Chev Aveo Headlight restoration - Autocare Services

[CARLIN]

Greetings fellow detailers...

Today i worked on a Chev Aveo.

Customer requested the headlights to be restored and laminexed.

Our starting point....

I spotted a few hints of clear coat failure Majority discolouration.

First up

The preparation process

using a mild Apc i cleaned the surface of bug guts and other foreign particles.

I then clayed the surface using optimum clay lube and sheild clay.

Now the surface is ready for sanding.

The Restoration process

I taped up the surrounding areas.

my sanding steps (3M Water paper)
P800
P1000
P1200
P1500
P2000
P3000 (trizact)

All by hand

Now its time for the fun part

Polishing..

My test spot

Machine - Shield da
Compound - Meguiars Ultimate Compound
Pad - 3M polishing pad.

I achieved the desired results so i continued to polish the rest of the headlight.

The protection plan

My customer requested for the headlights to be tinted with a light smoke effect.

The same process was carried out on the passenger headlight.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. Any questions or comments are welcomed.

Thank you guys.

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk

 

[Sharply Dressed]

Nice job. Never thought to clay but like it. How much time do you spend on average per sanding disc in the sanding phase?

 

[lane5515]

Good job! How did you achieve the smoke effect - what product and tools?

 

[BMW435]

Excellent job

 

[CARLIN]

Thank you brothers for the compliments.

@sharply dressed.
The sanding phase. Per grit i would say approximately 15 minutes each. I stop when i see all the sanding marks even in one direction. Then i move on to the next grit. I feel that by taking my time and trying to get it almost perfect in the sanding phase achieves better results and in some cases i dont have to compound and then refine. I can polish it out with one step.

@lane5515
To achieve the smoke look i covered the headlight with a "tint" we call it on our side of the world laminex. Imagine clear bra with a smoked effect.
Tools
diy heat gun
Tint applicator
Soapy solution to spray on the tint.