Headlight Restoration-new UV sealant idea

I don't do it as a business, I have been using Opti-Lens and I find it lasts less than 2 years, even with two coats. People tell me I should be using 3 coats...maybe that will last 2 years.

I would think if you were going to warranty you'd want to put something akin to the factory coating on there, which seems to last about 5 years, those are UV-cured coatings. I think if you google "uv cured headlight coatings" you'll find some info, and there was likely some in this thread somewhere.

I'm kind of disappointed with Opti-Lens, I thought it would last a few years, but you can start to see it degrading at about the 1.5 year point. I'm guessing if you applied it on a new car it might extend the life of the factory coating indefinitely, but once you've sanded the original coating off, it doesn't really seem up to the task.

I'm going to be doing my friend's car again before winter, I'll do 3 coats this time.
 
I was leaning towards OL at one point while reading but then I saw people reporting same as you (failure sooner than I'd like).

The predicament that I find myself being like many others, is doing this on the go. If I had a shop or indoor garage to use regularly I would consider something more like what they put on from the factory.

I guess I will still read those other threads and then back to good ol' Google.

Regardless I have gained many ideas and valuable information from this forum.

Thanks Auto Geeks
 
When I was reading about the UV cure systems, I think it's only like 10 minutes/lens, so you just need power (wall, or generator) for the lamp, which presumably you already need for your sander/polisher/compressor/something. I guess the other thing is the overspray issues.

Maybe Dr. G will improve the Opti-Lens...sure would be nice.
 
I wouldn't be to worried about power.

Currently I have used a drill, and also done some work by hand. Although using a inverter on the go could be a solution for the UV light. I also have a few hundred feet of outdoor extension cords.

My biggest concern is over spray, if I am able to pick up some of the small dealers in my area. Even if I took so many precautions to cover the specific vehicle, with unknown wind conditions it would be a nightmare if the overspray went on any of their other cars nearby.

If there was a true clear coat that could be wiped on that would be perfect.

I guess you can't have your cake and eat it too.
 
headlightnewbie said:
If there was a true clear coat that could be wiped on that would be perfect. I guess you can't have your cake and eat it too.
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I think the problem is that the wipe-on products like Opti-Lens don't have enough film build--they would likely be as effective as the factory coating if they weren't 10 times as thin (even after 2 or 3 coats). I'm sure the Spar urethane is as thick as the factory coating, but apparently it doesn't do as good a job.
 
I think for people that are in lower UV areas the Spar is the way to go because of how cheap it is.

I just don't see why someone hasn't developed the product we are all looking for. Even if it was more expensive held up for 3-5 years regardless of UV exposure.
 
headlightnewbie said:
I just don't see why someone hasn't developed the product we are all looking for. Even if it was more expensive held up for 3-5 years regardless of UV exposure.
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Think about this for a minute--most critical painting applications are done by spray, partly for speed but also for appearance. Yeah, I know there are guys who brush rustoleum onto their cars, but even if cost is no object (meaning you could take the time to brush your showcar), people get their cars sprayed.

If there was a good way to apply a headlight coating by brush or wipe-on at the thickness we are looking for, someone would have done it already, for the reasons you're looking for (no overspray, no masking, etc.).

UPDATE: I thought I should check before I misspoke; GlasWeld seems to make a wipe-on system, they sell a whole kit with a 3" DA and the UV light, materials, etc. for $795. Shoot, I might even consider some of that system if I hadn't just bought another syringe of Opti-Lens on closeout.

EDIT: Ha, I see you already mentioned the GlasWeld in your first post--sheesh...
 
When I first read about GlasWeld, I thought this was it. But then I saw some examples of one guy who had I think it was 4 out of 50 come back with streaks between 4-6 months.

Then I was very disappointmented.
 
Maybe that was user error--I was just looking and I can get enough product to do 16 sets of lights, plus the curing lamp for $262 shipped. I have all the other stuff.

Like I said, if I hadn't just bought another syringe of Opti-Lens I might go for that.
 
Do you know how much of that cost is for the UV light?

I'm asking to try to find out how much it would cost per car once I have the light.
(if that kit can average 16 cars)
 
It was 197 for the light and 45 for 8oz (15+ cars) of coating. The rest was shipping. It was $80 for 16 oz (32+ cars) or $150 for a quart (65+ cars). I dunno why the oz/cars don't exactly correlate.
 
I've used the glass weld before and as far as streaking goes, that's more or less on how much product you're using as well as the pressure applied on the applicator to lens itself. I did like the fact that after sanding down with 2000 grit that you just apply the gw, allow it to flash, then cure it with the UV light. There's just a bit of a learning curve to reduce the streaks. Also make sure it's applied in a dust free environment. My only other gripe with this product is that it sometimes can leave a bit of a tacky finish instead of a smooth finish you get sand/polish/sealant combo.
 
usmcpab said:
My only other gripe with this product is that it sometimes can leave a bit of a tacky finish instead of a smooth finish you get sand/polish/sealant combo.
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That sounds like a curing problem, sounds like more positions with the light needed (and more time)?
 
^^^ That's exactly it. Environmental conditions, like with any urethane, play one part. I've had just one lens with this problem but I was working in a damp garage in poor lighting, and didn't quite get it dry enough after wet sanding and IPA wiping. I saw water drops on the bumper after applying the Gclear and smacked myself in the head. It can be corrected with IPA if you catch it before the UV cure, but after five minutes under the lamp you have to let it gas for a day or so before wet sanding and coating again. Overall I'm extremely satisfied. Eleven months since I started using Gclear and all the lenses I've seen look the same as when I did them.
 
SameGuy said:
Overall I'm extremely satisfied. Eleven months since I started using Gclear and all the lenses I've seen look the same as when I did them.
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I have to say that I think I've had the same result with Opti-Lens--it's shortly after that you start to think "is that lens starting to look a little yellow?" and by a year and a half you know they are yellow, and by two years they're clouding up (I'm working with a small sample of lenses, so others experience may vary).

I may give the Gclear a shot, but since I just bought some more Opti-Lens I'm thinking of sticking with that right now, maybe 3 coats to start and a top-off coat every 6 months. Of course I have that luxury since I have access to most of the cars I do.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
I have to say that I think I've had the same result with Opti-Lens--it's shortly after that you start to think "is that lens starting to look a little yellow?" and by a year and a half you know they are yellow, and by two years they're clouding up (I'm working with a small sample of lenses, so others experience may vary).

I may give the Gclear a shot, but since I just bought some more Opti-Lens I'm thinking of sticking with that right now, maybe 3 coats to start and a top-off coat every 6 months. Of course I have that luxury since I have access to most of the cars I do.
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how many pairs of headlights do you think you can coat with 10CC of opti-lens? With the g-clear i was able to ~95 cars(or 190 headlights) with the 16ounce bottle.
 
SameGuy said:
^^^ That's exactly it. Environmental conditions, like with any urethane, play one part. I've had just one lens with this problem but I was working in a damp garage in poor lighting, and didn't quite get it dry enough after wet sanding and IPA wiping. I saw water drops on the bumper after applying the Gclear and smacked myself in the head. It can be corrected with IPA if you catch it before the UV cure, but after five minutes under the lamp you have to let it gas for a day or so before wet sanding and coating again. Overall I'm extremely satisfied. Eleven months since I started using Gclear and all the lenses I've seen look the same as when I did them.
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So far its been holding up pretty well for me too but not perfect. ive had a few complaints/redues and giving a year warranty with the G clear is still pretty risky IMO. Interesting the lights you coated dont have any visible signs of degradation after 11 months. Thats incredibly good. What state do you live in again? I also wasn't using the curing lamp when i coated the lights, but according to Glasweld the curing lamp wasn't necessary since the sun can cure the lights also. The light i restored from the junkyard and coated with Gclear is starting to get hazy again its been about 8-9 months.
 
I'm in eastern Canada, where we get extreme winters and fairly extreme summers, and lots of severe "environmental" conditions (road chemicals, bugs, dirt and acid rain).

I think the curing lamp helps to a degree, but I'm willing to concede that it likely has more to do with the base. I sand off all the old coating, starting at 320 or 500 and progressing through 800, 1200, 2000 and sometimes 3000 before IPA and coating. Start to finish including masking and cleanup takes me about 45 minutes per lens.
 
SameGuy said:
I'm in eastern Canada, where we get extreme winters and fairly extreme summers, and lots of severe "environmental" conditions (road chemicals, bugs, dirt and acid rain).

I think the curing lamp helps to a degree, but I'm willing to concede that it likely has more to do with the base. I sand off all the old coating, starting at 320 or 500 and progressing through 800, 1200, 2000 and sometimes 3000 before IPA and coating. Start to finish including masking and cleanup takes me about 45 minutes per lens.
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i do pretty much the same thing and the lights turn out great. im certain im removing 99% of the coating with every restoration so i doubt thats the problem. Its possible im just not using enough coating for each light and thats why the streaks were appearing to being with. Either way i think im gonna bite the bullet and order the UV cure lamp just to see if it makes a difference. Probably wont do much but i guess its worth the investment if it can potentially cure it better and make it last longer.

Also, what kind of sander are you using? ive been using a drill for sometime(which works pretty well) but im thinking about getting something a little bit higher quality. Everything ive been reading points towards a pnematic DA sander for optimal results. Only problem with that is id have to carry around and be constantly refilling an air compressor. Do you think the air tools are worth the cost/hassle for the job or is there another/better option besides using a hand drill or air tools?
 
jeff79 said:
how many pairs of headlights do you think you can coat with 10CC of opti-lens? With the g-clear i was able to ~95 cars(or 190 headlights) with the 16ounce bottle.
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You'd never get anywhere near that many on a syringe of Opti-Lens. Maybe you guys misunderstood me before, Opti-Lens looks fine for about a year and you think you have a long-term solution, and then it goes south quickly after that.
 
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