Volvo 480 Club Europe

This question has probably been asked 100 times before so apologies for that, but I cannot find answers on a search of old threads. My rear light clusters are cracked, frosted and a bit warped (as many are) . I am concerned they may fail next mot if they are not letting enough light through. So the questions I have are- 1. On mot how bad does the frosting have to be to make it fail? And 2. Can I improve this by some sort of mechanical polishing or additive?
As always thanks for help in advance
I am keeping an eye on breakers and reproductions but both are pretty expensive for decent ones. Perhaps I may just have to bite the bullet and pay!

Hi Edmund

Mine are perhaps among the most annoying as one is cracked massively and the other is ok. In terms of restoring their shine I find careful polishing with a hard wax helps mitigate the frosting a lot. For a more permanent fix the frosted outer layer can be sanded back and re laquered if you are careful. As my drivers side one has a convex crack in it (it has warped outward) that approach is unsuitable for me so I need a new one before I can do that

I have never tried, but WD-40 can apparently « defrost » temporarily. Not sure whether you want an MOT inspector with a good sense of smell though...
Apart from that I have a Meguiar kit with sandpaper and a polish as well as a polishing pad for a power drill. I have only used the polish on my 480 (no severe frosting) so I cannot really speak to the overall efficiency.
The other solution on the market is a kind of lacquer or solution which is quite easy to apply. I have watched a French YouTube video where the results seem quite good, and also quite credible.

If you can get the rear clusters out, the best way is a polishing mop on an electric drill with some polishing wax. They come up really well without resorting to sanding. Just be aware the Volvo black sealant remains very thick and sticky so it takes patience to get it all off, and there is a hidden screw at the high level end. Dont try levering - the edge will certainly break. If they have been put in with something like silicaseal by a previous owner, it's a tedious job to carefully cut through it all.

Edmundpwb2 wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 10, 2021 11:54 am

I am keeping an eye on breakers and reproductions but both are pretty expensive for decent ones. Perhaps I may just have to bite the bullet and pay!

As someone that has, I can tell you the quality is superb. I’ll be doing a full post on here soon detailing the pro’s and cons of the solution.

In the meantime, as Sylvia has already mentioned, step 1 is making sure you can get the old lights out in one piece. If you can then a gentle sanding and some clear laquer may extend their life. See the R1 thread for what’s achievable.

Spraying with WD-40 is literally a temporary fix - the Coating will act as a temporary flat and reflective layer; but once it’s worn off you’re back to where you started.

I am lucky to have a really decent set of rear lenses. May be a bit strange but I give them a light rub with toothpaste once a year(any brand) and when the car is not in use it is covered to prevent UV fade.

May be a bit strange but I give them a light rub with toothpaste once a year

Toothpaste is mildly abrasive, as is cream cleaner. Our Saab had rather dull lights, so Al did them with Cif, along with the whitened badge. All came up really well. The rear lights on our high mileage 480s were much worse, so they went on the polishing wheel. Snazzy hadn't been garaged all the time I had her and I doubt Sven had been garaged much of his life either. Our turbos had both been garaged by long term owners, so their lights were much better. It's definitely UV that does them in.

Thankfully managed to pick up a decent looking pair of rear lights this week. Think I will still try a polish up when I get them. Should look good along with the new DRL's. Hopefully all mot worthy now.
Thanks for all suggestions.

Edmundpwb2 wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 12, 2021 2:00 pm

Thankfully managed to pick up a decent looking pair of rear lights this week. Think I will still try a polish up when I get them. Should look good along with the new DRL's. Hopefully all mot worthy now.
Thanks for all suggestions.

Well done finding a set,they are like rocking horse dung. We’re they expensive?

Well these are not perfect but a big upgrade on the ones I have got. £160 for the pair. Finger's crossed they look as good as the pictures!