Sarahfitz213

Hey everyone!



So I'm always seeing those headlight restoration kits all over the place and I know they work at first but after a while it seems like the headlights go right back to being foggy like they were before. So here's a step-by-step to restoring them to new for good (or at least for a LOT longer than those kits will)



ITEMS:

-800 grit sandpaper

-1000 grit sandpaper

-2500 grit sandpaper

-light compund

-polish

-sealant (or a UV protectant clear coat spray)



RESTORE:

1. Dry sand the headlight with the 800 grit sandpaper in an east-west motion. Press softly and take your time. Don't go too fast and don't press too hard. KEEP THE SANDPAPER DAMP! You're mostly trying to remove a layer of the old clear coat. The reason headlights get foggy is that the original clear coat got UV damaged and has made the headlights foggy and/or yellow and this entire process will remove all of that.

2. Clean the headlight with water and dry it off.

3. Grab the 1000 grit sandpaper with a light spray of water onto the sandpaper and rub the headlight in a northwest-southeast motion. Keep the sandpaper damp.

4. Turn on the headlights and double check to see if you've sanded off the scratches made from the first step. (Make sure there are no east-west scratches only light northwest-southeast scuffs)

5. Clean the headlight with water and dry it.

6. Time for the 2500 grit sandpaper. Get it nice and damp and start sanding the headlight in an east-west motion. Check often that you've removed the old clear coat by cleaning and drying the headlight. If the old scratches from the 800 grit and 1000 grit sandpaper are gone then you know you're done.

7. Time to compound. Get your favorite compound in your arsenal and follow the directions provided. Some compounds are different so you want to make sure you're following the specific directions. Keep going until the headlights are smooth to the touch and completely free of the old clear coat.

8. At this point you can either polish and seal the headlight or if you feel like making your hard work last longer, spray the headlights with 3 incredibly thin coats of UV Protectant clear gloss coat.





The headlight restoration kits are definitely a lot easier and less time-consuming but I've made some headlights look better than brand new with this method. Not to mention I can use the sandpaper with lots of different projects but the headlight restoration kits are only for that and can get a little expensive.



I've included some photos of a couple headlights I did using this method. The RX-8 wasn't finished before we were done for the day and I never got around to finishing it completely. The truck headlights were a couple of steps away from being completed as well but it gives you a faint idea of how well the process works. Sort of.



Anyways, hope you guys find this helpful!

Zekkal

I used a simple Red 3M kit to sand and polish my Tib headlights. Found a DIY method online to seal them, 1/2 Mineral Spirits 1/2 Helmsman Indoor/Outdoor Urethane. I was kinda worried about how long this sealant method would last but I already had both those items at the house so figured I'd give it a try. I wondered if the sun would break it down and start cracking, would bugs and road dirt/sand scratch it. But it still looked perfect when I sold the car over a year later.

Sarahfitz213

Damn those look amazing! I would definitely invest in a 3M kit. Those "as seen on TV" ones just don't cut it

Zekkal

Yeah I was pretty happy considering the typical stories you hear about headlight kits not working, or working for a few months and then hazing over because the plastic starts to break down again. But like I said I just used the typical 3M Red Kit [Amazon Link] which did a pretty amazing job. I did hit it with a glass polish when I was done with the included compound.

Unfortunately I don't believe I got a picture of the Cutoff before, but here it is after.







There was a slight glare above the cutoff from the HID's, as you can see, but overall compared to some halogen reflector retrofits, this was a pretty legit improvement in visibility with minimal issues for oncoming drivers

Sarahfitz213

It seriously looks so good. I'll start recommending the 3M to anyone who asks haha

tibbytib

With super hazed and aged headlights, nothing beats the sand paper trick. Finish it off with 3M. As for your DIY, very good, except I would recommend wet sanding in all your steps, including 800. It will keep your sandpaper working longer and efficiently, and will keep it sanding evenly. Nice write up though!

WytchDctr

Stooopid question: My 14 JUST started this crap. Better to get it now or wait. I have heard that sanding takes off some layer protection and could accelerate the problem in the future. Truth or lazy people BS?

Sarahfitz213

Crap yes, I will edit it to make sure to include that. I don't want anything to happen to someone's headlight that can't be fixed. I would feel terrible!



Thank you!

Sarahfitz213

If it hasn't gotten that bad you can still do it, but you could probably skip the 800 grit sandpaper. Or just use the 3M headlight restorer. That one is actually worth using and if your headlights aren't too bad that might be the easiest course. Plus if you buy the 3M kit you can probably use it more than once if your headlights probably aren't too bad



As long as you polish or use a UV protecting clear gloss coat after the sanding and cleaning then you should be ok. Most likely that's the "protection" the headlights have anyway.