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YOUR RESEARCHHeadlight restoration - am I over thinking it?
Reported repair
Repair bunch of those with epoxy
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Reported fix
I fixed a bunch of those with epoxy, sanded smooth then sprayed them with the headlight clear as well.
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I used the Griots kit about 4 years ago which is similar to the 3M kit and Ceratec kit which worked well.
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I used a high-quality PPF (Xpel Ultimate) on mine.
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After sanding I use Meguias headlight coating it's a spray on clear coat designed specifically for headlights
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I used painter's tape all around them to protect paint, I'll take them out the next time.
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Hi,
I've attached photos of my headlights. I've purchased the 3M Ultra headlight restoration kit that comes with a number of P500/P800/P3000 sanding discs. There are multiple P500s and P800s that are to be completed dry. Only the P3000 is used wet.
Every YT video I watch they are showing headlights which are heavily yellowed which mine are not.
I guess I"m looking for reassurance that I'm going down the right path using this 'type' of kit.
Cheers
Ps I'll remove from the car and complete the process on a table
Overthinking yes- kits are overpriced and frankly not very good. Just get some 600,800,1200,2000,3000 grit wet or dry and use it all wet then compound and polish. You can use a mechanical sander if you are competent with one and of course a mechanical (random orbital) polisher. Mine came out stunning. Of course it is easiest to remove the lights and do the work on a bench to make sure you don�t damage any paint.
Yeah, you can do it without a problem. I used the Griots kit about 4 years ago which is similar to the 3M kit and Ceratec kit which worked well. But will have a limited life and will need to be done again. I plan on studying up on more durable options that will last longer, but haven't had the chance yet.
Once you do the full sand-down routine, you'll realize what a huge difference it makes.
After having done that, I'm getting great results hitting the lights with Jescar fine polish, then micro fine polish, then wipe down with a 3M clear coat wipe. I do it probably every fourth time I wash the car and it's been really good.
You can do the sanding routine every four years. It's like any other cleaning or maintenance process - you can do a little bit of work every time or a lot of work every 5 years.
The compound/polish/wipe routine probably takes 10 minutes total.
Yeah, overthinking it.
The whole process of wet-sanding by hand (small patch w/your fingers) on higher and higher #s of sandpapers is very simple. It seems to take forever and the headlight look "worse and worse". That is all normal. When wash down and then doing polishing, the headlights actually come out looking great. Sure, it takes time, NBD.
Your alternative is an expensive job by someone else or dump a wheelbarrow of $$ and buy some new headlights. There are lots of YT videos, and your choice "when" to do this is your own decision. For whatever reason, 1 of my C4S headlights was a bit more "yellow" than the other, but I did them both. I used painter's tape all around them to protect paint, I'll take them out the next time.
It really is a simple job. I just happen to have small 2.5" squares of 400 >>5000 grit sandpapers, I think from Aliexpress or someplace like that. Nearly any liquid polish works with an orbital sander,just be careful. If you use a kit, maybe not the best, but it still works. After all, it isn't rocket science and you don't need Durametric to do it.
B4 left Orig right Done
Both done.
YMMV
I have not heard or read about any replacement lenses. Maybe they exist, don't know. If not, expensive and possible destructive damage to get the original lens off, and fellow Adian (CO & FL somewhere) does this for $$, don't know how much. In any event, the inexpensive "Headlight Restore Kits" are cheap and not difficult.
If you choose to spray clear over H/L, then be certain it is for plastic and somewhere in RL is the name/brand of what is correct. I remember something about do it perfect the 1st time, bcuz it doesn't like 2 coats, or something like that.
YMMV
I sanded, polished then painted with a 2k clear coat my headlights 3 years ago and they still look great. The work was pretty easy, the hardest part was remembering to take my time and not rush. Between this and respraying the gloss coat on my calipers easily the best bang for the buck aesthetic mod I've done on the car.
I used SprayMax 2k high gloss clear specifically for headlights.
Summit
has it. It does have something in it for UV protection. Not sure if it actually needs it, but can't hurt. My car has a bunch of the factory carbon interior bits which all had a bunch of cracks. I fixed a bunch of those with epoxy, sanded smooth then sprayed them with the headlight clear as well. Worked great.
Hi - This is after 500 grit and 800 grit
The next step is 3000 wet before then applying the coating.
To me it all feels uniform to the touch... I'm just not sure about the obvious blotches and what they, if anything, mean.
Any thoughts welcome
Before moving to a finer grit, you need to have a uniform surface, which doesn't seem to be the case. You likely cut into the old varnish but not over the entire surface. Go back to 800 grit.
You may also go 800, 1000, 2000, then 300 and 5000. If you "polish" after one of these steps and it looks like crap, go backwards again with fine wet sanding and re-polish. In general, the headlight looks "bad" in all of the wet sanding steps. The appearance does not inspire confidence and ruins patience. Go slow and a LOT OF TIME wet sanding, then do the "polish step". You have to be patient to get the surface better and better, it all comes in very small improvements, but it is there.
Just my experience and thoughts.
YMMV
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