Headlight Restoration Problem

T

The Critic

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Hey guys,

I did a headlight restoration tonight. This is probably the second one that I have ever done. While the owner is very happy with the results, I am not.

After I was done, there was still a very faint haze that I can see under bright overhead florescent lights. I am not sure if the haze can be seen in daylight.

Here was my process. I started with the 3M headlight kit, but I ultimately went to hand-sanding using Meguiars Unigrit sandpaper.

L/F Headlight:
- Dry sand with 3M 500 grit disc w/drill
- Dry sand with 3M 800 grit disc w/drill
- Wet sand with Meg 1500 unigrit by hand
- Compound with rotary, LC purple foam wool and Meguiars M105
- Found traces of 800 grit marks and pigtails…so wet sanded with Meg 1000 unigrit by hand
- Wet sand with Meg 1500 unigrit by hand
- Compound with rotary, LC purple foam wool and Meguiars M105
- Compound with rotary, B&S orange cutting foam pad and Menzerna FG400
- Final polish with Flex 3401, B&S green polishing pad and Sonax Perfect Finish

R/F Headlight:
- Wet sand with Meg 1500 unigrit by hand
- Compound with rotary, LC purple foam wool and Meguiars M105
- Compound with rotary, B&S orange cutting foam pad and Menzerna FG400
- Final polish with Flex 3401, B&S green polishing pad and Sonax Perfect Finish

The L/F headlight turned out a hair clearer than the R/F. However, both of them still have a very faint haze -- they're definitely not as clear as brand-new OE headlights.

Any ideas as to what the issue may be? I do not see any sanding pigtails or sanding marks. Perhaps plastic without a clear coat, is supposed to have a very small amount of haze?

Thanks.
 
the headlights i do that require more aggressive sanding tend to look "hazier" than when i use something like 1500 or no sanding at all. so yeah, i think you're right about the clear coat thing
 
I've only done once so cant help but ive got some q's. How long do you sand each grit for?
 
I was noting something somewhat similar on a headlight resto I did a couple days ago.

I was wondering, is it also possible that the inside of the housing starts going bad also? That no matter how much perfecting you try to do on the outside of the housing, that one will never eliminate such damage?
 
I tried a headlight lens restoration on a SAAB but the lenses were degraded to the point they needed to be replaced. I used 500/800/1500/3000 grit sandpapers and polished with Symtech Bright Solutions system but to no avail. They were marginally improved but I could not make them clear again. I usually get very good results with the Symtech system but not this time.

Did you finish with a UV protectant? If not, the lenses will degrade in a few weeks, especially if you're in a sunny area like SW US.
 
500 grit! wow. Do you have any pictures? You probably know this but you need to be careful using a heavy grit sandpaper because you are removing the thin UV coating on the headlight. I usually stick with 1,000 grit sandpaper.

It's possible that the haze you're seeing is on the inside of the headlight.
 
tcrummitt87 said:
500 grit! wow. Do you have any pictures? You probably know this but you need to be careful using a heavy grit sandpaper because you are removing the thin UV coating on the headlight. I usually stick with 1,000 grit sandpaper.

It's possible that the haze you're seeing is on the inside of the headlight.
Click to expand...

500 grit was included in the 3M kit, but looking back, it was completely unnecessary in this situation and added a ton of extra work.

1500 grit cut through all of the nastiness w/ease on the other headlamp.

FivePoint.0 said:
Detailers headlight polish. Done.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

That was an option that I contemplated for about 5 seconds during my last order…

Is that stuff any different than throwing some "rocks in a bottle" onto a wool pad?

Anyway, I'll be sealing the lamps with Opti-Lens on Monday. I could not do it last night since the car had to be washed and driven immediately afterwards. I will get some pictures on Mon. I think you guys are right about the haze on the inside.
 
Hazing on the inside is a problem I am facing with my car. Somehow they became unsealed and have let moisture in. Thinking about baking the headlight to separate it, then powerball the inside of the lens and reseal the light with.... Something other than hopes and dreams. Not sure what I will use... hahah. Or just buy new headlights and get clear corners with the switchback LED signals.
 
tcrummitt87 said:
500 grit! wow. Do you have any pictures? You probably know this but you need to be careful using a heavy grit sandpaper because you are removing the thin UV coating on the headlight. I usually stick with 1,000 grit sandpaper.

It's possible that the haze you're seeing is on the inside of the headlight.
Click to expand...

500 grit was about the paper I needed when doing these headlight housings on a friend's Cadillac CTS two days ago. They were horrible.

But nope, didn't have any along, coarsest paper I had was 1000, so I rubbed and rubbed and rubbed till my hands literally ached. Took a long time to not only remove the haze damage, but what was more difficult was one Light which was evidently restored at some past point, and coated with God knows what?

I think when the Housings get to this degree of dilapidation, it's probably safe to say that basically all remnants of any factory UV protective coating on the Housings are gone.
Mark
 
Here are pictures of the headlights in question. Note the very slight haze.
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The headlights are not being restored properly in the first place. They need to be sanded and then clear coat needs to be applied over the headlights to resurface them. Not only will this process give the most clarity, but it will last the longest too.
 
I was also informed that due to the heat from some Bulbs in the headlight housing that the inside of the plastic tends to also haze and discolor. Nothing can be done about that unless taken apart and refinished from the inside. Which at that point simply buy new ones.
Has anyone noticed that also?
 
I used WDGS to coat my headlights. Has anyone else used this?

Sent from my SPH-L720 using AG Online
 
Earlier today, I helped someone polish out their headlights. They had sanded with 1000, 2000 and 3000 grit. This time, I used a similar process -- M105 w/wool, M105 w/B&S Orange, Sonax Perfect Finish w/B&S Green.

With these steps, there was zero haze. So, I think I need to sand to 3000 grit next time.
 
I did these with Megs Ultimate Compound using a GG6 and Lake Country Yellow CCS Pad. Followed up with Ultimate Polish on a CCS Black Pad. They came out pretty good for a two step, and no sanding. There were some small pits that I know would have come out with the sanding regiment. The results were pretty good though.

_DSC0203_zps89ce5eca.jpg


_DSC0211_zpsebda29b1.jpg
 
I start our with nothing lower than 800 grit and finish with 3000 unigrit.
So 800, 1000, 1500, 2000 and 3000.

I've noticed that when having to use 800 I get a slight haze as well, not so if I start with 1500.
I only sand wet, never dry.
 
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