Meguiars Headlight Coating - innitial application results.

[Eldorado2k]

Ok I was able to try out the Meguiars Headlight Coating on a couple of sets I restored/cleaned up today. My main question was how well it would work when sprayed onto a smooth polished headlight, as opposed to following step 1 of the previously released kit which was released a couple years ago..

This is what the box looks like.

Meguiars Keep Clear Headlight Coating


Here's what I started with: 2006 VW Jetta.

After polishing with Mckee's AIO Headlight Restoring Polish using a 3.5" LC Gray Thinpro foam pad on the HF DA speed 6. 1 application/section pass.

It's currently on sale price + BOGO FREE

McKee's 37 All In One Headlight Restoring Polish, headlight restoration

After spraying 1 coat of the headlight coating. Very easy to apply and looks great.

Here's another set I did following the same steps. Very happy with the results. [note: they recommend 2 coats, but I only did 1 full coat]

Looks good, we'll see how long they stay clear... Label says 1 year.



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[spazzz]

Nice job.

How long does it take to dry?

How much over spray is involved?

 

[Eldorado2k]

Nice job.

How long does it take to dry?

How much over spray is involved?

Label says 3-5 min. and IME that's always been true..
Fully cured within 24hrs.
Not enough overspray for me to ever be overly carefull. I just let it rip, mostly concentrating on getting a good solid overlapping coat, working top to bottom.
[label does say to be careful about overspray though. Says if you get any overspray on the paint to immediately wipe off with a microfiber and some alcohol.


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[spazzz]

How much masking would be needed or are you saying the spray pattern is tight enough that you can deal with the paint after?

I have been eyeing this to try on headlights that Opti-lens doesn't fair well with.

 

[rlmccarty2000]

I'm hoping to get 1 year out of this product also. I hope Meguires tested this stuff out under harsh conditions (Florida sun) and we really get 1 year. I plan on doing 2 or more coats.

 

[Eldorado2k]

How much masking would be needed or are you saying the spray pattern is tight enough that you can deal with the paint after?

I have been eyeing this to try on headlights that Opti-lens doesn't fair well with.

I honestly couldn't see myself needing to do more than a couple of widths of 2" masking tape around the headlights + maybe laying a beach towel over the hood in the most extreme of careful situations.. Maybe if it was real windy out, but I used my 1st bottle on about a half dozen vehicles at least and I never felt like there was any critical danger. It does have a tight spray.

These are some old after shots from when I 1st bought the combo kit 2 yrs. ago. Notice I used 2 widths of tape and layed a microfiber on top of the paint. [these were like my 1st times using it. I'm not even all that careful anymore, you get the hang of it, just like applying a tire coating and not staining the wheels anymore.You could also just pop the hood.
I didn't use any tape or anything with the 2 sets I did today. No worries.

I'm hoping to get 1 year out of this product also. I hope Meguires tested this stuff out under harsh conditions (Florida sun) and we really get 1 year. I plan on doing 2 or more coats.

I'm nobody, but I wouldn't recommend going 3 coats. You'll see certain degradation in clarity if you do 3 coats. Try it.

2 coats will last a year, I've seen it.



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[Eldorado2k]

IME the biggest hurdle was seeing those dazzling results making it to the 2nd day... That's why I'm trying only 1 coat. The results you see on day 2 are pretty much set in stone for a ballpark year.. With gradual but apparent falloff after that mark.


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[Mad Wax]

That Mckees AIO looks like the real deal...I think with the BOGO I'll add this to my order.

 

[Eldorado2k]

That Mckees AIO looks like the real deal...I think with the BOGO I'll add this to my order.

Do it.


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[The Guz]

Nice review. I was satisfied with the performance of the headlight coating. On my brother's girlfriends truck it lasted a little over a year. They have started to yellow again. I only gave them 1 coat. I haven't seen my uncles truck in a few months and the coating looked to be doing ok. I have not seen the truck in 6 months so I am not sure if it is still on there. I applied it to my brothers car as well and his fell just shy of 1 year before they started to yellow again.

 

[AZpolisher15]

When this begins to degrade- what does it look like? For example, if you put it on a brand new set of lights, what would you see toward the end of its life (irregardless of when it occurs)?
Hazy? Foggy? Chipping? Just curious.

 

[The Guz]

Don't know about new lights but on restored lights it will start to yellow again. That is when it is time to re-do them.

 

[Tasmania]

There would be no need to apply to brand new headlights, I would use Wolfgang Plastic surface sealant.

To boost the UV clear coat and keep them fresh, lasts (up to) 1-3 months depending of your local weather and how
much you drive. etc,,

As for using this product it is just a solution fix- to already degrading UV clear coat.

=)

 

[Eldorado2k]

There would be no need to apply to brand new headlights, I would use Wolfgang Plastic surface sealant.

To boost the UV clear coat and keep them fresh, lasts (up to) 1-3 months depending of your local weather and how
much you drive. etc,,

As for using this product it is just a solution fix- to already degrading UV clear coat.

=)

Every 1-3 months eh? Do you know how easy it is to forget to do that? I'd say it's among the most forgotten of things to get around to doing. Lol.

And it's not a solution to already degrading UV coat, because at that point you'll have to polish it off before it can look new again to apply this new coat? This won't just band aid a nasty headlight in 1 step.


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[DogRescuer]

Nice sir. I haven't done 1 set of headlights in years for a customer, I just CAN NOT get people to understand the importance of clear lights.
When I do mine I will be using OPTILENS and for the price I hope like HECK it lasts longer than a year my goodness.

 

[DogRescuer]

Did you have to sand any of these lights?

 

[fightnews]

i only have plastx but my headlights are still in good shape. should i use an orange pad to polish it? then can i just use a regular sealant after? what do u recommend for something i can do today?

 

[Eldorado2k]

Nice sir. I haven't done 1 set of headlights in years for a customer, I just CAN NOT get people to understand the importance of clear lights.
When I do mine I will be using OPTILENS and for the price I hope like HECK it lasts longer than a year my goodness.

Thanks.

IME most women turn to puddy when you do this to their car. Lol.

The 1st thing this particular girl said [after wow] was "did you take before and after pictures"? I said, "of course"! Lol.

If you think people are stubborn, you could always mention that having yellow headlights could lead to a costly ticket. It's a violation/safety hazard in most states.

Did you have to sand any of these lights?

Nope. The 2 pics I posted where I taped off simply used the step 1 hand sanding in the previous kit, not sure if you'd call that real sanding in the traditional sense.

i only have plastx but my headlights are still in good shape. should i use an orange pad to polish it? then can i just use a regular sealant after? what do u recommend for something i can do today?

If your headlights are still in good shape you shouldn't be using any pad on them. PlastX by hand and that's only in the case something random needs cleaning/light polishing real quik. i.e. having to remove residue from Headlight Protectant like I once had to... But otherwise, you're fine with just sticking to regular sealant, that's what I'm sticking to on the Kia. Megs 365 Paint Protect every 2 months for me.


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[fightnews]

Thanks.

IME most women turn to puddy when you do this to their car. Lol.

The 1st thing this particular girl said [after wow] was "did you take before and after pictures"? I said, "of course"! Lol.

If you think people are stubborn, you could always mention that having yellow headlights could lead to a costly ticket. It's a violation/safety hazard in most states.






Nope. The 2 pics I posted where I taped off simply used the step 1 hand sanding in the previous kit, not sure if you'd call that real sanding in the traditional sense.

If your headlights are still in good shape you shouldn't be using any pad on them. PlastX by hand and that's only in the case something random needs cleaning/light polishing real quik. i.e. having to remove residue from Headlight Protectant like I once had to... But otherwise, you're fine with just sticking to regular sealant, that's what I'm sticking to on the Kia. Megs 365 Paint Protect every 2 months for me.


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oh ok nice thanks ill do it today when i do the tires, im doing the rims with fast finish so ill just use that

 

[Eldorado2k]

oh ok nice thanks ill do it today when i do the tires, im doing the rims with fast finish so ill just use that

Make sure Fast Finish is ok to use on clear plastic surfaces... I think I heard something about it not being recommended for anything but the paint. Keep off plastic trim or something, I'm not sure but you better check.


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