Headlight Restoration-new UV sealant idea

Air said:
Looks good, but it is well known that urethane yellows over time.
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Not saying you are wrong, but it is well known that headlights yellow over time without the urethane treatment too. IMO I don't think it matters what you put on the lights, they eventually will yellow and haze up again. If there is a "magical" permanent easy to use and affordable headlight sealant, then it is not well known yet.
 
HotRod said:
Not saying you are wrong, but it is well known that headlights yellow over time without the urethane treatment too. IMO I don't think it matters what you put on the lights, they eventually will yellow and haze up again. If there is a "magical" permanent easy to use and affordable headlight sealant, then it is not well known yet.
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My thoughts exactly...I did a 105/205/Plast-x treatment on my taurus headlights...they turned out great...but i intentionally did NOT use this sealant idea on it, just because i wanted to see how long it would last till they started to turn.

Well its been about 3 months now...and the foggy look was starting to return. So tonight i went back out and used some 2500 grit, #83 and 205...then i used the sealant idea on this thread.

This was my first shot at using it...and it was even easier than i thought...with the blue Scotts paper towls and a very small 50/50 mix it went on so smooth on the 1st one i thought i did something wrong! I went over it again and then it started to streak...so i figured I had it right the first time lol. I wiped it clean with mineral spirits and then reapplied and it went on smooth.

The 2nd light i applied it and it was smooth the 1st try..and this time i just left it lol. There are still mini scratches on the light...but this is a 96' and these are original lights...i wasnt expecting perfection...and i think it was on the inside...because the outside felt super smooth. They were pretty much dry to the touch after an hour and looked awesome. If you dont stand right up on them and shine direct light onto them..you cant even see the scratches.

So for me, with it being so easy to apply and giving a great result that, from pictures on this thread show, last for a year or more...im all for it. I'll be hitting the used car lots with pictures soon and hope to get around $35 a pair from dealers and ill be asking $50 from 1 car customers.
 
True, all finishes eventually break down and yellow with age, but the factory finish is far superior and more durable than any air dry clear coating. Customers should not expect to get more than six months to two years max with air dry coatings.
 
Air said:
True, all finishes eventually break down and yellow with age, but the factory finish is far superior and more durable than any air dry clear coating. Customers should not expect to get more than six months to two years max with air dry coatings.
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In order to get the factory finish on your headlights, you would have to buy new factory headlights, right? Which is much more expensive in the long run. And those will start to fail probably within 5 years or less. Lets just say that a pair of new quality lights cost $250+ and they will last 5 years, or you could have two or three headlight restorations in those 5 years if needed at $40 per restoration instead of buying a new set of lights when they failed. Which option is cheaper for the customer? How many people keep their cars forever?
Headlight restoration is not expected to be better than factory. IMO
 
HotRod said:
In order to get the factory finish on your headlights, you would have to buy new factory headlights, right? Which is much more expensive in the long run. And those will start to fail probably within 5 years or less. Lets just say that a pair of new quality lights cost $250+ and they will last 5 years, or you could have two or three headlight restorations in those 5 years if needed at $40 per restoration instead of buying a new set of lights when they failed. Which option is cheaper for the customer? How many people keep their cars forever?
Headlight restoration is not expected to be better than factory. IMO
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:iagree: just what i was thinking
 
HotRod said:
In order to get the factory finish on your headlights, you would have to buy new factory headlights, right? Which is much more expensive in the long run. And those will start to fail probably within 5 years or less. Lets just say that a pair of new quality lights cost $250+ and they will last 5 years, or you could have two or three headlight restorations in those 5 years if needed at $40 per restoration instead of buying a new set of lights when they failed. Which option is cheaper for the customer? How many people keep their cars forever?
Headlight restoration is not expected to be better than factory. IMO
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$40.00??? Is that all you're worth? You should be charging $80.00 at least for all the work involved to make them look perfect. $40.00 is for the guy just running a buffer over them with some polish. If your going to do the labor of sanding them with different grits and apply a seal, you should be getting at least $80.00
 
Air said:
$40.00??? Is that all you're worth? You should be charging $80.00 at least for all the work involved to make them look perfect. $40.00 is for the guy just running a buffer over them with some polish. If your going to do the labor of sanding them with different grits and apply a seal, you should be getting at least $80.00
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I cannot speak for other people quality but it's not really a question about what he's worth but about what customers are comfortable paying. Markets are going to vary greatly. People in one region may pay $80 like it's nothing but in other areas, customers may only be willing to spend 1/2 of that. Of course this is just headlight restoration but you really see the pricing difference in car detailing packages. Another reason for lower prices could be to generate a solid customer base.
 
g35_coupe said:
Markets are going to vary greatly. People in one region may pay $80 like it's nothing but in other areas, customers may only be willing to spend 1/2 of that. Of course this is just headlight restoration but you'll really see the pricing difference in car detailing packages.
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There are always people out there willing to work for cheap to make a fast buck. Most often than not, those people are not about high quality and therefore do poor or at best only an average quality of work!

Explain to your customer that for $40.00 you will briefly and lightly sand with fine sandpaper and buff them out and they will look better but not perfect, however for $80.00 you will thoroughly sand with course, medium and then fine sandpaper, then apply a high gloss sealant for a perfect finish to make them look like-new and last much longer and you will even throw in a guarantee for a year for their peace of mind.

Giving your customer a choice educates them that there is a difference between a fast polish job and a full restoration with sealant and they will be much happier with the result and it will put more well-deserved money in your pocked every time.
 
I usually quote customers at $40-$50 and explain what is involved, and my prices usually scare people away in my area. I was talking to a customer when I was giving an estimate for a interior detail job, and explained that I do headlight restoration. Anyhow he passed on the headlight job because he said nobody drives it at night, he also passed on some windshield rock chip repairs which would have saved him replacing the windshield. But he still ended up getting the detail job.
Most people in the area are cheap and very tight with their money. Usually people go with the cheaper estimate, no matter what the results, at least from my experience. And I do have low balling hacks for competition.
 
Air said:
Giving your customer a choice educates them that there is a difference between a fast polish job and a full restoration with sealant and they will be much happier with the result and it will put more well-deserved money in your pocked every time.
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I agree educating customers is a key step in letting them know why they would be paying a certain amount for a service. This definitely helps but does not always guarantee a "sale". You could present convenience, savings (in the long run), durability, greater quality, and answer a dozen of their questions but a small percentage of people would still prefer to go with the other guy that just runs a buffer over them for $20. Some simply won't be willing to pay whatever they could be charging in your area. I try to be as informative as I can when customers are on the fence and it has helped for the most part.
 
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I was looking for spare headlights to mess around with and there $50 each from a junk yard and $250 each brand new. So I new set is $500 plus install. You can get over 10 headlight corrections at $40 before it equals the same amount as a new set of headlight. When I do headlight restorations I tell my clients to add some wax or sealant to the headlights when they wash there car and it will last them awhile.

My gf has a 09 Corolla Type S and the headlights started to fog up within a year and the top of the headlight was pretty bad. So I polished them out the other day and they came out great. On the other hand I have had my truck the same amount of time as her and my truck sat on a dealer lot for a year and there still not foggy.

From what I have noticed is that if you wash your car regularly with a wash+wax soap and wax your headlights when you wash your vehicle they wont yellow or get cloudy. Also it depends on the type of vehicle you drive; BMW and Toyota light tend to get cloudy way faster then other brands out there.
 
sullysdetailing said:
I was looking for spare headlights to mess around with and there $50 each from a junk yard and $250 each brand new. So I new set is $500 plus install. You can get over 10 headlight corrections at $40 before it equals the same amount as a new set of headlight. When I do headlight restorations I tell my clients to add some wax or sealant to the headlights when they wash there car and it will last them awhile.

My gf has a 09 Corolla Type S and the headlights started to fog up within a year and the top of the headlight was pretty bad. So I polished them out the other day and they came out great. On the other hand I have had my truck the same amount of time as her and my truck sat on a dealer lot for a year and there still not foggy.

From what I have noticed is that if you wash your car regularly with a wash+wax soap and wax your headlights when you wash your vehicle they wont yellow or get cloudy. Also it depends on the type of vehicle you drive; BMW and Toyota light tend to get cloudy way faster then other brands out there.
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I agree with that, it depends on the light...just like it depends on the paint when detailing cars...nothing is one way.

As for people who do 'cheap' labor cutting corners as Air has accused...sure its true sometimes but there are people out there banking big bucks who cut corners allll the time. The old saying is 'You get what you pay for'...he second part of that saying should be 'If you're lucky'.

I say $40-50 is fair for any standard pair of headlights...Rvs i can see charging more as they are huge. This is 2010...we're in a horrible situation finacially all across the country..if you CAN get $80 for a restoration...good for you...but not all of us live in high scale areas.

I live in a pretty nice neighborhood...and everyone always assumes people here have money...news flash, its not the case....most everyone is tight on cash so if lowering your price to continue working helps you do just that...keep working...then its just what you have to do.

Plus if these guys are GETTING jobs and doing good work...that turns into before/after pcitures...references and a good reputation. Ive done cheap work but it got me work, and a reputation...and i still give customers who were supportive of me in the beginning discounts....but those customers have given me a good name...and understand when i tell them look...this is a price for YOU...if you do recommend me please dont quote for me...and just a simple request like that has helped me not have to be stuck at my starting rates and i think everyone else here doing good work can do the same.
 
Heres how the headlights turned out sealed

Sealed.JPG
 
Is this the right stuff?

helmsman.jpg


Price went up quite a bit if so. They must of figured out their products new market.

Thanks want to be sure before I buy the stuff. They also have a tiny can for 16bucks.

Did they change logo or this isn't the stuff?
 
I had to correct my post. That is the water-based urethane. Get the regular stuff in the Clear Gloss. I got the smaller can (quart?) which will is more than I'll probably use in 10 years and was only about $15.

FYI---during jobs, I end up using less than once ounce of it.
 
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Allen Anderson said:
Is this the right stuff?

helmsman.jpg


Price went up quite a bit if so. They must of figured out their products new market.

Thanks want to be sure before I buy the stuff. They also have a tiny can for 16bucks.

Did they change logo or this isn't the stuff?
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That is the water based product. Most here have been using the solvent based at about half the price. I bought o quart of the water based and had to pay $22.00 for it. I have not tried it out yet. I would rather use the water based version as it is non voc. The solvent based version must be thinned with mineral spirits wherby the water based can be thinned with water.



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Not sure I saw a solvent based one for sale there. Maybe they just don't carry it at Home Depot.

Anyone use the water based diluting with more water with success?
 
You don't say in your profile where you are located. It is possible that local air quality regulations do not allow sale of the solvent-based product due to its level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

I can't get some automotive paints where I live, for that reason. Twenty miles away is a different Air Quality Management District; I go to buy it there instead.
 
Right on thanks GP that might be it. I live in San Bernardino County Southern California. Pretty smoggy here.

In this district Mojave Desert AQMD : Mojave Desert don't know how to check if its banned.

If anyone has had success with water based let us know.


Or tell me how to do it and I'll give it a try. Just 1 part water 1 part WB helmsman spar urethane? Or do I use the mineral spirits still?
 
Allen Anderson said:
Right on thanks GP that might be it. I live in San Bernardino County Southern California. Pretty smoggy here.

In this district Mojave Desert AQMD : Mojave Desert don't know how to check if its banned.

If anyone has had success with water based let us know.


Or tell me how to do it and I'll give it a try. Just 1 part water 1 part WB helmsman spar urethane? Or do I use the mineral spirits still?
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The water based Spar Varnish needs to be diluted with water. The Presta headlamp sealant is water based and some claim that it is this varnish. Let us know how it works for you.
 
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