Headlight lens cover restoration

[Alloy Dave]

Ok, so I did this on my 2002 Honda, but it applies to any car.

I bought a 3M kit, I think it was around $28....don't remember as I bought it last fall. The P/N is shown in one of the pics.

The instructions are straightforward....

Clean lens
Sand with 500 grit
Sand with 800 grit
Sand with 3000 grit
Buff with polishing compound
Wipe lens with microfiber towel



There are many nuances to the process, too many to list here...just read the directions. I do recommend TWO layers of tape though.

On the first one I did, there were still some scratches when I was done...so I did as the instructions said, and started again at the 3000 grit level, then re-buffed with the polishing compound. But I did change one thing...I was using my electric DeWalt drill...and they say to use a speed of 1,200-1,600 RPM. My drill has a "screwdriver" speed, and a "drilling" speed...but I did not know how many RPMs each was, and I was too lazy to find out. So I started on the lower speed....then as I said, I had some small scratches...so then I switched to the "drill" speed and that worked much better. I did the other headlight on the higher speed only...and it went much better overall...just be careful not to use too high of a speed or you'll burn the plastic.

I'd give the results a 9 out of 10.

Took me about 90 minutes including all clean-up, taping, etc.

After I was done, the lights looked so good I had to wash the whole car.

Pics coming next....

[Alloy Dave]

Here are pics of the lens BEFORE I did anything.


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[Alloy Dave]

Here is the kit I bought. The one item not shown in the layout is the rubbing compound...it's in a small pouch and I just used about 1/5 of it.
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After taping
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Here is the look you want after using the 500 grit sandpaper...a frosty look.
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[Alloy Dave]

The look doesn't change much after the 800 grit, so I didn't take any photos then. And even after the 3,000 grit, not much change other than you start to get a "slurry" that builds up on the lens and you must wipe off.


But when you use the buffing wheel and compound, it really comes into it.
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And here is the left side (Done) compared to the right side (not yet done)
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[Alloy Dave]

And as I said...once I was done, I just HAD to wash the car. Looks great for an 11 year old car with nearly 85,000 miles on the ODO! I know...that's low mileage for 11 years...I only lived 4 miles from where I worked. :look: Of course with my new job...I'm putting on a lot more miles.

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[Alloy Dave]

P.S. I'm really looking forward to bringing it to Shelbyfest now.

[Tommy Gun]

We do these all the time at work.

Your before pics look like you could have gotten away w/ just polishing them.

Sandpaper is a last resort for really bad lenses.

To make them last there are coatings or clearcoat to apply to them to make them last longer. :look:

.

[Joe G]

Good thread Davey! :wtg:

[Alloy Dave]

We do these all the time at work.

Your before pics look like you could have gotten away w/ just polishing them.

Sandpaper is a last resort for really bad lenses.

To make them last there are coatings or clearcoat to apply to them to make them last longer. :look:

.Yes, they weren't as bad as many I've seen...but that's ok. I usually do the last resort before the 2nd resort, but the first resort was to do nothing. :look:

[68fastback]

The look doesn't change much after the 800 grit, so I didn't take any photos then. And even after the 3,000 grit, not much change other than you start to get a "slurry" that builds up on the lens and you must wipe off.


But when you use the buffing wheel and compound, it really comes into it.
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And here is the left side (Done) compared to the right side (not yet done)
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Very nice results, Dave -- looks like new!

So you're saying that wipe-on TV infomercial stuff doesn't work? :lol: