DIY: Polishing Headlights

[Nittanys1]

This DIY was done on a 1998 Subaru Outback Legacy Wagon 30th anniversary edition!


I had some extra time today after fishing so finally got around to polishing my dingy headlights on the wagon!

there are a few different ways you can go about doing this, here is how I did it!

I ran over to AutoZone and picked up Permatex's headlight repair kit. It came with
- sand paper
-1000 grit
-1500 grit
-2000 grit
-2500 grit
- plastic polish
- soft cloth
- gloves
- instructions

START: The lights looked a lot worse then the pic shows! They were yellowing and not letting a lot of light through!


1st I started by soaking the sandpaper in water to allow it to wet sand better. Then I cleaned the headlight and wet it down.



2nd: From there I took the first piece of sand paper (1000 grit) and proceeded to WET SAND the light in a left to right motion NOTE: DO NOT SAND IN CIRCULAR MOTIONS While at the same time making sure not to apply too much pressure and making sure to keep a good amount of water in between the light and the sand paper.



3rd: I took the next level of sand paper (1500) and proceeded to do the same process HOWEVER I sanded in an up and down motion.
Then to the next grit level of 2000 sand paper in the left to right direction.
Then the 2500 grit in a up and down direction.
Making sure to always keep the light wet and to wash the sand paper from time to time.

After 1500 grit


After 2000 grit



4th: After sanding with the 2500 grit paper I then dried off the light and all the area around the car that I had gotten wet.

After drying:



5th: Next I applied the plastic polish in CIRCULAR motions, letting it dry, then whipping it off with the clean part of the cloth supplied in the kit. I repeated this step several times

After 2 coats of polish



ALL FINISHED!!!


ONCE AGAIN THE BEFORE:


This was a very simple project and I am extremely happy with the results!


If your still are not sure on how to do this here is a little vid to help you out

http://www.permatex.com/videos/video_headlight_eng.html

[osnap]

wow, ive done this a few times before, but i had no idea they make an actual "kit" for it lol... nice job.

[Nittanys1]

yeah I thought of just getting all the parts for it but i was being lazy and just got the kit instead...

[osnap]

if you dont mind my asking, what did you pay for it?

[Nittanys1]

it was $16

[Sol-Badguy]

Not bad at all.

I didn't know there was a preassembled kit anywhere..

[X-Runner]

Also if you have a small 3" polisher it will get them looking even better.

[Nittanys1]

yeah i know, I took out my drill and put the little polish wheel that came with my dremel.

[AnthonyF]

very nice work. We do it the boot leg way, liquid rubbing compound and a buffer. But sometimes the headlights arent fogged, they are cracked so badly no light passes through.

-Ant.

[Nittanys1]

Thxs man..ohh and remember the talk about the suede we had? you should check out my new thread

http://www.importatlanta.com/forums/...1#post37153311

[SRCRX]

Nice, I have to do the same thing,thanks for the DIY thread!!

[Complete]

nice!

[RBS]

pretty good results, comes out close to how mines are and i use 3M super rubbing compound a highspeed buffer with foam pad

[9ussy]

how long would this last before it yellow again?

[Nittanys1]

they are still going strong almost two months later...

[Sammich]

get a buffer...that last step will make it pop..like new...or just never dull it..

[Nittanys1]

i did buff it...

[Seun]

Try toothpaste. Ive tried a few product and none of that crap works. Night and day difference using toothpaste.

[Nittanys1]

bump to be moved into the DIY section

[boostedb16]

i did mine this past weekend using 1000 grit wet/dry paper, 3M rubbing compound,high speed buffer w/foam pad, cleaner wax and the waxed them. looks almost new. i want to try tooth paste because i have heard that works the best.

[Nittanys1]

^its abrasive so it might work.

[DarKStaR]

Any certain brand of toothpaste?

[boostedb16]

Any certain brand of toothpaste?

x2

[SPOOLIN]

holy shit ill take my buffer and 5 minutes per headlight to that. lol, nice job though.

[TypeRPersonality]

I've read toothpaste is only recommended for glass.

After wetsanding and polishing my headlights for years, I got tired of it. If you hit it with polish regularly, it can stay looking great. But over time, it'll yellow again. The best option I found is to get someone to clear over the headlights. It makes it look brand new and is a much better alternative.

[hondachik]

Yeah I bought the kit for like $20 at Walmart. Only needed to use it on one headlight however. Came out awesome and it wasn't hard at all.

[speedminded]

If you're starting out with 1000 then the headlight isn't too bad to begin with

Headlight Lens Restoration:
I usually begin with a good cleaning using warm soapy water then go over it with a water soaked 800 grit or even 600 depending how pitted and nasty the lens is. (Depending on the car you may want to use painters tape around the headlight lens first to prevent damaging the paint or headlight surround.)

Follow that with wet sanding using 1000, 1200, and 1500+...or whatever is available at the moment. Wet sanding lubricates and allows the sandpaper to last longer.

From there a consumer grade rubbing compound and polish then wax works fine, just as you would a normal paint job, and it will be like new.


Maintenance:
It should stay crystal clear for months but if you maintain it the same as the paint with regular washing, polish, & wax then it should not ever get cloudy.


Quickie/Light Restoration:
A quick solution for lightly oxidized or cloudy lenses is to use metal polish, I've used blue magic metal polish cream on plastic for years.

http://bluemagicusa.com/index.php/bl...c/category/18/

1) Works better than plastic polish 2) It's cheaper 3) Some variety's have a silicone sealant in it that works as a wax

Apply with a microfiber or polish applicator pad, clean, then wax.

[SPOOLIN]

have them clear coated, thats how they are from the oem.

[speedminded]

have them clear coated, thats how they are from the oem.

It's a UV coating that lasts a couple years depending on how much exposure the lens gets.

I highly doubt it was ever sprayed on from the factory, it's questionable on 3000GT's and a few other because of the way it seemed to flake off after several years though.

You can't polish something to a brilliant shine then expect a clear coat to stick to it, even when using an adhesion promoter.

I'm positive for 99/100 cars the UV protective coating is actually the first layer in the mold process when the lens is poured.

A professional clear coat would be a temp fix for $100 or so but if you're polishing and waxing your car on a regular basis anyways what's an extra square foot or two of elbow grease going to hurt? Save the cash & buy some gas.

[iEvo]

looks good, i need to do the same thing to the g/f's car

[iEvo]

It's a UV coating that lasts a couple years depending on how much exposure the lens gets.

I highly doubt it was ever sprayed on from the factory, it's questionable on 3000GT's and a few other because of the way it seemed to flake off after several years though.

You can't polish something to a brilliant shine then expect a clear coat to stick to it, even when using an adhesion promoter.

I'm positive for 99/100 cars the UV protective coating is actually the first layer in the mold process when the lens is poured.

A professional clear coat would be a temp fix for $100 or so but if you're polishing and waxing your car on a regular basis anyways what's an extra square foot or two of elbow grease going to hurt? Save the cash & buy some gas.

they have a new product out which is a clear coat with a UV protectant in it which the public can buy. iv seen it done and it comes out pretty good

[eYezs1ck]

Try toothpaste. Ive tried a few product and none of that crap works. Night and day difference using toothpaste.

how long do you leave the toothpaste on there before wiping?

[speedminded]

they have a new product out which is a clear coat with a UV protectant in it which the public can buy. iv seen it done and it comes out pretty good

It's still only going to last a couple years until you'll have to wet sand and reapply.

how long do you leave the toothpaste on there before wiping?

lol! Polish doesn't work that way, it's the abrasives that remove the scratches not the chemicals in it. Toothpaste is an abrasive, you put it on with a microfiber or applicator pad in a circular motion then wipe it off with a clean microfiber. You can remove scratches on CD's with toothpaste like that.

[Nittanys1]

yup yup! its not like wax....

[Seun]

how long do you leave the toothpaste on there before wiping?

5min and just wash it off with a wet rag. colgate total

[Kevykev]

There are many ways to do it, as you guys can see.

Never tried toothpaste though!

[Kevykev]

If you're starting out with 1000 then the headlight isn't too bad to begin with

I've read the FAQs you can start with 2000 if you want, you'll just be sanding longer LOL

I start with 1000, if you over-apply pressure in the 600 process your cleanup can be more challenging.

I did 2 of my cars that were for sale and the new owners made comments on them w/o me even stating that they were refinished. I did my neighbors Jeep - she now wants to have an affair.... j/k j/k

[Nittanys1]

^ lol

[speedminded]

I've read the FAQs you can start with 2000 if you want, you'll just be sanding longer LOL

I start with 1000, if you over-apply pressure in the 600 process your cleanup can be more challenging.

I did 2 of my cars that were for sale and the new owners made comments on them w/o me even stating that they were refinished. I did my neighbors Jeep - she now wants to have an affair.... j/k j/k

lol! I just did a Celica that looked identical to the Jetta. She kept saying she was dreading having to buy new headlights, I assumed she meant they were cracked and full of moisture. Then I saw the car. A trip to the parts store and less than an hour later they were both crystal clear!

[Nittanys1]

^note that he had already started sanding the one headlight when he took that pic.