Clearcoating Headlights
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I’m looking for as much information possible on clearing headlights. I’ve watched Jimmo’s vid on it (which is great by the way) but I have some questions/concerns. I have sprayed a few with very nice results. I don’t however have access to a clear sprayable adhesion promoter like BASF makes, so I’ve been using a Transtar spray can a/p . It does alright but I’ve found out I have to spray it on fairly light. If not it tends to wrinkle. I’m wondering if any one uses something like dupont 222 or posibly nothing under the clear. I’ve talked with a paint company instructor who said I may be able to get by with no a/p as the solvents in the clear should etch into the plastic ok. Also want to know how well this holds up in a couple yrs. I thinking of doing some on the side at my garage. I know local economies are different but I’d like to know how much to charge or what kind of labor time possibly. I’ll take any advice concerning anything about doing this. Thanks. :unsure:
Adpro is a good idea but as long as the light is sanded good with 600-800 and gray scuff pad the edges you will have a mechanical bond.I have done dozens of sets of headlights and smoked many tail lights and have never used adpro with 0 comebacks.If you still need an adpro sikkens p.o. would work for you.
I have always prepped with 800 getting as much of the old yellowing milky finish off. I have done a few sets on my personal cars and never had issues. I achieve the desired tint, and spray 2 coats of clear over the tint. If and when it chips it doesn’t chip the tint.
Usually charge 150 for up to 300 for full set
Is the tint you use like a clear basecoat or a tinted clear? Do you put flex additive in your clear? Thanks for the reply.
I just hand sand with 400 then hit with a couple coats of u tech 4.0 clear and I see zero scratch marks etc come out perfect
I have never had to reclear headlights to be honest.
I sand all the old coating off first with 600, then 800, 1000 and finally 1500 before polishing back to a shine using your buffer and compound like farecla or 3m.
I do all the sanding with a palm DA, probably only takes 10 minutes per headlight tops.
Ive had them done like this on my own car for the past year and they havnt lost their shine or anything yet and if they do I will probably just break out the DA and buffer again. At least they wont stone chip like clear might?
[quote=”JackMarshall” post=30910]I have never had to reclear headlights to be honest.
I sand all the old coating off first with 600, then 800, 1000 and finally 1500 before polishing back to a shine using your buffer and compound like farecla or 3m.
I do all the sanding with a palm DA, probably only takes 10 minutes per headlight tops.
Ive had them done like this on my own car for the past year and they havnt lost their shine or anything yet and if they do I will probably just break out the DA and buffer again. At least they wont stone chip like clear might?[/quote]
This is all I’ve ever done as well.
Thanks , I,m trying to determine if clearing lights is the way to go or not. In our shop we have sanded and buffed my mom’s ’05 Maxima several times. They look good for a while but then in a few months ,not so good again. So that’s why I’m wondering if clearing headlights with a quality 2k clear with flex additive mlght do better in the long run.
Just use your regular clear,you don’t need flex additive by the time the light flexes it will be broken anyway.Not all flex additives are the same some disappear very soon after curing.
dont make it too complicated. they are only headlamps. Sand and buff them or sand them and throw a coat of clear on them. if you sand ALL the haze out of them and buff them they wont start hazing again for at least a year or more. Most of the time it’s just easier to throw a few coats of clear on them though, and they will last longer
A dupont rep told me one time that by adding flex to their clears would make them a little more chip resistant. I really dont know if it’s true. I just always assumed it was so I was thinking with the headlights it couldn’t hurt. :unsure:
Sherwin are giving a 3 yr warranty on polycarbonate headlamps if cleared with hpc15 air dry clear, just start sanding with rougher grit to take out any chips and make your way through to the finer grits , clean and then clear.
No adhesion promoter or flex additive necessary as it’s pre flexed.
Have seen the flyer , but I haven’t used hpc15 for headlamps yet, but use it otherwise and really like it.i have probably done a few hundred lights and never used adpro under any of them. always goto 600-800. usually 800 though is where i like to be with them. i have seen some headlights just buffed and within a couple months start to cloud and turn again and i have seen others last a year like ding said. maybe its just in the plastic they use from different manufacturers, who knows. it really simple to shoot a couple coats of clear on them though. most of the lights i am doing the customers want them tinted as well. just a few drops of black candy in the clear does the trick with that. whats nice is i dont ever remove them. the customers walk in and hand me all the lights they want done. makes it easy
diambert, the harder a clear is the more brittle it tends to be. its more scratch resistant being hard but will chip easier. i would rather buff out swirls and light scratches than fix chips.
I’ve cleared them before without a/p no problem aswell. One interesting thing I’ll pass along, my Dupont rep came along and had pictures of headlights that were clearcoated. One pair they polished before prepping, said it pulled out debris…rail/brake dust..etc that normal scuffing and sanding wouldn’t take out. As a result the headlights polished before clearing were much clearer and nicer looking. They recommended polishing all panels (blend panels more importantly) before beginning prep for superior results, yet to try but sounded interesting.
I’ve done hundreds of headlights – just sand, buff and polish. Results are good to start but some seem to deteriorate quickly so have been looking at clear coat as an extra cost option. Car dealers just want the quick results so the vehicle will pass for registration but owners are more prepared to pay the extra for a longer term result, particularly when lights on some imported cars can run up around $700.
One of the things I’ve been wrestling with is how to get the clear perfectly flat so that it doesn’t affect the light. Even the slightest peel makes a noticeable difference especially with lights that are projector style – the ultra sharp cutoff becomes blurry at a distance. Wetsand and buff is one option but I was looking for a better off the gun finish. One of the more successful things I’ve tried is very thin coats using a 1.0mm HVLP mini gun, this was probably more successful than overthinning and overloading and letting it all just run off the bottom edge (this technique is being promoted in some of the detailing forums, using a 1K urethane clear, applying with a shop towel rather than spray).
Jimmo, that’s interesting about polishing the panel first. I picked it up at some Dupont courses that I’ve attended. They use Farecla G4 with a lambswool pad and polish until there is a high shine. Seems to make no sense to do this to a panel that you’re going to hit with 800 or 1500 but it definitely works. The paint goes on smoother and cleaner and the colour match is better with the blend fading away better too. People think I’m nuts attacking a damaged panel with a buff first up but the results show that they are right.
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