Recently I obtained an extra set of headlights that needed restored. My plans are in the works to add halo angel eyes to them. First I wanted to be sure the lens will be usable before proceeding.

I have used the 3M Restore kit in the past with great results. This time I wanted to see what I could do without the kit. I wetsanded the assemblies on the bench. I started with 600, then 800, and then 1000. I found a small piece of 1200 so I went over them with it but not as much as I wanted. The 3M kit is mush faster because of the power tool involved.

Then I buffed them (polisher) with PlastX. Results were OK but not quite the 3M results. I rebuffed with Liquid Turtle Wax and now it was just as good as the 3M kit results.

Although these lights will look great on the car, on the bench in certain light you can still see some very very light scratching. I was reading some reviews and found this product called Blue Magic Headlight Lens Sealer. I picked up a bottle tonight at O'Riellys and gave it a try. I sprayed it on a rag and wiped the lens side to side very heavy. Then with a clean towel, I gently wiped it off. So far this product will get you back to as a new appearance as you can get. Tomorrow I plan to apply a few more coats.

If you have restored your lens recently, I would recommend trying this product. It will instantly improve the final results. Now to see how long it will last. If it needs reapplied later, it wouldn't take more than 5 minutes to complete.

 

Hey James .. i thought you already had "halo" lights. Will this be an improved set?

 

If you can still see the scratches they will come back. As you know a brilliant polish is millions of microscopic scratches, even on a diamond.

As a cheap refinish to a headlight I used Brasso polish, it worked great for a month or so but I had only polished the tops of the defects and it did not take long for that to fail.

I learned that to finish Lexan Acrylic when making models of plastic drinking glasses and tumblers for customer approval the best obtainable finish was achieved by polishing extremely well and with the model in a lathe and spinning slowly run an acetylene torch over it at just the right distance, the minute scratches had the high points melted and the finish was like a mirror and you could see right through the solid model as if it was hollow inside.

I'm not too sure I would try that on a headlight unless I had a couple or three stiff drinks though.LOL

Finer and finer grits and lubrication is the secret, no short cuts. The finer the grit the longer that step will take.

 

Howard, I am going with a different color this time - amber to match the lights in the corner.

Dave, the last can of Brasso I bought said METAL POLISH. Brasso is great for removing tarnish, etc... but I always go over with a good coat of car wax after I use Brasso on anything. The last set of headlights I restored was nearly a year ago, and today they look as good as the day I did them. Waxing and sealing must help to prevent reoccurence. Do you ever just wax your car paint once and never again?

And if heat helps, maybe a high temp heat gun rather than a flame?

James

 

Metal polish it is and it contains fine abrasives. It is just like a swirl remover as it is contained in a liquid form. Abrasives cemented to a paper or fabric can be used on many things not just headlights even when they come in a restoration kit for headlights. The grit size, backing, bonding agent, density and abrasive compound make some more suitable for differing materials and applications.

My previous post was to point out that the finer the scratches the higher the polish, any obvious scratches will get worse quicker as they age. You can fill in the scratches somewhat but the scratch is still there and will show as a lesser blemish until the fill oxidizes and fails or is washed away. Rounding the edges on a fine scratch with even finer scratches is not as good as putting all those finer scratches all over the surface until the deeper scratch is reduced to the depth of the finer scratches.
When all the scratches reflect light evenly you see a finer polish as the reflected light hits your eyes at the same angle and brightness. The finer the finish the lesser the distortion of the reflected images from that particular surface.

Anyway I know you have taken these lenses apart, exactly what can be remove without slicing the lens off. I want to clean the inside of the lenses after removing them. My new car has near perfect lenses but there is a vague film on the inside from humidity and I want to remove it by washing them and rinsing them in that dishwasher rinse liquid that adds the sparkle to plates. Any tips please?

 

James Thanks for the review on the Blue Magic Sealer I had not heard of this product before , I do use the 3M Product and have found nothing any better . Now I can seal them too .... Thanks Again.

 

The trick to restoring headlights via sanding is to refine the sanding marks as much as you can before buffing them out. Meguiar's Heavy Duty Headlight Restoration Kit comes with 1000 grit and 3000 grit sanding discs, and that 3000 grit is key before using the supplied wool buffing pad on a good plug in drill.

If you have a buffer already you can skip the kit and just buy the abrasive media you need. Depending on how bad the headlights are you'll want to start with at least 1000 grit wet, or as coarse as 320 grit dry. The 320 grit is for extremely oxidized and yellowed lenses, but it's amazing how far gone these can be and still be brought back to crystal clarity. No matter how coarse you start with, always refine those sanding marks down to 3000 grit or thereabouts. The resulting sanding mark will be very light, very predictable, and very easy to buff out. If you have a DA buffer you can mount a smaller backing plate and 4" foam pads to it, and use some Meguiar's M105 from our pro line, or even Ultimate Compound from our consumer line to buff out the sanding marks. Piece of cake! You can then apply a sealer of some sort, or just a good coat of wax.

 

Mike, I was going to respond earlier with the same (sage) advice.

Thanks for putting it so well....

 

I found a sheet of wet/dry 2000 today. I went over them several times w/ 2000. Machine polished with Turtle wax, than added the sealer again. I am more than satisfied with the final results.

 

I would have thought the sealer would have been better if it was applied to a non waxed surface.

You never answered my request about the insides of the headlights, no tips for me?

 

Dave, I am not sure about how to clean the inside of the lens without cutting into them. All the shrouds and shields are installed from the front before the lens is sealed in place. Maybe someone else has an answer.

James

 

I purchased my car with bad headlights from a Dodge dealer. Was told by the dealer that there was no fix as this was inside and a known problem by Chrysler. I tried cleaner wax and a light polishing compound to no avail. I was going to try and split the lenses to polish the inside. Last try I used the 3M kit on the outsides. WOW! I'm a believer now. Thanks for the tip on the sealer

Link to picks on Flickr

Headlight Restoration - a set on Flickr

 

Dave, I remember reading something about cleaning the inside of our headlight housings. You may have to remove the headlight assemblies for good results.

Sew a metal piece of something, dime size, into a small piece of terry cloth or microfiber. Drop it in the headlight housing so it falls against the inside of the lens. With a strong magnet, wrapped in cloth, drag the metal ball around inside, from the outside of the lens. I'm sure you can work on this idea.

James

 

Good memory James, you jogged my old memory and I recall a post on that now. I knew I could rely on you. Thanks a lot.

That should get rid of the thin film quite well. Those rare earth magnets should do the job.

 

That's where I started out with was 320. I used a B/D palm sander thru the whole project. Finished sanding/prepolish with wetted 2000 grit. Then a mixture I developed on the PT's headlight restore. A combination of cerium oxide powder and Adam's Swirl remover. Then finished off with Adam's Revive Polish. Take a look....

This was the before ...

BTheProjectR.jpg

This was the worst of the two.
And the after shot...

TFinishedLensSameLightingR.jpg

and a link to Photobucket if you want to view the process...Angels Eyes pictures by Smfrycruzr - Photobucket

...uh, for some reason Photobucket is running the photos in reverse order???? Oh well....