Critical Details: Honda Civic - Headlight Restoration

theblob640 said:
I don't think so, I have corrected them before with good results, but when I sanded it this time, and hit it with M105, it was still hazy. I will post some pictures when I get home to show you the results and the achievement I had before. If you don't mind, can I PM you when I post it? I'm sure your answer will help a lot other too as this video did.
Click to expand...

Feel free to PM me anytime. I would be glad to offer my opinion as to the possible causes of the headlight issue that you are experiencing.
 
Great job, man. I love crystal clear headlamps. Soon I'll probably be coating my 2013 Scion tC's paint with OC 2.0, which states it can be applied to headlamps, it'll be awesome. I hate it when headlights start oxidizing. The permanent coating will be great for that.
 
TH3M B0N3Z said:
Great job, man. I love crystal clear headlamps. Soon I'll probably be coating my 2013 Scion tC's paint with OC 2.0, which states it can be applied to headlamps, it'll be awesome. I hate it when headlights start oxidizing. The permanent coating will be great for that.
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Opti-Coat does a pretty good job at protecting the headlights. I recently switched from Opti-Coat to Opti-Lens when coating headlights. Opti-Lens supposedly offers better UV protection and is designed specifically for headlights.

Oxidized headlights stick out like a sore thumb on a clean vehicle.
 
So here are the set of headlights I was talking about earlier, now with pictures.
This is what it was when I was trying two different ways of restoring them a while ago.
Left: 1000 grit, 3000 grit, orange pad m105, white pad m205
Right: 1000 grit, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, orange pad m105, white pad m205
headlights.jpg



This was done yesterday (same car) but this time I used
1000 grit, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, orange pad m105, white pad m205
Opti-CoatRightLens20130714.jpg


This one was the same exact process as the above.
Opti-CoatLeftLens20130714.jpg


The passenger side lens seems a lot clearer the first time I did it. Now it looks hazy/foggy. Why is that? The driver side isn't crystal clear but I found out this model had some kind of bluish/greenish tint to the lens from factory but I am more than happy with the result of the driver side, not the passenger. I corrected it again yesterday because it was starting to yellow on me again and I guess I am OCD like that starting with 1000 grit, I know I could've gotten away with 2500 start.
 
theblob640 said:
So here are the set of headlights I was talking about earlier, now with pictures.
This is what it was when I was trying two different ways of restoring them a while ago.
Left: 1000 grit, 3000 grit, orange pad m105, white pad m205
Right: 1000 grit, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, orange pad m105, white pad m205
headlights.jpg



This was done yesterday (same car) but this time I used
1000 grit, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, orange pad m105, white pad m205
Opti-CoatRightLens20130714.jpg


This one was the same exact process as the above.
Opti-CoatLeftLens20130714.jpg


The passenger side lens seems a lot clearer the first time I did it. Now it looks hazy/foggy. Why is that? The driver side isn't crystal clear but I found out this model had some kind of bluish/greenish tint to the lens from factory but I am more than happy with the result of the driver side, not the passenger. I corrected it again yesterday because it was starting to yellow on me again and I guess I am OCD like that starting with 1000 grit, I know I could've gotten away with 2500 start.
Click to expand...


I see what you mean about the passenger side headlight being cloudy. Is it possible that the reflector part of the headlight is faded? The reflectors of the driver side headlight look shinier for some reason.

It is hard to tell without seeing the headlights in person. If the inside of the headlights are in the same condition you could try Opti-Lens as a last resort. What are you applying after you are finished restoring the headlights?
 
CriticalDetails said:
I see what you mean about the passenger side headlight being cloudy. Is it possible that the reflector part of the headlight is faded? The reflectors of the driver side headlight look shinier for some reason.

It is hard to tell without seeing the headlights in person. If the inside of the headlights are in the same condition you could try Opti-Lens as a last resort. What are you applying after you are finished restoring the headlights?
Click to expand...

The pictures you see are coated with Opti-Lens. The first picture, I didn't coat it after I was done, that's why I had to redo them again yesterday. But as you can see from the first time I did it, I got a lot more clarity then what I did yesterday for the passenger side.
 
theblob640 said:
The pictures you see are coated with Opti-Lens. The first picture, I didn't coat it after I was done, that's why I had to redo them again yesterday. But as you can see from the first time I did it, I got a lot more clarity then what I did yesterday for the passenger side.
Click to expand...

I find that Opti-Lens will add a bit of clarity to the headlights lens after application. This might be one of those vehicle imperfections that you have to live with or buy a replacement headlight.
 
Yea, unfortunately I think that will be the case for me and I will just have to suck it up and just live with it. One more question for you if you don't mind. Is it bad to keep correcting a set of lens? I think I might try to tackle it just one more time just to give me some closure. I'm sure wet sanding will remove the opti-lens that is already applied. Thanks for your help and input.
 
theblob640 said:
Yea, unfortunately I think that will be the case for me and I will just have to suck it up and just live with it. One more question for you if you don't mind. Is it bad to keep correcting a set of lens? I think I might try to tackle it just one more time just to give me some closure. I'm sure wet sanding will remove the opti-lens that is already applied. Thanks for your help and input.
Click to expand...

You're welcome. I am not sure how many times you can restore a set of headlights and I would be interested to know myself.

I have wet sanded one of my family members vehicle twice and compounded/polished once since new. I plan on wet sanding them again soon because the last time that I did Opti-Lens was not on the market. I would imagine that you can wet sand headlights quite a few times since there isn't a finite layer of clear coat like a vehicle's paint.
 
Good job my friend. Please tell me where you get the sanding discs for the PC. I'm sick of sanding by hand lol!


-Beach
 
what do you guys suggest as far as minimum grit for headlights?
I plan on buying the following, is 500, 1000, 1500, 3000 enough to handle basically all jobs?
 
I have only done a few headlights, but I imagine the least abrasive/aggressive method applies to headlights as well.

Try 1000 then followed by finer sand paper (whether it be wet or damp sand)

1000 can take off a nice amount. Test that out and see if your happy with the results after polishing off the wet sand.

What I am trying to say is I recommend a Test Spot before jumping all the way to full correction.
 
I have only done a few headlights, but I imagine the least abrasive/aggressive method applies to headlights as well.

Try 1000 then followed by finer sand paper (whether it be wet or damp sand)

1000 can take off a nice amount. Test that out and see if your happy with the results after polishing off the wet sand.

What I am trying to say is I recommend a Test Spot before jumping all the way to full correction.

Edit: this was meant for Father87

(Sorry for the double post, I am using my phone)
 
Father87 said:
what do you guys suggest as far as minimum grit for headlights?
I plan on buying the following, is 500, 1000, 1500, 3000 enough to handle basically all jobs?
Click to expand...

I would add 800 grit sanding discs as well. I use 800 grit on 90% of the headlight restorations that I perform. The 500 grit paper is reserved for severely oxidized headlights. Also the 1000 grit discs may be too fine to follow up the 500 grit which is why I recommended the 800 grit.
 
I've been following the same process for the last 5-6 sets I've done lately. I was tired of doing it by hand so I decided to purchase a bunch of 3" sanding discs along with a 3" bp.

The only issue I have is that I've been getting a LOT of pig tails. Tried going over the light several times with 800-100-1500-2000 & finally 3000 but still had pig tails. I must say that the ones I've been doing are SEVERELY damaged not as good as the one you posted.

Still trying to figure out what the problem is... Hopefully someone can help me out!

2rxbe5d.jpg
 
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