Headlight sealant: spar urethane vs. opti coat 2.0

Part-timer said:
I wouldn't use ANY type of polish,......compound?, yes.....polish?...no,
Click to expand...

sorry,...
do you say Meg's Ultimate Compound
41VXyOS3SuL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

would be better then
41FKlzSYeuL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
 
Home Depot, Lowes, etc. The whole idea is to remove any trace of moisture. The higher the percentage of alcohol, the more moisture it will capture.

Shouldn't cost more than $15/gallon, and a gallon will last a long time.
ray6
 
Last edited:
Denatured alcohol generally has NO water but the denaturants MIGHT etch the headlight plastic, since there is no standard formula and different makers may use different solvents as denaturants to be mixed in.

92% isopropyl alcohol is 8% water.
 
mhphoto said:
Any update on this? Really excited about it.
Click to expand...

I got my hands on some and have been using it for a few weeks. So far, it's holding up very nicely. :props: For best results, you need to get the lens fully refinished, including a compounding step, prior to applying the coating. It's not going to fill/hide sanding sins like minwax. But it does leave a nice flat natural look, without streaks of a thick coating or pattern of a spray coating. It may not have the same gloss of some other coatings, but the bottom line is that it looks good, period. If it proves to be a "permanent" coating.... still looks great after a year and continues to hold up pretty decent for another year or more, we have a winnner. :dblthumb2:
 
i love the spar mix method but i was wondering if anyone has tinted/colored the spar urethane mixture. i think you can use Artists Oil Colors but I don't know how much i would put in the mix. i would like to maybe try to add some black to give a slight smoked look. on some cars it seems too shiny.
 
hey guys one question (sorry i've noticed nobody has posted on here in a while) what are some things i should tell my customers not to do after applying the spar urethane method. (btw i used a 70/30 on my headlights when i first tried restoring them) and that was months ago and still holding on. but i barely wash the car and never took it through a car wash.

so could anyone here be able to help me out?

should you not take your car through a car wash?

anything else that customers should know?
 
My .02 is to find a different coating. Seriously, if you are going put in the time and effort to do a job, and charge people good money.... it's not that much to add a better coating to the process.

Besides spar varnish, some of the coatings I have used... UV cure spray coating, 2 part mix wipe on coating, and the new headlight coating from optimum. IMO, spar varnish is worse than just doing a sand and buff job. At least that is a quick polish to make it shine again when it goes dull and you don't leave the car in worse condition than when you started.
 
well for my own use should i be aware of anything that will remove the coating? how should clean it if dirty? or before adding a 2nd coat?? i need to redo my driver side headlight since i was trying something new and i messed up BIG time. thanks
 
For your own car, I would say take time going through sanding and polishing process to bring the lens back to a good finish and then maintain it with regular application of a wax/sealant with uv inhibitors, and at any point you could decide to use a more permanent coating.

Or you can wipe on minwax and cross your fingers
 
Or you can wipe on minwax and cross your fingers

^^ haha yes o well i havent had any issues w it.
 
mr.fusion said:
I got my hands on some and have been using it for a few weeks. So far, it's holding up very nicely. :props: For best results, you need to get the lens fully refinished, including a compounding step, prior to applying the coating. It's not going to fill/hide sanding sins like minwax. But it does leave a nice flat natural look, without streaks of a thick coating or pattern of a spray coating. It may not have the same gloss of some other coatings, but the bottom line is that it looks good, period. If it proves to be a "permanent" coating.... still looks great after a year and continues to hold up pretty decent for another year or more, we have a winnner. :dblthumb2:
Click to expand...


Where/how can I get MY hands on some of this?
 
You might contact the AGO guys or Optimum direct to see what the status is. It was due to be released this month.
 
Would it be advisable to put on a sealant after the spar/min method?
 
ray6 said:
Assuming all the original coating was removed when you restored, when you see heavier deterioration at the top, it's probably be due to that surface receiving more UV than the rest of the headlight. If you wait long enough, the entire headlight will cloud starting from the top and working down.

We use a polyurethane coating, not minwax/MS but probably similar. However, our coating is much thicker than a 50/50 mix. The thicker the coating, the longer the lifetime, but the more difficult it is to apply.

We now only use poly for low end restores (fleets, buy here-pay here, etc.) but we are guaranteeing for 1 year. Few callbacks, but some, especially PT Cruisers because of their horizontal surfaces. They get hammered with UV.

You might try the following to get better lifetime:

Don't sand any finer than 1500 grit. The rougher the surface, the more surface area to stick to.

Make sure surface is spotless before applying poly. We scrub twice with blue lint free scott towel and Propanol. Don't use any alcohol with water in it like rubbing alcohol.

Make sure the cup you mix in isn't coated with wax, like a paper cup from McSonald's. HDPE or PET is best.

You want as heavy a coat as you can apply, Not familiar with Minwax, but would start ay 100% if possible. A heavier coat is thicker and dries slower, giving you time to work the coating. We apply with closed foam applicators wiping on with horizontal strokes, followed by wiping vertically. This smooths out the coating and gives you a uniform thickness. This should last longer. If you're charging money for your restores, I would try using a better coating like 2K LPE. This is what we use on most restores and warrant for 2 years (with 2 coats). The actual cost per headlight (2 coats) is less than a dollar. Poly is probably a quarter, Not worth the risk.

ray6
Click to expand...

What's 2K LPE?
 
Is there any possibility that we can get the images reuploaded or something? I'm really curious to see the photos but none of them are working for me?

-Elijah
 
BeachZone said:
Is there any possibility that we can get the images reuploaded or something? I'm really curious to see the photos but none of them are working for me?

-Elijah
Click to expand...

Elijah, I don't have any comparisons between the two but here are a few using the spar method. 1 to 1 mixture. I used 2000/2500/3000 grit paper soaked in water. I could have worked them a little longer on the drivers side, but the results are still nice. Hope this helps a little to see the outcome. You can also look at this post for other images.

The first two are before anything was done. The third is after sanding and the rest are afters.

1.JPG

2.JPG

3.JPG

4.JPG

5.JPG

6.JPG


Hope this gives you some info.

- Don
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top