Headlight cleaning tip

Forum: 

I've tried several ways to clean the headlights on my Daihatsu Charade, one of them being WD40. This does take the grime off the headlights, but they soon look dirty again. I thought I'd try Solvol Autosol chrome polish that I used for many years to clean my motorcycle silencers and aluminium front fork legs. This cream gave a brilliant shine to anything chrome or aluminium on the bike! Last night I thought I'd try it on my front headlights. I used two fibre cloths. One to apply the polish and the other to remove the polish and to buff the headlights up. I started at the lowest point of the light on the driver's side, just in case it didn't get the result I was looking for. Wow! The light looked like new where I'd started polishing, so I polished the entire area and I was amazed at the finish. I've watched several videos on Youtube and saw ond where Mike Brewer on Wheeler Dealers, gave a demonstration of his way of brightening headlights, using sandpaper, from fairly coarse to really smooth. It did work, I must say, but the Solvol Autosol method is fast, smooth and doesn't leave any scratch marks whatsoever. I advise anyone who wishes to try this to start, as I did, in the lower corner of the headlight before going any further. I believe the headlights are plastic, not glass, but whatever they are made of Solvol Autosol worked on mine! I once saw a video on how to sharpen the 3 rotating blades of a Philips Electric Shaver using a cream, the name of which I cannot remember. I used toothpaste on a mirror and it did really sharpen the blades up, so try that as well. Toothpaste is, after all, a mild abrasive, so try it and you will be surprised how sharp the blades will be. In the past, I'd spent £32.00 or more on a new set of blades for my Philips Electric Shaver, but I won't be doing that again.
Hope these tips work for anyone who is willing to give them a go!

oil filter housing broken

I have just bought a 2005 Daihatsu Charade EL which is in great condition for the year. Unfortunately, it hasn't been that well looked after mechanically. Whilst attempting to undo the oil filter to replace it with a new one, I had to resort to using an oil filter removal tool. This, despite a lot of tugging on the end of my wrench and using a hollow bar for extra leverage, the oil filter housing cracked. I thought that finally the filter had come loose! To my utter annoyance it wasn't to be the case. Now I am trying to source a new housing so if any member can help me with sourcing one I would be very grateful. I will try my local Daihatsu dealer tomorrow but even they are not always able to oblige and one dealership in Newton Abott is 'Permanently closed'. I was so pleased with my purchase last Thursday, but now am annoyed that the previous owner or his mechanic had overtightened the oil filter this way. There is a lot to be said about taking the advice on the filter box telling you to put some oil on the seal before screwing it on and to only give it a quarter turn once the filter touches the housing!

Lkm