Cloudy Headlamps

[M666 EVO]

The headlamps on my 17 year old Merc are cloudy and really let the look of the car down. I have found a T Cut restoration kit on eBay, I was contemplating getting it and trying it out.

Has anyone either experience with this kit or any other remedies?

[Challo]

There is a 3M restoration kit which I have heard good things about, and plenty of video's on youtube showing you how to complete.

[Gary29]

Same as above for Autoglym

Personally I'd go for the cheapest 'kit' I could find and give it a try, I guess they're all practically the same.

[Krikkit]

Get this, accept no substitutes https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B016ZVPUV6/ref...

[calletso]

I used the 3M kit on the headlights of my 911, they came up a charm! It wasn't until the final polishing stage with the paste that they came up like new.... very worrying up to that point thinking I had ruined them....

[RadoVR6]

I got a meguires kit and did the headlights on a mk5 Golf.

O would recommend getting a polishing attachment for your drill to save a lot of hard work.

[mcflurry]

Apparently toothpaste is also a "lifehack" for cleaning headlights

http://www.instructables.com/id/Clean-your-headlig...

[Krikkit]

mcflurry said:

Apparently toothpaste is also a "lifehack" for cleaning headlights

http://www.instructables.com/id/Clean-your-headlig...

I tried this and it doesn't work on plastic lights where the original anti-UV coating is still intact or the plastic is pitted... The kit I posted above includes sanding pads that take the surface back.

[OzzyR1]

calletso said:

I used the 3M kit on the headlights of my 911, they came up a charm! It wasn't until the final polishing stage with the paste that they came up like new.... very worrying up to that point thinking I had ruined them....

Ditto on all points, but it was a jag!!

3M kit easy in around an hour (I had 4 headlights), thought they were knackered until the final stage!!

[OzzyR1]

One other thing, make sure to use a sealant afterwards as you'll be taking the original protective coating off.

Without a sealant the UV will turn them cloudy again quicker than before.

I used this stuff:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/GP14112-Surface-Sealant-R...

[Oldandslow]

Autosol metal polish is a good product for a first attempt. Cheap and effective in most cases, takes about 5 mins per side and you don't use much meaning you can also polish many other things with the same tube. You can get UV lacquer on Amazon if you want to preserve the finish but it lasts about a year untreated.

[rossub]

OzzyR1 said:

One other thing, make sure to use a sealant afterwards as you'll be taking the original protective coating off.

Without a sealant the UV will turn them cloudy again quicker than before.

I used this stuff:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/GP14112-Surface-Sealant-R...

Same stuff I use. It’s also a good idea to reapply it after every few car washes.

[cobra kid]

My Mk5 Golf failed MOT on cloudy headlights. Half an hour on each headlamp with bog standard T-Cut. Works as well as the expensive stuff.

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

rossub said:

OzzyR1 said:

One other thing, make sure to use a sealant afterwards as you'll be taking the original protective coating off.

Without a sealant the UV will turn them cloudy again quicker than before.

I used this stuff:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/GP14112-Surface-Sealant-R...

Same stuff I use. It’s also a good idea to reapply it after every few car washes.

+1

To get rid on the cloudiness in the first place, I just sanded with 2000 grit wet and dry, polished with T-Cut on a drill pad, then polished with Autoglym Super resin again on a drill pad, then applied the magic potion above. The sandpaper and drill attached polishing pads were only a couple of quid on eBay. I sanded by hand using lots of water - this is what really gets rid of the cloudiness, then it's just a case of polishing till it looks nice again. Took around 30/40 mins per light.
Buy the 3M kit if you like...but there are cheaper options giving the same results.

[parabolica]

Gary29 said:

Same as above for Autoglym

Personally I'd go for the cheapest 'kit' I could find and give it a try, I guess they're all practically the same.

Yup, used their kit for the first time the other week and was very impressed with the results; everything you need in the box apart from a decent sealer for afterwards. It's a bit of a leap of faith first time you put a sanding disc to a headlight, but mine came up really well.

[rossub]

parabolica said:

It's a bit of a leap of faith first time you put a sanding disc to a headlight, but mine came up really well.

Yeah when they’re at least £300 a side, the nearest set is in Japan and they look like below after the first sand, it’s a bit worrying!

But everything you read says they come up fine, so there’s not really anything to worry about.