuLens kit I use a cleaner wax on them once a month.