Polished headlights due to fade

One of other vehicles is a 2004 Honda Pilot that we bought new. I ended up buying a polishing kit from Mothers and I have to say...impressive.

 

Night and Day

 

Now one without the auto filter on your phones camera! J/K ot looks like you did a good job and saved 200$ and having to take bunper off

 

Nice work!

 

Nice work As a retired auto detailer I can say headlight restorations were a descent money maker. $150 per set which usually took about an hour but considering the cost of new headlights people were more than happy to pay it.. Unfortunately any UV coating from the factory is gone from sanding and the headlight will need re-doing every year as the plastic continues to degrade. Again nice job OP now you'll be able to see down the road at night.

 

Auto filter???, no such thing...it's 800,1500 then 3000 grit power polish brother!, then used Mothers plastic polish and finished the job with some car wax...tomorrow I'll do another vehicle...a Toyota Yaris 2012...

 

Thanks, i was meaning to do this for quite some time and to be honest I was a bit nervous...but yes it took me and my almost 9 years old son about 45 minutes per light...now I'm comfortable enough to do another one of our cars...a 2012 Toyota Yaris. I did apply two coats of car wax...I'll have problem re-waxing yearly. Thank you again.

 

If you look closely around the green masking tape you can actually see the spatter from paste when i was using a variable speed drill...you missed that!

 

If you want to keep them looking great use a clear headlight uv protective spray. I did my lights 3 or so years ago and apply uv protectant twice a year. They still look like new. It calls for once a year but I apply it twice a year. Easy peasy

 

I did my 07 Tacoma about 5 years ago, then again earlier this spring. While I had everything out I also did the lights on our 09 Honda Fit. I don't think either of mine turned out that well, but you have to get pretty close to see any imperfections now.

 

This looks promising, it turned out pretty good. I'd rather not fork over the money for new headlights on a 15 year old truck, when I'm unsure of its future. I just need to get outside and use the polishing kit I bought a couple of months ago. I think its the Mothers kit.

 

I understand if you are selling the vehicle doing it this way. But if the plan is to keep the vehicle for a while, why not clear coat them? Then the fix is permanent and costs about $35-$40 for materials.

 

Headlights from my wife's Yaris I did last year and so far not much of a change. I used the Sylvania Kit from Amazon for $20. I really depends on where you live. This is the second time I did them, the first time was in Florida. Lasted perhaps 7 months or so. Now in North Carolina, we are 10 months in and still looking great.
The lights on my Tacoma did take a serious toll in Florida and are halfway faded. Thought about getting new ones but I think I will restore them and try that headlight UV protection on it. Where can I buy that?

 

It's really amazing how well those kits work - the only downside on my first gen Taco is that the headlights still have the 3 little nubs of plastic on them that protrude out, which really tear up the buffing pads if you're not careful. However, for $17 for the kit that lasts a year or more, it's a great fix!

 

So there is another way to do this..... You can sand down the nubs flush. Then.....

This is my process when restoring headlights.
-Remove the headlight from the vehicle. Not required, but it makes things much easier.
-Dry sand with 340 grit sand paper using a flexible sanding pad until there is no more OEM clear coat left, you can also use a drill mounted sanding disc but make sure to be careful. You will be able to tell it is gone pretty easily. Some are more difficult to do than others though.(

$10 Motor Guard - Soft Block Flexible Sanding Bl (SB-1)

https://www.amazon.com/Motor-Guard-...80579&sprefix=flexible+sanding,aps,248&sr=8-5)
-Wet sand with 340 grit. 32oz spray bottle with plain water with 1-2 drops of Dawn, more dawn is NOT better! The Dawn helps lubricate, lift debris and removes oils gently.
-Wet sand 600 grit until you have the deep sanding marks from the 340 no longer showing.
-Dry it off and inspect to ensure the deep marks are gone. Repeat above if needed.
-Wet sand 800 grit with the same technique as above. Do NOT sand to 1000 grit or finer. The clear coat bonds to the surface best when sanded at 800 grit, don't worry.....it still comes out crystal clear.
-Clean the lens with high percentage Isopropyl Alcohol or Automotive Wax and Grease remover.
-Prep an area for spraying the clear coat. It is HIGHLY recommended you wear a MASK (respirator if you have one) and be in a VERY WELL VENTILATED space!!! This stuff is potent, it is a 2 part automotive grade clear coat.
-Use ONLY Spraymax 2K Glamour or a 2 part clear coat from a local autobody supply store. Rustoleum 2X WILL NOT WORK, it will yellow over time.

$26 Spray max USC 2k High Gloss Clearcoat Aerosol

https://www.amazon.com/U-S-Chemical...words=spraymax+2k+clear&qid=1600180499&sr=8-5
-Mix the clear per instructions, you now have 24hrs to use this can. Use the whole per pair for the best result.
-Spray the first layer somewhat light and follow re-coat times per instructions. The first layer won't clear it up just yet, with the 2nd coat and further it will clear up perfectly!
-Don't worry about runs or orange peel. You can use some 1500-2000 grit sand paper to wet sand the surface and then polish with a drill polisher and the polish of your choice. I prefer Meguiars M110 & M105.
-Install your headlights and re-aim if needed.

Why do this instead of the "kits"? Because this is a PERMANENT FIX!! Lasting longer than new OEM housings. The "kits" will buy you a year or so depending on your conditions until you have to repeat the process. Even using a high quality Ceramic Coating or UV coatings they will fade again, maybe a year, maybe 2. But it will need re-accomplished. This process sounds lengthy, but it takes less than an hour to do the sanding and prep and over night to dry. In total you will spend maybe $50 to do this, less if you already have some of the supplies.

Here is a set I did on my in-laws G6 almost 3 years ago. The car is rarely washed, sees tons of gravel roads, interstate travel, winter road chemicals and is not garaged. The headlights are holding up great and is a testament to this process!

Before and After

 

Thanks for the detailed write up! I'll have to give this a shot... and I'm definitely sanding those nubs off!

 

Could I use that SprayMax 2k on headlights after I've cleaned them with a 3M kit to provide longer protection?

 

No, the surface needs to be sanded for proper adhesion since you cannot apply a primer. Thats why it is not recommended to sand any finer than 800 grit as you are relying on physical adhesion. Hopefully that makes sense.

 

Makes perfect sense. The 3M kit goes up to a 3200 wet sand, so adherence would be an issue.

 

Thats absolutely correct. But if you can get the 3" 3M Trizac discs for a drill or polisher then those work really well. But they quite expensive so I would just stick with regular automotive grade sheets of sandpaper unless you want to make a business out of it.