cleaned headlight

[asiancivicmaniac]

So my headlights have a slight yellow tinge to them. I tried polishing out and the cleaned up but weren't really as clear as I want. I bought the Clear View headlight kit from WM for $17 and finally got a chance to use it. Here are some pics. Excuse the camera phone quality

Here is the passenger side headlight untouched. Not really that bad

Wetsanded with the course sand paper in the kit

Wetsanded with the fine sand paper

I skipped the polish that came with it and used Poorboy's SSR 2.5 with a cutting pad and then Menzerna Intensive Polish with a polishing pad to polish the sanding marks. There's no way that the stuff that came with it could polish out the sanding marks, because there was still a lot that wouldn't come out with multiple passes on the PC

Final product with the sealant applied. Filled in the sanding marks but it kind of left its own trails. Not a very dramatic change, but definitely better. It actually looks clear now.

Drivers side for comparison. Got dark out so have to do this one tomorrow.

Final thoughts:

For $17 I would buy it again. I mainly used the sandpaper and the sealant. It's certainly a lot cheaper than a pair of headlights and worth a shot for those with very oxidized ones. If you have a machine buffer, I highly recommend buffing with that instead of by hand with the polish they include. I read in another post that someone used floor sealant on his headlights (Future?) and I wonder if the included packets are similar to that since it smells like a floor sealant I've used in the past. Since it's wiped on, there are patterns where you can tell where the passes were made. If you have 1000, 2000, and 3000 grit sand paper, a polisher, compound, and a bottle of floor sealant then I would say go give that a try first. Both of my parents' cars have really oxidized lights so I might try that in the future. But if you want everything in a convenient package then definitely give this a try. From two feet away it looks new. Get closer and it still looks very good. No noticeable difference from the untreated side's light output, except the treated one was a bit whiter in color to my eyes (really have to look for it though). Hope this helps.

 

[finalyzd]

I like 1500 grit works the best. I just did some headlights and 2000 was not working so well. But yours looks good

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

Starting with a course grit such as 1000 will remove the oxidation and scratches faster. Using a subsequent fine grit such as 2000 will make polishing a lot easier since the polish only has to remove finer sand marks. So the finer the grit used for the last sanding step, the clearer the lights should be.

 

[HTSS_TR]

The last picture shows the differences, the cleaned passenger side is much better than the un-cleaned driver side.

I tried 3-M headline cleaner package on '00 E430, it did some cleaning but not as good as yours.

 

[ahoier]

Originally Posted By: asiancivicmaniac
I bought the Clear View headlight kit from WM for $17 and finally got a chance to use it. Here are some pics. Excuse the camera phone quality
Been to WM and seen the array of headlight cleaning products they have, they got like 2 or 3 alone, with the "car detailing" section, then a foil-wrapped package with the headlights and bulbs, and then over with the touch up paint and primer, they got the 3M drill attachment + kit....

So which one did you get? Was it in a foil pouch type package?


Just kinda curious, cause obviously it worked great on your car

The problem I've heard about the headlight restoration is the haze will come back on some vehicles; has something to do with the type of material the vehicle manufacturers are using...when I was in line at WM some customer was complaining that WM doesn't have a "guarantee" for their headlight cleaning service that they perform out in their shop (while you wait/shop), costs like 49$ but the customer said after about 2 years the haze came back and the shop mgr told them they can't guarantee it; due to the difference in plastics that some of the manufacturers use, they are more prone to haze over.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

This one http://www.myheadlight.com/about/

IIRC, the manufacturer is in FL

I wouldn't doubt that it comes back, especially in the FL sun. The bag does claim a lifetime warranty though. It's part maintenance and part environmental conditions. The cleaner it's kept with some sort of protectant on it then it will stay clear longer. And the sun will deteriorate it over time if it's parked outside 24/7. But at the price it sells for, I wouldn't mind doing it once a year.

 

[kkreit01]

Great job. By your choice or products, I'm surprised you stated you would buy it again? You used your own high quality polishes. I assume you also have your own selection of sealants as well? Just buy the sandpaper separate.

Any sealant will work.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

I meant that if I didn't have any of the stuff then I would buy it again. Those stuff are in my arsenal from my detailing hobby, but I doubt that the average person has everything he needs. I think the stuff that comes with it is some sort of acrylic finish, not regular sealant. Or at least anything that I have. Sometime this summer I'm going to give floor sealant a try one of my parents' cars.

 

[Mr Nice]

Looks great

 

[eljefino]

Looks great but I think you did it too soon. Who's to say the UV protectant will work as well as the factory job?

I figure if you can see the facets of the reflector fairly clearly the headlight is at least functioning properly.

I went low tech with this beater, scrubbed it with "Bar keeper's friend" scouring powder:

I think NHTSA should be on vehicle manufacturers like flies on cowpies over yellowed headlights that cut or scatter light, for the eight year recall window. We had good headlights for a long time, even good plastic ones, and now there are lots that turn nasty.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

Quote:
Looks great but I think you did it too soon. Who's to say the UV protectant will work as well as the factory job?


After being in the FL sun for 8 years, there probably isn't much protection left. And it's been polished at least 3 times before with compound. I did it for purely cosmetic reasons, since they had good light output. Wouldn't mind doing it once a year since they really make the car look newer.

Here's the driver's side after I was done. Used a real camera and took it in sunlight