Thanks
"Murph"
Having been restoring headlights for about four years, I would like to share some things I've learned so you don't make the same mistakes I did.
There's no easy answer to most of the questions I see posted on this forum, such as; what's the best coating, procedure, sander,etc. There are too many variables involved. Take for example the common question "how long will the coating last?"
It depends on two things; the quality of the new coating (and how well it sticks) and the environmental situation of the restored headlight. For example, Chrysler P.T. Cruisers (also Ford, Mercury 90-96). These headlights have a high exposure angle (more horizontal) so they get far more UV exposure than most others. Other variables are how much time do they spend in the sun? Parked north or south? Garaged? Florida? Oregon?
I would guess a P.T. Cruiser coating would fail twice as fast as a more vertical headlight with all other factors being equal.
Another factor is the customer's expectations. I do a "commercial" restoration aimed at low end car lots, fleet vehicles, fixit tickest, etc. It takes about 10 minutes per car and requires no sanding. It's warranted for 6 months to one year depending on the coating used.
At the other extreme is when a high end detailer or body shop wants a "good as new" restoration. This might take over an hour to perform, but would be warranted for 3 years without maintenance. Then there's everything in between.
Bottom line to be successful in headlight restoration is to be flexible to meet any customer's needs. I use 4 different coatings, depending on the customer's expectations and pocketbook. Warranties run from none to 3 years.
Commercial restorations can be done for $20 per vehicle in less than 10 minutes and I can still net over $100 per hour. A high end resto might get you $120/ but after you subtract materials and time you might make $60/hour.
I don't dislike advertising, but I never had mush success with it. Probably 90% of my business is by referrals from previous customers and dealers.
Tools and materials
Don't skimp. Use the best you can afford. Don't use battery operated anything if you're going to be a pro. You'll spend too much time changing and charging batteries. If you must, make sure you can recharge a battery from your car or truck. Drills are difficult to control and can leave swirls and they get hot. With a good D/A 110 volt sander/polisher (Metabo or Groit's) you can work all day on an extension cord or 400 watt inverter and they won't get hot or require switching batteries. They are light and easy to control. With a little practice, you don't need to mask.
Many restorations don't require any sanding at all, or if they do, it's very little and can be easily sanded by hand.
Coatings
Don't warrant any coating (when being paid) if you don't know how long it will last. The last thing you want is warranty failures especially from retail customers or your best dealers.
There are dozens of coatings available, from synthetic wax, polyurethane (Minwax, etc.) all the way to original faxctory coating used by the original headlight manufacturer.
Since your business future may depend a great deal on your warranty and coating performance, choose wisely. Many products claim they're the best or permanent, but don't back it up with data. We have tested all our products by using a sun simulator (a glorified sunlamp) that puts out 10X sunlight so 3 days equals 1 month exposure so we know what to expect.
I see many products that are big on claims, but short on data. This is not rocket science. Expose it to the sun and see how long it lasts. I have to believe the manufacturers have tested their products, so why not share?
To meet U.S. ANSI safety standards, OEM headlight manufacturers must beet a long list of requirements to legally use inU.S. bound cars. One of these is nicknamed the 3 year Florida test. The coating must not degrade significantly within 36 months of ecposure. The testing is quite involved, and the coatings the O.E.M.s use to coat headlights can cost around $900 a gallon! Yet, many companies tell you a simple polish or wax will replace this protective coat.
If a customer were to re-apply some form of protective coating after every car wash or every 2 months, their headlights would last for years.
My advice is to avoid any unproven product and use the good stuff.
Good stuff means a coating where the molecules are hooked together (cross-linked). As far as I know, all cross linked coatings share similar traits:
They require energy to cross link; chemical, heat or UV which areall really the same. Cross linking is usually accomplished by applying heat at a molecular level. The molecules become agitated and drop into links. Chemical cure causes a chemical induced heat. UV light is absorbed by the coating atoms and converts to heat.
They're expensive, but as an example we use a 2K waterborne linear polyethylene that costs around $15/ ounce, but the cost per headlight is about 75 cents. Some so-called miracle coatings can cost you $3-10/headlight. There goes your profit.
They're sensitive to light, heat, lifetime, pot life, etc.
Some require special equipment such as spray gun, UV lamps, masking, etc.
I still use one of these coatings, but only for high end restorations that sell for over $100.
So, to summarize:
Do your research, but deal in fact not hype.
Practice, practice, practice.
Headlight restoration is a business. You need both art and business sense. Neither one will make you successful by itself.
Be legal; business license, liability insurance, etc.
Learn how to sell to govenrments. City, county, state, etc. Hugh market potential.
Be professional in everything the customer sees.
Determine pricing models on 4 things:
What does it cost you to do a resto (materials, time, drive time, etc.)
What are your customer's expectations
What do you need to offer to put you above the competition
What salary do you need to make
I hope this will help you get started on the right foot and avoid many of the mistakes I made.
P.S.- I don't think any of the products I use are sold by AG, so I can't post them.
ray6
