Headlight Lens Repair Question
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 3
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Headlight Lens Repair Question My headlight lenses on my wife’s car are real dull & cloudy. I thought about replacing them but now I see that there are some restoration kits available. Has anybody tried anything like this? Does it really work? Here’s a couple I was looking at:
http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/3m-h...8-p-16386.aspx
http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/symt...0-p-16214.aspx
Thanks
http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/3m-h...8-p-16386.aspx
http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/symt...0-p-16214.aspx
Thanks
On The Tree
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 160
Likes: 0
I used sand paper and polishing compound. You can restore lenses and make them look new for a year or two but they'll just oxidize and haze over again.
In any case your best bet is to wet sand the lenses down to a 1500-2000 grit paper and then polish out with compound... and when I say polish I mean with a buffing wheel or A LOT of elbow grease.
In any case your best bet is to wet sand the lenses down to a 1500-2000 grit paper and then polish out with compound... and when I say polish I mean with a buffing wheel or A LOT of elbow grease.
I highly recommend the 3m headlight restoration kit, it comes with 3 different sanding pads to put on a drill and polish it worked wonders, try it its only 20 bucks you wont be depressed afterwards
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 732
Likes: 0
From: OHIO
I was going to try one of "THOSE" kits but I decided to do it with what I had. I also hate the nipples on the lenses from being molded; so, I removed them. My lamps were very dull and since I removed the "horns", I started with 400 grit and worked my way up. Here is how I did mine:
-cut the nipples off the lenses with my dremmel and ground down what was left
-began sanding with 400 grit, using horizontal strokes
-began sanding with 600 grit, using verticle strokes
-800, 1000, 1500 and ended with 2000 grit (alternating stroking directions with each grit)
-once you get finished with the sanding, use rubbing compound to polish lenses. I used the Turtle Wax rubbing compound(its in a plastic tub and is very dark in color and thick). I take a fair amount and completely smear it all over the lense and polish the lense with my Makita 9227 rotary buffer(with a wool pad) at 1500rpm. I did two applications.
-after the rubbing compound, I used Meguiars Plastic X polish, with the same wool pad and same rpm. Then I swithced to a finishing foam pad and polished once more with the Plastic X.
-the final step would be to protect the lense, since it no longer will have the UV coating. I just put a few coats of Collinite 476 wax (its a very durable was) but I will be getting Diamondite Liquid Armor for the lenses: http://www.autogeek.net/dia-plastic-liquid-armor.html
There are some good kits out there, like this one: http://www.autogeek.net/diamondite-clear-plastic.html
Supposedly this kit will not require ANY sanding at all, unless the lenses are very bad, as mine were.
-cut the nipples off the lenses with my dremmel and ground down what was left
-began sanding with 400 grit, using horizontal strokes
-began sanding with 600 grit, using verticle strokes
-800, 1000, 1500 and ended with 2000 grit (alternating stroking directions with each grit)
-once you get finished with the sanding, use rubbing compound to polish lenses. I used the Turtle Wax rubbing compound(its in a plastic tub and is very dark in color and thick). I take a fair amount and completely smear it all over the lense and polish the lense with my Makita 9227 rotary buffer(with a wool pad) at 1500rpm. I did two applications.
-after the rubbing compound, I used Meguiars Plastic X polish, with the same wool pad and same rpm. Then I swithced to a finishing foam pad and polished once more with the Plastic X.
-the final step would be to protect the lense, since it no longer will have the UV coating. I just put a few coats of Collinite 476 wax (its a very durable was) but I will be getting Diamondite Liquid Armor for the lenses: http://www.autogeek.net/dia-plastic-liquid-armor.html
There are some good kits out there, like this one: http://www.autogeek.net/diamondite-clear-plastic.html
Supposedly this kit will not require ANY sanding at all, unless the lenses are very bad, as mine were.
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i believe the 3m came with 500, 800 and 3000, its 20 bucks but if you had some of this paper laying around you could do it for next to nothing and little elbow grease and wax, beats spending a couple hundred buck on new lights...IMHO
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Verdad Gallardo TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 732
Likes: 0
From: OHIO
Heck yeah...new GM lamps are about $350.00 each
I'm sorry to hear that your wife's headlights are cloudy and old. Personally, I like my wife's headlights in tip top shape. There's nothing like perky and shiny headlights.
Before you try a wholesale replacement, you might want to interview some professionals. In the city, we have doctors who even specialize in "restoration" of headlights. Before you go for wholesale replacement, you may check in to rehabilitation. The doctors here can make a pair of headlights look they came right off of a new model.
Before you try a wholesale replacement, you might want to interview some professionals. In the city, we have doctors who even specialize in "restoration" of headlights. Before you go for wholesale replacement, you may check in to rehabilitation. The doctors here can make a pair of headlights look they came right off of a new model.
