Headlight restoration I did today
04-25-2015, 11:32 AM
#1
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Headlight restoration I did today
Hi all, thought I would post the before and after pics of restoration of the headlights, they were a bit cloudy and the O/S one was really quite bad, so decided to restore, there are lots of options out there, I decided to try 2 different ones on each light, on the O/S one I used 3M's headlight restoration kit, and on the N/S one I used 2k grit, 3k grit, rubbing compound and glass polish and sealant.
Both came out great, the 3M kit is a LOT faster though, you just have to be careful using the drill so you don't hurt anything, I did it with headlights on the car and just masked off the edges
. I only got shots of the 3M kit as below, I used glass sealant and polish on that too (Important otherwise UV will just make it cloudy again in a few weeks)
Tools needed:
Masking tape (I used the blue 3m stuff, it doesn't leave residue and comes off easy)
3M restoration kit
Corded drill set at 1400-1800(ish) RPM, basically so it doesn't catch when sanding
Surface Sealant Glass Sealant UV Inhibitor & Coating
2 x Micro-fibre cloth, one for wiping and wetting when sanding, one for the glass polish application/buff
Water to wet between sands and a spray bottle (Or just use a cloth)
OR
Masking tape
1 sheet of 2k grit
1 sheet of 3k grit
2 x Micro-fibre cloth, same as above
Rubbing compound
Surface Sealant Glass Sealant UV Inhibitor & Coating
1 polishing/buffing pad
Water to wet between sands, and when sanding, and a spray bottle or cloth
IMO the 3M kit has enough to do all 4 headlights if you're careful with the Trizact pad.
Well, before and after:
After:
Nice easy job really and really pleased with the finish!
Edit: I didn't take pics during the job, but one thing to note, it gets quite scary when you are halfway there, scratches all over and frosted appearance makes you think it won't come up shining, but it does, keep pushing through
Both came out great, the 3M kit is a LOT faster though, you just have to be careful using the drill so you don't hurt anything, I did it with headlights on the car and just masked off the edges
. I only got shots of the 3M kit as below, I used glass sealant and polish on that too (Important otherwise UV will just make it cloudy again in a few weeks)Tools needed:
Masking tape (I used the blue 3m stuff, it doesn't leave residue and comes off easy)
3M restoration kit
Corded drill set at 1400-1800(ish) RPM, basically so it doesn't catch when sanding
Surface Sealant Glass Sealant UV Inhibitor & Coating
2 x Micro-fibre cloth, one for wiping and wetting when sanding, one for the glass polish application/buff
Water to wet between sands and a spray bottle (Or just use a cloth)
OR
Masking tape
1 sheet of 2k grit
1 sheet of 3k grit
2 x Micro-fibre cloth, same as above
Rubbing compound
Surface Sealant Glass Sealant UV Inhibitor & Coating
1 polishing/buffing pad
Water to wet between sands, and when sanding, and a spray bottle or cloth
IMO the 3M kit has enough to do all 4 headlights if you're careful with the Trizact pad.
Well, before and after:
After:
Nice easy job really and really pleased with the finish!
Edit: I didn't take pics during the job, but one thing to note, it gets quite scary when you are halfway there, scratches all over and frosted appearance makes you think it won't come up shining, but it does, keep pushing through
04-25-2015, 11:38 AM
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The light was about 15 minutes with the 3M kit, compared to about 40 mins manually doing it with grit/rubbing compound but add on a bit of time for masking off and letting the glass sealant/polish dry (10 mins for both)
04-25-2015, 12:46 PM
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Good luck! I'm sure you'll be chuffed with the result - Don't forget masking tape, I put down 2 layers just to be safe. I also recommend getting a surface sealant & uv inhibitor polish so it doesn't go cloudy again for some time (Depending on if you bought the 3M kit with a UV inhibitor, I didn't)
Happy motoring!
Happy motoring!
