Article by: CG
Applies to: All e38 models (perhaps others). . .
Problem: Yellowing of the tail lights.
For those of you that are interested, its possible to recondition your tail lights, especially if they have yellowed over the years.
Today, APW (Allan) brought over his 2001 e38 which is in excellent condition despite its mileage. It is his daily driver and the OEM tail lights have yellowed and I suggested we try to polish them before he spends considerable $$$ to replace.
Below are pictures of the excellent results from our efforts:
Before:
After:
Process:
1. Wet sand with 800 grit
2. Wet sand with 2000 grit
3. Porter Cable (PC) with Meguiar’s Red pad and Meguiar’s Compound Power Cleaner
4. PC with Red pad and Menzerna Intensive Polish
Already looked good, but not good enough…
5. PC with Yellow pad and Menzerna Final Polish
6. PC with Orange 4inch pad and Meguires Clear Plastic Cleaner
7. PC with White 4inch pad and Meguriars Clear Plastic Polish
It may seem odd, but you can treat plastic similarly to the way one restores a painted surface. Many of the techniques are the same.
Hope this helps those that are interested.