Headlight resto

I bought the Meguiar's G2980 Heavy Duty Headlight Restoration Kit to do a headlight restoration but after 10 minutes of scrubbing on the roughest sandpaper the headlights still have a terrible coating on them which is splotchy. Any ideas what this is? Photo attached. Thanks!

Does it clear up with a little water on it or spray detailer? I suggest you follow the instruction start to finish, then report back!

It does look "clearer" when its wet with a spray bottle but its far from fixed. That film does not seem to come off with water and the sanding method at least with 10 minutes of work. I wonder if I need something stronger?

I think it is the original UV coating, or even an aftermarket UV coating or film. More sanding and cleaning...be a bit more aggressive.

10 min?! Uh... keep going. I've found that the little abrasive pads included with most of the kits are almost useless (maybe useful for something but not necessarily refinishing two headlights). You may have to go get some more "sandpaper" - stick with the recommended grits, and use lots of water (with a drop of soap in it). There's no pre-set amount of time it will take - there are all sorts of variables (how hard you press, speed, grit#, anount of water/lubricant, type/thickness of coating, etc.). You definitely need to get whatever coating was on there off before you can re-polish the lens. Good luck

Headlights come with a clear coat from the factory, that is what yellows or becomes foggy. That appears to be the clear coat coming off. The best way to refinish headlights is to start with 800 gritt, then 1000, then 1200. Use an orbital sander to avoid straight line scratches. Constantly move around the headlight to keep any one spot from getting to hot. Then you can use a rubbing compound/ polish to create a shiny clear finish. 3m's 3 step compounds work great on headlights but I'm sure most will work fine.

I guess the kit isn't heavy duty after all!

Thanks all for the comments. Looks like I have some more sweat equity ahead of me and maybe a few more tools to get the job done.

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This is the best technique. If you want to make your life easier use the too in the tool kit to pop out the headlight. I did mine at the kitchen table by wet-sanding successively finer grits. It came out pretty good. BUT - the spray protectant/sealant that comes with the Meguiars kit is not very good and has a pretty short life span. I redid all three cars in our household a while back and used that spray-sealant. All three have since started to haze back over. I plan to redo mine soon at use Xpel film to protect them afterwards. Many members have reported good long term protection following headlight restoration using that type of product. YMMV.

I started with the Meguiars, but like you figured out, nowhere close to Heavy Duty. Then bought the 3M "refill" kit that starts at 500 grit and made some good progress. I wish I had more 500 grit pads to really cut through but I am like 90% happy. I think the rest of the yellowing is from plastics inside the headlight. If I really start to get annoyed I may split the headlight to install a Morimoto Retro-Quick, and work on the plastics on the inside.

I would use a 800 grit and sand it until its evenly done, preferably with random orbit. Then wersend with a 1200-1500 grit and finish up with wet 2000 grit. Then polish with a rubbing compound, polish, protect.

I used the 3M kit. I got an excellent result on one light. I got tired and rushed the other. The difference is noticeable. Here is my advice, based on using that kit, which involved multiple grades of sandpaper followed by a polishing compound. (1) - use that kit or take a similar approach. I can't recall the grades, but you can look them up. I think you begin around 600 or so, and wind up over 1000. (2) DON'T RUSH IT. you need to achieve a consistent dull finish when you move from grade to grade. You will see all sorts of patterns as the clear coat comes off, and those patterns will change as you proceed. Don't move to the next grade until the patterns go away.

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800 grit is pretty fine - it'll take forever to get through the coating with that. You can start with 400 if you're nervous (I've used 360 to start). Just make sure you put the work in and DON'T SKIP ANY GRIT steps... You'll be glad in the end - otherwise you'll just have to go back and do it again...

Like others have said, sand thoroughly and don�t skip a step. The only way to make them look factory and last is to apply a high quality, 2 part clear. I used this two years ago and the headlight look brand new. I drive to work and park in the sun every day. Spraymax 3680061 2K Clear Amazon Amazon

That looks a bit like a small amount of condensation on the inside of the lens - but if it clears up when you wet the lens, hopefully not. If this was my headlight, I would remove the headlight from the tray and hit it with a Mothers Powerball and the plastic polish from the kit...