Headlight restoration????? :(

regular polish and wax work for me

 

Scooby,
I agree. Any "kit" is not doing permanent restoration it is only delaying the inevitable

Learn to Love this A$$

 

I must know who that is first What is this thread about again?

 

Something to consider (although should be left to the professional detailer) is Opti-coat





Details:
I haven't used it yet as I have glass lights (02 4runner) but as soon as I get my Taco this will be the first ting I do

 

huh? you guys were saying?

 

No matter how long you stare she won't turn around

 

^^^ damnit! I'll keep watching just in case

 

I did the 3M kit today and i was very happy with the way it turned out

 

No amount of restoration will fix these lights permanently. I went full bore with 8 layers of uv protectant clearcoat after wetsanding them and 6 months later they were yellow again. Just buy new housings and if you need good light output get retrofits or OEM housings - I just wanted them to look good and live where streets are well lit so I bought cheap ebay lights. They look great. They scatter light randomly, but I had LED fogs pointed up like headlights for offroading and out in the boonies with no oncoming traffic.

 

The polish / wool pad / rotary buffer method is still working great for me. It lasts about 3 years on my truck and about 1.5 years on my wife's Honda. Both cars are garaged. Her lenses are not as vertical as mine and I think that's why they haze up sooner.

It's less work than washing a car so the fact that it doesn't last that long doesn't bother me.

 

I use this professionally and its AMAZING!!! I can get 3 cars out of a kit and at $79.95 a car that's big money for 10 mins of work! but you can only buy cases. I buy 2 cases at a time and they give me the U.V. light drying\curing wand for free.
http://solidstart.biz/images/produc...01/T601-Solid_Sheet_Headlight_Restoration.pdf
Just amazing stuff right here!

 

I have had very yellow and hazy lights. My technique always works. Sand them down then hit it with a very fine sandpaper. I wetsand at that point. Then wash and clean them. Then hit them with clear coat and they will look like new

 

OK what grit sandpaper are you guys using.

 

Follow this minus the tint. I can guarantee you unless you park in the shade that any resto will last 4 months tops before they start to look the same. This is thorough and the way you want to do it though:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-tinting-tail-lights-the-right-way-pics.84694/

 

I use 1500 only because that's what I have laying around. I've used as low as 600 but that requires more buffer work.

I recommend 1000 - 2000 unless the lenses are REALLY trashed and you're pretty good with a rotary buffer.

YMMV

 

Yeah that's got to be my next project
Can't take it anymore
My truck is black I may have to do the black out on the back

 

Has anyone gone to the effort of restoring the inside of the headlight lens? I haven't pulled off my lenses to check the inner surface quality, but I can only imagine that they could use a good cleaning and refinishing after 18 years....

A while ago, I cleaned up the outside of mine with some toothpaste, a microfiber cloth, and elbow grease and it looked great for a while until they started to fog up again. After reading this thread, it seems that I should really just spend the money on a quality restoration kit which will seal the fronts of the lenses from the elements so that they stay clear.

 

Just did mine again using the same method last month.

 

If the lenses are well-sealed, I wouldn’t imagine you would get much contamination / dirt on the inside. I could be wrong though.