has anyone done headlight restoration ?

I put the clear corner lights on and as sick as they look my headlights which were hardly dull are looking quite shabby now. pretty sure I don't want to spend the money for new headlights so has any one tried the plastic wax or stuff they sell or should I get them prof. restored

 

I use scratch-x and a buffer, looks brand new.

 

If you have not already tried using a headlight restore product like 3m or whatever. Try using some mineral spirits.

 

Ive used the 3M headlight restoration kit and it worked great!

 

I've done mine twice now.

The 3M kit (or any for that matter with different levels of grit and a polish) will work great. The only issue is properly sealing them as the final step. The 3M kit does not come with a clear coat/sealer, so the first time I restored my headlights they eventually yellowed/hazed within months.

This past weekend I restored them again and sprayed on some Blue Magic headlight clear coat/sealer. Only time will tell if it works or not.

Scroll down to the end of this post for restoration #1:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1st-gen-builds/98326-madjik-mans-laugh-him-build.html#post1882210

Here's restoration #2:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1s...djik-mans-laugh-him-build-10.html#post5369127

 

I am a huge fan of the Mother's kit. I've done two different sets of headlights now and they turned out flawless! After the initial buffing you simply reapply the wax every month or so to keep it clear.

 

Yep. Used the 3M kit and recommend it to anyone who has the same issue. Madjik Man is correct, they need to be protected post-restoration. I used Meguiar's Headlight Protectant (

Meguiars Headlight Protectant 10 oz.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006MXD650/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00) and they look the same today as the day I performed the restoration nearly 6 months later.

Before and after pics:

 

I used the mothers kit and pretty damn easy.

 

I did this on my 2001...

1000 grit wet sand paper,descent amount of pressure, sand sand sand! I went until I was seeing yellow/white water running off the lights.
2000 grit wet sand paper, again sand sand sand!
clean with water and dry them, then I used Meguiar's "plastix" with a buffing wheel, the more you sand and buff the nicer they will be, i didnt think to seal mine up, so as the other guys stated I would do that as well.

 

So it looks like routine maintenance with keeping them waxed & cleared is every 2-3 months? I might try what rab89 ^ said since I have all that materials except plastix stuff.

 

Does anyone know where you can buy the drill wheel attachment to attach the sandpaper to? This makes sanding a dream as well as buffing.

 

This works great, but I got tired of doing it every 3-4months so I bought a brand new pair off of ebay for $50. It's cheap enough that if they haze up in a year or two, I can just replace them.

 

just did the mothers kit today, and they came out great!! they are looking almost new, so we'll see how long they last, but being i had the truck for 7 years and they were hardly dull, im hoping it will last more then a couple months

 

Honestly these kits are nice but i had some isoprop alcohol lying around and gave it a try. Worked pretty well actually

 

For the maintenance, any ole wax will do. Just keep on it as other have said, 2-3 months. Takes all of 3 minutes to apply.

 

A wool pad on a buffer with just about any polish will do the trick. I seal mine with the same wax I use on my paint. I do them every 3 years or so.

 

just used the meguirs kit on my car last weekend and it looks brand new