Refinished my own headlights - step by step with photos

This actually took place about almost two months ago but I hadn't had time to create this post. In any case I was tired of my headlights looking awful so I shopped around and checked to see whether it would be something I do myself or call someone to get it done for me. For some reason I decided I wanted to do it so of course I did my research. What I found was that most people agreed the 3M kit was probably the best option. But I found that some complained that the sandpaper included might be too conservative for the worst cases. I took advice I read on another forum and decided to start the process first by using some 350 grit paper. I debated removing the headlight washer covers or not but decided it would be too much of an effort to keep them on and try to avoid damaging them while sanding. The first photo listed below is the "before" picture. Unfortunately it doesn't look that bad in photos but in real life it looked pretty awful. I taped everything off but kept the light on the car because I figured it was easier to sand that way. Photo #2 shows the result of me using the 350 grit paper. I did this entirely by hand since I wasn't using the 3M kit yet. When I was done here I was thinking to myself, "Ok I probably just ruined my headlight." Photo #3 shows the first pass using the 3M kit and a drill. The process itself was fairly simple but you have to be careful to not let the drill slip or you can hit the paint on your car. Again when finished here the results look quite hopeless. Photo #4 is where things begin to look a little bit better as at this point you are wet sanding and you can begin to see a little bit of clarity Photo #5 is where it all comes together. The process creates a milky haze but once you polish it then miraculously it begins to sparkle! I was shocked and impressed. This is the step where most people would have thought it was a job done. I on the other hand decided to protect my lights using a somewhat unusual product. I contacted one of our preferred vendors here on Rennlist and ordered the Xpel headlight film. This is a film that provides not only breakage protection but also a UV protectant to keep the headlights from yellowing again. The process for installing it is just like any other film but actually easier because the film is pretty thick. I used a heat gun and made sure to wet the light with alcohol water throughout the process. I didn't take any photos of this because honestly I thought I screwed up big time. Why? On the Xpel packaging it does tell you that there could be some fogging on the surface because the water has to evaporate. It said it could take a long time and is based on how much humidity is in the environment, the temperature, and other conditions. Since it was a bit cold and my car is garaged all of the time the fog on my lenses remained for probably a good month! I just kept patiently awaiting but eventually it cleared up and now the lenses look great!!! The last photo below shows what it all looks like on the car now. If you are an expert detailer you can probably see some flaws on the surrounding edge of the headlight (probably due to me leaving them on the car but I still prefer to do it this way). But honestly for a daily driver I think it looks really good and the lights really shine now. I don't have a direct shot available but you can't tell there is any film and again these things seem bright as new! So would I do it again? Absolutely! I cost me $25 for the kit, another $10 for the 350 grit paper and then the Xpel film was under $70. So for the cost of calling someone in to do it I got it done to my liking and the film offers added protection. It is a scary job since things look much worse before they get better and if you aren't patient it could really ruin it for good. The film isn't the easiest thing to install but again patience and a good heat gun make it all possible. Hopefully this will convince some of you on the sidelines that this something that anyone can do.

Looks great! I had mine done back in march but never had the film put on. Think I may have to do this.

Looks very good, and thanks for the step by step run down! Sent from my iPad using Rennlist

Quotes source posts: 10864899, 10864955

I chose the film because it provided protection not only from the sun but from rocks and other debris. Now that it's on and the fog is gone, you really can't tell unless you are specifically looking for it. You're welcome! I know these questions come up and often times you don't have a lot to base a decision on. Hopefully this will help anyone considering such a repair.

Had mine done too recently; what a difference!

did mine with the ECS tuning kit. Very quick, easy, and turned out great