Which headlight Restoration kit?

[PugwasHDJ80]

The headlights on Mrs ps Scooby are very yellow.

Theres a plethora of Restoration kits out there at different price points. Which ones are recommended? Currently thinking of using the 3M kit.....

[p4cks]

I've tried them all and nothing was better than wet sand (by hand) with 1500, 2000 then 3000 grit sand paper and then some plastic polish compound.

This fella's video is all you need really. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-VdwI7VHiw

[eybic]

I used the 3M kit on our Civic and was impressed with how well the lights came up. As you say, there's plenty of kits out there but I opted for the 3M one.

[Zirconia]

Another 3m kit one done good here. Everything in one packet including the sanding disk. Get a UV fixer for post cleaning or it will go again.

Scary though until the last sanding, you think you have really fudged it. Mask everything. Even the masking.

[Plate spinner]

Zirconia said:

Mask everything. Even the masking.

Agreed and use electrical tape rather than paper masking tape.
Years ago I was doing a snotter Passat and caught the leading edge of the bonnet above the headlight. Paint was already flaking, I didn't help it...

[Zirconia]

Plate spinner said:

Agreed and use electrical tape rather than paper masking tape.
Years ago I was doing a snotter Passat and caught the leading edge of the bonnet above the headlight. Paint was already flaking, I didn't help it...

Annoying thing is I have loads of tape but just used the pack stuff. Too lazy I suppose, dug the sanding disk into the paint in one small part. No biggy, hard to spot with all the other chips.

[anonymous-user]

I sorted the headlights on my wife's IS250 about a month ago , using these to start with - 1000 grit up to 5000 grit with loads of water :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XH2LXX9/ref...

and then this Meguairs stuff I already had to provide the polish for the foam pads, and then the final coating of clear spray:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Meguairs-G2970EU-Perfect-...

They looked brand new when finished and so far have stayed that way.

I used Frogtape for masking, which is the best masking tape I have used by far:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FrogTape-Painters-Masking...

[bobski1]

Zirconia said:

Another 3m kit one done good here. Everything in one packet including the sanding disk. Get a UV fixer for post cleaning or it will go again.

Scary though until the last sanding, you think you have really fudged it. Mask everything. Even the masking.

What UV spray do people use once they have polished the headlights?

JimSuperSix said:

I sorted the headlights on my wife's IS250 about a month ago , using these to start with - 1000 grit up to 5000 grit with loads of water :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XH2LXX9/ref...

and then this Meguairs stuff I already had to provide the polish for the foam pads, and then the final coating of clear spray:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Meguairs-G2970EU-Perfect-...

They looked brand new when finished and so far have stayed that way.

I used Frogtape for masking, which is the best masking tape I have used by far:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FrogTape-Painters-Masking...

Was it the green frog tape you used? I have used the yellow one when decorating and found it awesome

[anonymous-user]

bobski1 said:

Zirconia said:

Another 3m kit one done good here. Everything in one packet including the sanding disk. Get a UV fixer for post cleaning or it will go again.

Scary though until the last sanding, you think you have really fudged it. Mask everything. Even the masking.

What UV spray do people use once they have polished the headlights?

JimSuperSix said:

I sorted the headlights on my wife's IS250 about a month ago , using these to start with - 1000 grit up to 5000 grit with loads of water :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XH2LXX9/ref...

and then this Meguairs stuff I already had to provide the polish for the foam pads, and then the final coating of clear spray:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Meguairs-G2970EU-Perfect-...

They looked brand new when finished and so far have stayed that way.

I used Frogtape for masking, which is the best masking tape I have used by far:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FrogTape-Painters-Masking...

Was it the green frog tape you used? I have used the yellow one when decorating and found it awesome

Yes the green one, its very good stuff compared to normal masking tapes, sticks well and will peel off cleanly days or even weeks later.

[Zirconia]

bobski1 said:

What UV spray do people use once they have polished the headlights?

Have to check but off the shelf well known brand I cannot remember without checking. I have probably not been putting enough on and need to buff them up again with the super fine grit polish.

[blueg33]

You would be surprised how well a bit of WD40 works at sorting plastic headlight lenses. Spray it onto some kitchen roll, rub headlight, wipe off - job done

[anonymous-user]

Zirconia said:

bobski1 said:

What UV spray do people use once they have polished the headlights?

Have to check but off the shelf well known brand I cannot remember without checking. I have probably not been putting enough on and need to buff them up again with the super fine grit polish.

I used the spray that comes in the Meguairs kit I mentioned, so far the headlights are still looking like new.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Meguairs-G2970EU-Perfect-...

[bolidemichael]

Perhaps not in the spirit of this thread... but after having had polished my four headlights twice, each time not having protected them after, I googled and found that there are companies that specialise in this. One was named ROC Headlights and the cost was circa £140 and offers a five year guarantee.



He did a lot of the above - sanding with ever finer grit, followed by application of a spray lacquer and heat gun treatment. For me, it was totally worth it as I would never have achieved the same results and replacement xenon units aren't cheap.