Restored Headlights?

[DogRescuer]

I restored Some lights on a costumers Escalade today they came out ok, perfect no 15yrs old yes. But my ? is why are there plastic nubs on the front of some lenses, what are their purpose. Well my steps were:

1. Clean with window cleaner
2. wet sand with 1500/followed by 2000
3. Compounded with a UC/105 mix and mf pad
4. polished with UP and mf pad
5. Sealed with Megs HL sealer
6. Customer very satisfied

 

[tnecniv]

They are there to help align the bulb so that it shines the light at the desired area.

 

[The Guz]

They are meant for alignment of the headlights with some special tool. I have seen people shave them.

 

[hernandez.art13]

I've been wondering about those little Madonna things when doing headlight restoration.

Do you just sand and buff around them?

 

[DogRescuer]

They are there to help align the bulb so that it shines the light at the desired area.

Thanks

They are meant for alignment of the headlights with some special tool. I have seen people shave them.

okay

I've been wondering about those little Madonna things when doing headlight restoration.

Do you just sand and buff around them?

Yes I just get as close as I can but the first time I came across them I ore up a new foam pad so be careful

 

[hernandez.art13]

^Gotcha and thanks

 

[Levithan9]

The plastic nubs are used to align the beam of the light.

I've been an automotive tech for 16 years, and the last time I saw such a machine was back in 1995 at a Ford dealership. You had a book that gave you the measurements for the height of the focusing mirror, then you had to move the car or truck to a certain distance from the aligner. Then, you would start adjusting the up/down position of the light bulb. Some of the better cars had left/right adjustments as well.

You can imagine how useful it was to a tech who gets paid flat rate. Almost everyone that I saw was a master of dust collecting.

On the newer car with accelerometers and motor driven housings that move with the steering wheel, these machines became a relic of the past. Nowadays, you plug in a scanner, and do a zero point calibration on the motor, and your all set.