This kit works very well. The included coating as the final step is key. Headlights literally looked new, and has lasted 3 years so far.
Headlights
- Thread starter rdevans89
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This kit works very well. The included coating as the final step is key. Headlights literally looked new, and has lasted 3 years so far.
Tried acetone on a 2006 silverado headlights. Followed the you tube video - 3 minute headlight restoration. Worked very nicely.
No. After done, you only need to touch it up. Put a coating on and you are just paying for marketing deception.
A coating does not last either, then you are left having to strip that off and do a full restoration again instead of just minor touchups.
It is very simple. You (or prior owner) lapsed on upkeep, then you make it right, then you can either keep up , or believe marketing nonsense that a special coating you have to strip off is better when it isn't, unless you always park in the direct sun and it's a matter of intervals doing it rather than labor and expense.
If you prefer buying new headlamp housings, that is an option too, and it can vary how difficult to install and align the headlights, and not all are created equal. I'd rather stick with what I have until the reflective surface has degraded.
As always there is something to keep in mind, that if you strive for perfection, it is a fleeting thing and it takes a maximum amount of time or money. Your vanity could cost you and if you want to pay that price, it is the right thing for you to do, but you should stop and think about why you need this, what gap in your life (Or your vision if you are unsafe to drive at night) is this fixing. It is not something that the average person has to jump through hoops to solve.
Consider how many accident reports you've seen where the cause was "headlight lenses weren't clear enough", lol. No, that is ridiculous. There is a very minor speed difference between driving safe for your equipment with perfect new lenses and reasonable aged ones after restored using minimal effort rather than some great proposed marketed "system" to do it.
This is just working materials. You polish, using progressively finer grit depending on where to start, and you seal it with nothing more than polishing sealant you'd use for car paint. Then you have no burden if stripping it off, can just reapply the same polishing sealant. I know this will blow people's minds, that afte the first refinish, you ONLY need to reapply the same polishing sealant on a timely basis as long as you own the vehicle. Some will say you have to do it more often, and yeah, each time you apply that polishing sealant to the rest of the vehicle, do the headlights too. It's kind of funny how easy that is then people try to make it hard.
I got good results wet sanding my headlights followed by compound and then polish. I followed up with Meguiar's Keep Clear headlight spray coating. It lasted about a year before starting to turn cloudy. Once that happened, it took me less than an hour to strip off the coating with alcohol, quick polish and respray. The headlights did not yellow at all, so the coating did protect the lenses from UV for over a year. I'm using Turtle Wax Ceramic coating on the paint now, so I applied it to the headlights a few days after the Keep Clear in an attempt to lengthen the time between treatments. The UV coating on my original Honda headlights remained clear parked outside for more than ten years before I needed to refinish the them. I've heard stories about cheap replacement lights leaking water and only staying clear for a couple of years.
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Just a follow-up. It's been a year and a half since I recoated my headlights with Meguiar's Keep Clear. I've been applying Turtle Wax Ceramic Coating after every wash, about every 60 days. With the car parked outside, the lights still look nice and clear!
Aftermarket assemblies usually suck. For a pretty permanent fix, wet sand with 600 grit to clean clear plastic and spray a 2k clear. Not a krylon or rustoleum clear. You can get spraymax 2k clear in a can if you don’t have spray equipment. No need to use fine grits.
I tried acetone. I made a mess. I think the problem is it melts the plastic so fast. It streaked and left ridges.
I sanded it with 400, 800 then 1500. It was cloudy but clean. I then sprayed them with Rustoleum 2x clearcoat. They're better but not pretty.
I sanded it with 400, 800 then 1500. It was cloudy but clean. I then sprayed them with Rustoleum 2x clearcoat. They're better but not pretty.
I’ve tried a few different kits on my mothers 2008 Dodge GrandCaravan with no luck ale but I took a gamble on Gritors Garage Ceramic Headlight Restoration Kit and out of all the kits this one returned the headlights to a like new appearance, it was all by hand but surprisingly it did the best it’ll be my first recommendation for anyone that asks
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You want a 2k like 2 part with activator, not the rustoleum type clear. You can wet sand to 600 to clean clear plastic and spray a 2k clear. You don’t need to go higher than 600. Look up spraymax 2k clear in a can if you don’t have spray equipment. Good stuff!
This car isn't worth $25 clearcoat.
I do have another vehicle that is though. If I can work up the confidence to try it I may. So just sand, clean and apply? One thick coat or a few thin?
Clean before sanding and after actually but yeah, it works great. It fills 600 grit scratches no problem. I spray 2 medium wet coats usually. No dry tack coats like people call them. That just seems to cause more orange peel. Here is my old Pilot probably about a year after doing the headlights.This car isn't worth $25 clearcoat.
I do have another vehicle that is though. If I can work up the confidence to try it I may. So just sand, clean and apply? One thick coat or a few thin?
