Restoring headlights
- This topic has 31 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 4 months ago by .
- Posts
Hey Dag asked about restoring headlights and I was wondering if any of you do much of this. Do you polish or spray? I have been experimenting with this for several years and have had mixed results with both. Polishing seems to be a limited fix depending how bad it is oxidized and has a one year life span before it starts hazing again. Spraying is good if you can find a clear that will adhere and not delam. Biggest problem is people trying to get bugs off of headlights with pressure washer and hitting a rockchip, thus delaming it instantly. We finally came up with a product that is pretty bullet proof. I would love to hear of your experiences with this. [img]http://www.refinishnetwork.com/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/Headlight1_copy.jpg[/img]
i do a ton of it. some weeks i could do a couple and other times i have had the booth full from one end to the other with maybe 30 pieces from many different cars. not only headlights but taillights, marker lights and about every other light on a car. polishing is a waste of time. it just leaves the plastic exposed and in 4 mos they look exactly the same. you should not have a delam problem when you clear your headlights. in the hundreds of lights i have never had a single one comeback, chip or delam. clearcoating them is really the best and only way it should be done. it is a permanant solution and will never have to be redone, ok well maybe in 10-15 years or more. all those systems out there are just gimmicks imo and not a true fix for the problem. what is your clearcoating process? curious what is causing your problem.
The only problem we have had in the past is with the high pressure washers. So many people have them at home now and some create 3000 lbs of pressure. They take paint off of cars too if they get a inch away trying to take bugs off. The product we use now is excellent. I have done a lot of destructive tests on it and it is holding up great.
I had a customer come in a few years ago that had a deer hit. Took out one headlight and the one that was untouched was hazed almost to white opaque. We cleared it for him so that it matched the new one. Three years later he came back and said my headlight was chalking up. When we went out to look at it, it was the new one that was chalking up. Ours still looked great.
I buff them. First I sand them down with 600 on the da and get all the coating off of them that causes the haze. then 1000 and finally 1500. been doing them that way for over 5 years. never had a comeback. the ones on my own saturn i did over a year ago and they still look good
Well you gonna tell us what your using Brad???
The stuff we are using now is a polymer we make ourselves, but there are a few clears out there I could recommend Glasurit 923-255 clear being the best on the market, at least that I have found. I am looking at some UV cure clears, but they are hard to get, and a really cool product product that SW just gave me to try that they made for anti graffiti. Sticks to anything and it is made to be pressure washed at 3000 plus pounds per sq. inch. I am really interested in what you guys are using and what you have found. It may save me some time in my quest.
[b]ding wrote:[/b]
[quote]I buff them. First I sand them down with 600 on the da and get all the coating off of them that causes the haze. then 1000 and finally 1500. been doing them that way for over 5 years. never had a comeback. the ones on my own saturn i did over a year ago and they still look good[/quote]I do basically the same and have had good success. And just like paint, you can/should apply wax so there is some protection/coating on them.
If there are deep pits/scratches I have sanded them with 180 then just worked my way up to 1500. I did mine on my Escort several years ago and they still look good.
every set of lights i have ever sanded the coating off and buffed, in 4-6 months they are yellow and completely shot again. the plastic has no uv protection without a coating on it. this could also be region related as well. heat, cold, uv, salt, etc. probably all plays in there.
brad, thats great but really, if the customer can strip the paint off his car with a 3000psi washer then he should also stay off the headlights. coating or no coating damage can be done. once a clearcoat is fully cured its as hard as the plastic that the headlight itself is made out of. i personally dont see the point of a coating, process or product where you have to do it every year. you could clear them and be done with it once and for all. brad, i am curious when you clear a set of lights what the process was. did you strip off the old coating, what grit was it sanded with before clear, etc.
I do the same as Jim C. In fact I did my wifes and used FC720 on them. That was a year and a half ago and they look brand new still.
I usually P320, then P500, then P600 or P800 then clear. All on a D/A.
We sand them down with 600 wet until the magnesium chloride and oxidation are off and then 1000-1200 wet, dry them off and spray two coats and bake. We tried just 600 wet and could see scratches still visible under the clear when out in the sun.
There’s been lots of talk on various headlight restoration products on detailing forums.
Just Google the topic and there are tons of products claiming all sorts of stuff…
Quite frankly, any 1k product that is applied by hand can only last so long. And that
might be fine if the owner maintains his vehicles appearance. Washes/waxes it regularly.
But that’s rare.There is a coating on the headlights and that’s what fails. Polishing a failed coating
wont last. It’s still failed. kinda like polishing out an oxidized cc.These STILL look great:
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/zsolo/Headlamps/P1000874.jpg[/IMG]Depending on the customers attitude, when the car is in for a front-end job, i’ll either
charge a little extra or just do it for free. Always makes ’em happy.1000-1200 is too fine and probably why your clear is peeling. there is nothing there for the clear to bond to. 600-800 with an orbital and you should not really see any scratches and the clear will bond waay better. sometimes when you see scratches its dirt caught in them. if its cleaned really good before clear then it shouldn’t be much different than when be block out clear on the car and reclear. the scratches disappear. my process is exactly like ryan’s.
Just thought I would post a photo of my headlamps that I sanded and buffed a little over a year ago. no coating on them (well except for the nice layer of bug guts) and probably haven’t washed the thing in more than 2 years
[IMG]http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll186/paintbyding/IMG_0619.jpg[/IMG]I use equal parts marine grade spar varnish and mineral spirits. Wipe on with a lint free towel. Looks great and lasts.
sorry guys never done any id just like to no is it just plastic ones you do or glass aswell?
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.