Restoring dull cloudy headlights

suckindiesel

RMS Regular
Messages
3,626
Location
Lisburn
Drives
A6 Allroad
Just done this to the E55 using drill mounted 3M kit - makes a tidy job of it. Forgot to take a before shot but heres the during and after....
headlight2.jpg
headlight.jpg
 

NS Autocare

RMS Regular
Messages
360
Drives
Quite a bit
Remember when doing this, use a UV sealant after because the film you removed is a UV protectant so you've basically removed it, otherwise it will/may ruin your lights as well as the hazing coming back after a few months.


10974186_1554334851487222_1164039765564483807_o.jpg
 

rupertfinch

RMS Regular
Messages
3,296
Location
Bangor
Thought I'd stick up my results with Meguiars lens correction kit. This is an entirely human powered product and to be honest I went into my motorfactors to get G3 to use with my rotary and v fine grade sandpaper but thought I'd give this a go.
The car is a 2009 mkv golf. Before
image.jpg

And after
image.jpg

In all honesty about 25 mins labour. Kit contains 3 small abrasive pads which have 4 increasingly fine grades (1 of which has 2 different grades, the other 2 are double sided). When you've completed this cycle you then polish with a plastx product which has plenty in for a number of lights and it also comes with a sachet of uv sealant.
Overall, I'd get better results with compound, fine grade paper and a rotary but as a quick and relatively easy approach I'd give this a 7/10.
 

Ghisallo

RMS Regular
Messages
5,581
Location
Castle Anthrax
Some great results, I need to get this a go. I had a look at the Meguiars lens correction kit at the weekend but bottled it.

Is there anywhere handy that I can go pick up the various grades of good quality paper without breaking the bank? I don't want to be buying overpriced Halfords junk.
 

Lyons

RMS Moderator
Messages
76,925
Location
Texarkana
Drives
X5 / 435D
I bought the Meguiars kit a few months ago and did the lights on the Golf as the tops of them were badly stained. I was pushed for time so only hit the affected area thinking that would be ok. Now everytime I look at the lights the top half is crystal clear and the bottom is a mess :worried:.
 

Woodcutter

RMS Regular
Messages
31,236
Some great results, I need to get this a go. I had a look at the Meguiars lens correction kit at the weekend but bottled it.

Is there anywhere handy that I can go pick up the various grades of good quality paper without breaking the bank? I don't want to be buying overpriced Halfords junk.

Any decent motor factor should carry good quality sandpaper, try and get 3M.
 

Paddy_R

RMS Regular
Messages
5,260
AutoGlym now have a headlight restoration kit available too. Not used it myself but the local motor factors were down trying to sell it to my mechanic mate last week. It's another option for people and seems to sell for around £25.
 

Sharkey

RMS Regular
Messages
2,111
Would love to give this a go on the Elise, but headlights replacments are literally non existant and I dont trust myself to not balls it up :worried:
 

MATT93

RMS Regular
Messages
2,698
Location
Carrowdore.
Drives
335d
What exactly is involved in a "wet sand"?

I have heard this a few times and I'm wondering is it any different to what painters do when they sand it with 1500 or finer before polishing up the paint?
Wetsandpaper - wet the light then sand - keep spraying the light to keep it lubricated, I'm pretty sure I used 800grit as that's all I had, had to use the DA for a while to bring it back up as I didn't have a finer grit
 
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