3M headlight Restro kit and Optimum Metal Polish

[DARK HORSE]

Had a chance to use the 3M headlight restoration kit and some Optimum metal polish this evening on my 1998 Ford F-150. It has been seriously neglected and has always been outdoors every since it was new (never garaged). It is also driven off road regularly in the harsh Idaho environment. First did the head lights and I can say I would definitely recommend this 3M restoration kit it is very user friendly and works great. I only used 1/2 of the supplies that came with the kit. I will be able to do another set of headlights with the other half. (Plus it comes with a backing plate/drill adapter for the drill, a reusable P3000 Trizact™ foam disc, and a orange foam compounding pad) Also the manufacturer is currently offering a $3.00 rebate. rops:
3M Headlight Lens Restoration System, headlight polishing kit, restore yellow headlights, 3M plastic polish


Also did a quick polish on the nerf bars. Used Optimum metal polish and #0000 steel wool. Took a couple of 50/50 shots. Pictures didn't really do justice to the nerfs. They really look great in person. Any way I would also recommend Optimum metal polish, it does a great job as well. Also smells kinda like cherry. rops:

Optimum Metal Polish, chrome polish, wheel polish, aluminum polish, motorcycle polish, how to polish metal

Thanks for looking...

Tad

 

[DLB]

Tad - knew you would like the 3M kit. It is an outstanding headlight system that is like you said, very user friendly.

The lights look great on your truck man. You'll sure appreciate that on the those dark snowy nights!

I can tell the difference on the nerf bars. Have you tried (or thought about trying) using a machine polisher with the Opt? I know I used some chrome polish with my XP (and the pad that came with it) on a large chrome bumper and it turned out nice.

DLB

 

[Pie]

Nice headlight restore!

 

[ICEMAN]

wheres the rebate? is there a form on there website?

and when is 3M going to make those 3" pads avaialble separately!!!!

 

[DARK HORSE]

Tad - knew you would like the 3M kit. It is an outstanding headlight system that is like you said, very user friendly.

The lights look great on your truck man. You'll sure appreciate that on the those dark snowy nights!

I can tell the difference on the nerf bars. Have you tried (or thought about trying) using a machine polisher with the Opt? I know I used some chrome polish with my XP (and the pad that came with it) on a large chrome bumper and it turned out nice.DLB

Thanks Dalton, and yes I am going to also do some metal polishing with the d/a, I also have a mother powerball as well. Good idea thanks for the tip.

Nice headlight restore!

Thanks Pie. I will seal them with the Klasse HG sealant you sent me...Thanks again.

wheres the rebate? is there a form on there website?

and when is 3M going to make those 3" pads avaialble separately!!!!

Rebate:
http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver?66666UuZjcFSLXTtN8TXOXTVEVuQEcuZgVs6EVs6E666666--

Bulk disks:
http://autogeek.net/3m-trizact-foam-discs.html
http://autogeek.net/3m-imperial-hookit-discs.html
http://autogeek.net/3m-finishing-film-discs.html

 

[christian900se]

Nice Tad! That improved the headlight a lot, how much time do you think it took you for one headlight?

 

[ICEMAN]

the rebate dont expire til 3/21/2011, for over a year, thats sweet!! im prolly going to buy one a month. Mainly for the 3" pads.

I meant the 3" buff pads, not the sandpaper. my bad.

i plan on ordering the sandpaper in bulk. i want the orange pads in bulk too, lol.

 

[DARK HORSE]

Nice Tad! That improved the headlight a lot, how much time do you think it took you for one headlight?

Thaks Christian. I did both headlights in a little over an hour.

the rebate dont expire til 3/21/2011, for over a year, thats sweet!! im prolly going to buy one a month. Mainly for the 3" pads.

I meant the 3" buff pads, not the sandpaper. my bad.

i plan on ordering the sandpaper in bulk. i want the orange pads in bulk too, lol.

I tore the pad that came with the kit when I hit an aligment tab on the light, so I used the 4" spot buffs that I got from AG. Both of these type pads work great w/ the adapter that comes with the kit:dblthumb2:

I really liked these pads and there cheap (better than the one that came with the kit)
http://www.autogeek.net/lake-counrty-pads-4-inch.html

But I also tried these and they worked well also...
http://www.autogeek.net/4inch-spot-buffs.html

 

[ICEMAN]

Thaks Christian. I did both headlights in a little over an hour.





I tore the pad that came with the kit when I hit an aligment tab on the light, so I used the 4" spot buffs that I got from AG. Both of these type pads work great w/ the adapter that comes with the kit:dblthumb2:

I really liked these pads and there cheap (better than the one that came with the kit)
http://www.autogeek.net/lake-counrty-pads-4-inch.html

But I also tried these and they worked well also...
[URL="http://www.autogeek.net/4inch-spot-buffs.html"]http://www.autogeek.net/4inch-spot-buffs.html[/URL]

awesome thanks for the info. i would rather buy from autogeek anyways!! im going make a nice lil order of these and some more sandpaper here soon!

i ripped a few of mine from the headlight kits!

 

[CEE DOG]

Excellent work Tad! Thanks for the info. I have been looking for info on these 2 types of products from somebody that I could really trust!
My next purchase will include these items. I love Optimum products and have been curious about that metal polish for SkyBaby's exhaust tips.

The 3M restor kit I hadn't heard a lot about and was a bit overwhelmed by all the conflicting info on these types of kits. This will do it for me. :dblthumb2: Keep us updated on how well they stay clear with the sealant.
Thanks again!

 

[CEE DOG]

Tad, I was just looking into that Klasse HG sealant you mentioned. Have you ever used that on paint? It makes some big promises. Scratch resistant? Let me know how it works out for the headlights as well as anything else you use it on. Thanks again!

 

[DARK HORSE]

Excellent work Tad! Thanks for the info. I have been looking for info on these 2 types of products from somebody that I could really trust!
My next purchase will include these items. I love Optimum products and have been curious about that metal polish for SkyBaby's exhaust tips.

The 3M restor kit I hadn't heard a lot about and was a bit overwhelmed by all the conflicting info on these types of kits. This will do it for me. :dblthumb2: Keep us updated on how well they stay clear with the sealant.
Thanks again!

Thank you for the kind words my friend...

Tad, I was just looking into that Klasse HG sealant you mentioned. Have you ever used that on paint? It makes some big promises. Scratch resistant? Let me know how it works out for the headlights as well as anything else you use it on. Thanks again!

I haven't used the Klasse HG on anything yet, except for these headlights and nerf bars. I am not sure if I will ever use it on paint or not, as my Pony only gets Souveran paste, and I have been using Collinite 845 on my pickups. I may however try it on one of the trucks and then top it w/ 845 just to see.

 

[ICEMAN]

just ordered 3 sets of 4" pads. 2 yellow, 2 orange, and 2 blue.

ive been using the 3" pads with this kit, but to save money ive been ordering sanding disks in bulk, and now these finally! cant wait to start saving more money!!!!

the orange pads just dont cut it sometimes, atleast the 3M ones, on bad swirls on cars, in small spots.