Tip for removing oxidation from plastic headlamp covers:

1. Wetsand with 400 grit using a circular pad for a few minutes. Depending on the amount and thickness of the oxidation layer, this might take a while.
2. Wetsand with 1000 grit same as above
3. Wetsand with 2000 grit same as above
For all three steps above, let the sandpaper do the work and keep it wet with a spray bottle.
4. Polish with a commercially available lens cleaner paste.

For the giant lenses on my E320 which were quite yellowed and actually crusty, this procedure worked well. I was ready to buy new lenses after trying some of the polish compounds alone. The wetsanding was necessary and sped the process.

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DS
2010 CL550 - Heaven help me but it's beautiful
87 300D a labor of love
11 GLK 350 So far, so good
08 E350 4matic, Love it.
99 E320 too rusted, sold
87 260E Donated to Newgate School
www.Newgateschool.org - check it out.
12 Ford Escape, sold, forgotten
87 300D, sold, what a mistake
06 Passat 2.0T, PITA, sold

Las Vegas NV

A good thread I found addressing headlamps..

Headlight Restoration-new UV sealant idea

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#dieselFLEET
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'97 E300
'99 E300

For those of you with pre-OBD2 (pre-1996) vehicles, keep a code reader and a list of trouble codes in the car with you. This can come in handy during longer trips.

OR: for stubborn Phillips head or even stripped Phillips head screws. apply some valve grinding compound to the end of the screw drive then apply pressure and the grit in the compound will grip the screw and screwdriver and give you a better grab.

__________________
RIP: 80 300SD
RIP: 79 450SEL
2002 E430 4matic (212,000km)
2002 ML500 'sport'

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FACEBOOK: PANZER450

Here are a couple more tricks for knackered Phillips screws. Of course none of these will work every time and some are not appropriate for every application.

1. Use a Dremel with a cut-off wheel to cut a slot in the screw and then use a regular slotted screwdriver. Grind the screwdriver tip to exactly fit the slot you just cut. Yeah you have to sacrifice a screwdriver. Small price to pay.

2. Use an impact driver. Get a cheep one from Harbor Freight. They work terrific. You can also use the impact driver for trick #1, above.

3. Take a flat-headed punch and carefully use it with a hammer to 'hammer down' the distorted Phillips X to re-form it back into shape. THis only works so-so.

4. Use a chisel or Dremel to cut the head off flush and use a left-handed drill bit to drill the screw. This will usually remove the screw outright.

Use the impact driver combined with the valve compound and reforming the Phillips slots and I guarantee you the screw will come out.

These are all stock-in-trade for anyone who has ever worked on an old Japanese motorcycle...

Always lay out a towel. Man! How many times have we all chased those little screws and parts.

Putting down a light colored towel keeps 'em from rolling away.

Haasman

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'03 E320 Wagon-Sold
'95 E320 Wagon-Went to Ex
'93 190E 2.6-Wrecked
'91 300E-Went to Ex
'65 911 Coupe (#302580)

These dark days of the year, lights are more important than ever.

-Do all your marker, brake and fog lights work? Are they yellowed? Backing up to a wall is a quick way to see if all the brake lights are working when no one is around to confirm.

-With all my used car purchases I replaced the marker lights. It makes the car appear crisper, you always find something that needs attention when you are in those areas.... broken seal, loose housing etc. Be sure to use quality replacement bulbs...ones that typically the metal housing is silver, not brass. Mercedes are persnickety about the correct type.

Heading forward towards a wall on a level surface well help confirm correct aiming.

Old yellowed lights replaced with even standard Halogen sealed beams make a big difference in viewing and the reduction in driver fatigue at night.

BTW, at night I ALWAYS drive with my fog lights on at night. It seems to make my car more noticeable and helps, especially when it rains. They also help in spotting critters off to the side of the road.

Keep them good tips of yours coming,

Haasman

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'03 E320 Wagon-Sold
'95 E320 Wagon-Went to Ex
'93 190E 2.6-Wrecked
'91 300E-Went to Ex
'65 911 Coupe (#302580)

I might add that attention should be made to the condition of the covers of your headlights. Any degradation to the clarity or transparency of the lights significantly impacts their usage. Plastic polishing kits are available at all auto parts stores that will bring them back to almost new condition. In any case, a good cleaning and then a good coat of wax or a coating of Rain-X will keep them clean. Any degradation to the reflectors in the tail or marker lights should be taken care of with a fresh coat of paint (Krylon has a good quality shiny silver in a spray can) or use heavy duty aluminum foil. Clean, Wax or Rain-X those covers too! Finally, Rain-X works wonders for all your windows to help visibility and also carry an anti-fog cloth for the inside of your windshield when conditions are nasty.

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'76 240D-Sold
'78 240D-Sold
'85 300 SD, 165K-Sold
'88 300 TE, 165K-Sold
'64 Porsche 356C Cabriolet- under restoration
'86 560SL 124K Miles-Sold
'94 320E Wagon, 74K Miles-128K Miles JUNKED
'06 E350 Wagon, 84K Miles
07 SL550, 14K Miles

When taking apart some sort of assembly that has multiple different sized fasteners, draw a diagram of the assembly or print off a diagram or photo from the manual, or print off your own photo. Stick the diagram to a piece of cardboard. As you take off the fasteners, shove each through (or tape it to) the position on the diagram/cardboard as they would be found on the actual assembly.

Saves time trying to figure out which goes where. I've also found this an excellent cure for the inevitable "where's that one last bolt?" dilemma. You can also write numbers on your diagram to show which goes where first, etc.

This is the safety tip from the 60's when VW manuals included this for emergency repairs on the road especially off the concrete. Was good then, still is good.

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Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

Or a hubcap from a non German vehicle, so if it's scratched, no matter.

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

This is how aluminum and bakelite are rectified, and how telescope mirrors are polished, but in the latter case, they go to 8000 grit

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

I keep 1ft long M12 rod with the spare.
Screw it in, slide the wheel over it and fasten the bolds (remove for the last one).

Rob

With LED bulbs coming within reason, I've started using them on brake lights and turn signals. Wow, the increased respect in rush hour commuter is amazing. I also changed the license plate bulbs but found a lot of them are too bright.

Try 'em, you'll like 'em.

Haasman

__________________
'03 E320 Wagon-Sold
'95 E320 Wagon-Went to Ex
'93 190E 2.6-Wrecked
'91 300E-Went to Ex
'65 911 Coupe (#302580)

how are you using/installing the led's ? i made some brake lights for my motorcycle long ago but that was just three large ones and not the amount i imagine on a car system.