Headlight Restoration

[Lucid Moments]

I have a 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel. After buying a new to me 2017 Mazda 3 late last year and driving it for a while I noticed that the headlight output was not nearly as good as I think it should be. Which is fair since I bought the truck in 2015 and nothing has been done to the headlights. While swapping the bulbs I noticed that the headlight housings were starting to see some clouding. I had bought the bulbs a month or so ago so I went ahead and took it for a drive and as I had feared the headlights weren't as much better as I had hoped. I am probably going to go ahead and use a restore kit on them this weekend but there are a bunch so I have to pick one. Project farm has a video on this subject and his pick is the kit from Sylvania. I didn't love his methodology on that test so I thought I would check with the hive mind here and see what results y'all have had. I get why he couldn't use actual headlights for his test, it would have been totally impractical, but the fact that he didn't makes it worth the 2 minutes it took me to type this to get additional input.

 

[Wrench97]

I wet sand down to 2400 grit then polish with rubbing compound and buffer followed by polishing compound then a good coat of carnauba wax for UV protection.

 

[shoot summ]

I typically buff the lights out with compound, then put Maguiars coating on them, makes a huge difference.

Meguiar’s Car Care - Autogeek.net

See why Meguiar’s has been a trusted car care company for more than 120 years by shopping an authorized selection of products to treat any motorized vehicle.

www.autogeek.net

 

[gahrajmahal]

You don’t need to buy anything special. Wet sand If really bad then buff with any rubbing or polishing compound. Protect with wax. It will only last a year or so if you don’t keep up on them.

 

[ybnormal]

you can do wrench97s method or the project farm method. whichever you use just use a buffer/drill to do the polishing. and instead of carnauba wax consider spraying with clearcoat paint

 

[brtsvg]

I wet sand down to 2400 grit then polish with rubbing compound and buffer followed by polishing compound then a good coat of carnauba wax for UV protection.

Same here, you don’t need to buy a commercial kit to do this. Wet sanding gets 95% of the yellowed surface off, then polish using polishing compound. Takes maybe 15 min per headlight.

 

[Lucid Moments]

The problem I see with the sanding process is that I do not already own a sander. I am of course not opposed to buying new tools, but this will just be for my vehicles and I hope it doesn't have to be redone every year.

 

[Motown]

The problem I see with the sanding process is that I do not already own a sander. I am of course not opposed to buying new tools, but this will just be for my vehicles and I hope it doesn't have to be redone every year.

You don't need a sander. Just go get some 1500 & 200 grit wet/dry sand paper, and had wet sand them. I use 3m Finesse It with my polishing wheel. As stated above, you can do a headlamp in 15-20min each. Some people are clear coating them with 2k clearcoat, after.

 

[Wrench97]

Yes sand them by hand.

 

[M635_Guy]

Unless you're doing a lot of vehicles, I don't see why buying the kit with the drill adapter/etc. isn't worth it. I can usually do two cars with a single kit unless one is really bad, and the drill makes it really easy. I've used the 3M kit, and the final protective coating seems to do a pretty good job at protecting from hazing over again (multiple years later, I don't see a need to re-do it on any of my cars).

Be very diligent about taping the paint/plastic around the headlight - do more than they give you/double up/etc. It's really easy to take the paint off your car, especially with a power too.

 

[mrb1]

use toothpaste if you don't have any type of compound on hand

 

[Bubba Fett]

I used the 3M kit because it has the drill adapter, and came with a good number of sanding pads. Instead of the supplied compound, I used Chemical Bros. headlight restoration compound so I could be more liberal with it. Mine were very bad. It took quite a few rounds of wet sanding and polishing, but the results were worth it. From time to time I rinsed the debris away and even washed it so I could get a better idea of what they looked like as I progressed. Be sure to use green automotive masking tape to avoid damaging areas around the headlights. The green tape peels a bit better from the paint. When sanding with the drill adapter, keep the drill moving and cover the entire surface at a time. Staying in one spot might dig in too far. Keeping it moving will keep the surface even and clean. After I was done, I spray painted them with UV-protecting clear coat, and they looked brand new.

Despite what some youtubers have claimed, it is not permanent. You may have to do this once a year or so. The only permanent fix is to replace the headlight lenses, and those can be pricey.

 

[FMB4]

We've had great luck with Blue Magic brand HL restoration 'compound' as compared with several other big name brands. What used to take an hour is now done in about 15 minutes. Note: we don't use a power buffing pad.

 

[Steve_P]

I use Autosol metal polish, by hand with a damp rag. Takes 5 minutes per side. You will have to repeat every 6 months or so as the UV resistance is gone from the plastic.

 

[bctexas]

Have had very good luck with the 3M 39008 kit. Cheap at the big box stores. Just follow the directions.....

 

[exmaxima1]

I wet sand down to 2400 grit then polish with rubbing compound and buffer followed by polishing compound then a good coat of carnauba wax for UV protection.

I agree with the sanding, but suggest a clear coat spray with UV inhibiter. Most all have the inhibiter, but look for it on the label. The best is a 2K urethane, but it's expensive. The spray will fill fine scratches so you only need to wet sand (no need for polishing compound), and lasts years longer than wax.

 

[Rinspeed]

Just getting ready to do the ones on the Camry I picked up a couple months ago. I heard Mothers mag polish works well and I already have some and a drill driver rim polisher. Thanks for the link to the Meguiar's coating, might pick up a bottle.

 

[toddmorr]

Used the Sylvania kit, by hand and I followed the directions to the letter on my lx470. It lasted 3 yrs. YouTuber ratchets and wrenches has a video on another process that he swears by.

Might just bite the bullet and order new aftermarket headlights, not too expensive

 

[Rinspeed]

Have had very good luck with the 3M 39008 kit. Cheap at the big box stores. Just follow the directions.....

Did that kit come with a clear coat.

 

[bctexas]

Did that kit come with a clear coat.

No, it does not.

 

[2oolhound]

I forget what I did my jeep with but it wasn't a kit and I made the mistake of using a buffing wheel on a 5" makita grinder which melted the plastic. I was able to clean up the damage with a lot of work and save my lights. Next time I'll use something slower like a drill.

 

[Wrench97]

I forget what I did my jeep with but it wasn't a kit and I made the mistake of using a buffing wheel on a 5" makita grinder which melted the plastic. I was able to clean up the damage with a lot of work and save my lights. Next time I'll use something slower like a drill.

Buffers are low speed under 3000 RPM, 5" grinder is 10,000+ RPM too fast it burns the paint or melts the headlights