A quick review of these 3 products: 3M Headlight Restoration (HLR) kit, 3M Quick Headlight Clearcoat and Rupes Uno Protect.
3M HLR Kit: This kit included 500, 800, 3000, buffing pad and compound. The kit included an attachment for use with a household drill. I only used the 500, 800 and 3000 since I was applying clearcoat. The paper worked well, but more 500 grit sanding discs would have been nice. If I recall correctly, it came with five 500-grit discs, four 800-grit discs and one 3000-grit disc. 500-grit and 800-grit are used dry, 3000-grit is used for damp sanding.
3M Quick Clearcoat: After damp-sanding with 3000-grit, I thoroughly dried the headlight and the surrounding crevices. I then wiped with 91% alcohol. Wear gloves before applying - the product comes in pre-moistened towelettes that are similar to alcohol wipes. I applied one coat and allowed it to dry for 15 min before applying the second coat. It is possible to get runs so be careful about over-applying. I have included before/after photos below.
Rupes Uno Protect: This is an all-in-one (AIO) cleaner wax that is intended for production detail environments. It promises 90 days of protection. Rupes suggests using their yellow polishing wool pad for the best blend of cut and finish, but I found the polishing wool to leave a bit too much DA haze for this particular paint so I used their yellow foam pad. Prior to service, this car's paint was in terrible shape - lots of visible oxidation, deeper swirls and the metallic was no longer visible. After a normal wash and clay, I used the Rupes Uno Protect with a Rupes yellow foam polishing pad and their MKIII 15 DA polisher. I used speed 3 and made 4-5 passes at a medium arm speed. The product has decent cut (less than Meguiar's D166 though) but finishes incredibly well. No dust and wipe-off was easy. Plus it leaves the surface very slick. It is on the more oily side so it is important to work the product long enough and not short-cycle it. I spent about two hours polishing the vehicle below.
3M HLR Kit: This kit included 500, 800, 3000, buffing pad and compound. The kit included an attachment for use with a household drill. I only used the 500, 800 and 3000 since I was applying clearcoat. The paper worked well, but more 500 grit sanding discs would have been nice. If I recall correctly, it came with five 500-grit discs, four 800-grit discs and one 3000-grit disc. 500-grit and 800-grit are used dry, 3000-grit is used for damp sanding.
3M Quick Clearcoat: After damp-sanding with 3000-grit, I thoroughly dried the headlight and the surrounding crevices. I then wiped with 91% alcohol. Wear gloves before applying - the product comes in pre-moistened towelettes that are similar to alcohol wipes. I applied one coat and allowed it to dry for 15 min before applying the second coat. It is possible to get runs so be careful about over-applying. I have included before/after photos below.
Rupes Uno Protect: This is an all-in-one (AIO) cleaner wax that is intended for production detail environments. It promises 90 days of protection. Rupes suggests using their yellow polishing wool pad for the best blend of cut and finish, but I found the polishing wool to leave a bit too much DA haze for this particular paint so I used their yellow foam pad. Prior to service, this car's paint was in terrible shape - lots of visible oxidation, deeper swirls and the metallic was no longer visible. After a normal wash and clay, I used the Rupes Uno Protect with a Rupes yellow foam polishing pad and their MKIII 15 DA polisher. I used speed 3 and made 4-5 passes at a medium arm speed. The product has decent cut (less than Meguiar's D166 though) but finishes incredibly well. No dust and wipe-off was easy. Plus it leaves the surface very slick. It is on the more oily side so it is important to work the product long enough and not short-cycle it. I spent about two hours polishing the vehicle below.
