QuestionQUESTION: How can you remove the buildup of goof off cleaner from headlights?
ANSWER: I won't ask why you have goof-off on your headlight. Goof-off is a cleaner, normally, but if you used it on a plastic headlight assembly it may have damaged the outer layer of the plastic. This damage is similar to the damage done by ultraviolet light that builds up on most headlights. I would bet that getting yourself a headlight restoration kit from the parts store and spending a little more time than normal working on the assembly would get it clean.
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QUESTION: The buildup from the goof-off actually makes the entire lens almost completely white and non-transparent. Visibility is extremely low at night. After looking at it more closely, if you scrape the lens with a fingernail, the residue comes off. So, with having said that, could the outer layer of the plastic still be damaged? If it is and it is like the damage from ultraviolet light, after using a restoration kit will it eventually turn yellow? Also, which restoration kit do you recommend?
Answer That stuff you are scraping off is probably a combination of the goof-off solvents and the first few layers of plastic molecules. It may even be protecting the plastic from ultra-violet damage, but not in a good way. There are a lot of headlight cleaning systems out there. I like the one sold by Meguiar's, it is simple and uses a rotary scrubber in a drill. I think, particularly for your purposes, that a combination of chemical and mechanical cleaning will work best. Back in the old days, we used to use Ipana toothpaste with a rag to polish clear plastic, but I wouldn't recommend that technique now when so many much better products are available.
