Headlight restoration and UV coating for the average DIY'er!

[05corolla]

Greetings fellow detailers!



My 05 Corolla was starting to show it's age with the headlights so today I decided to restore them back to a like new appearance! Optimally I would have preferred to use a bake-on UV coating or one that cures with a UV light however I do not own a several hundred dollar UV light nor do I have access to an air compressor since I live in an apartment complex so the following routine worked great and only took about an hour!



Before shots: Yellowed and dingy

Taped around the edges:

I did a 5 step wet sanding process with 600,800,1000,1500, and a final 2000 grit pass.

Both headlights sanded:

Instead of simply polishing the headlights to a high luster I opted to coat them with a UV resistant coating. I've previously polished the lights before simply to have them yellow in a few months so I figured it was time to try a different option.



I used a Helmsman Spar Urethane coating that contained UV inhibitors diluted 50/50 with mineral spirits. Prior to applying the coating I wiped the headlights down with the mineral spirits to remove any other oils or contaminants.



50/50 shot of the urethane applied:

Final shots:

Now I've gotta tackle the rest of the car!

 

[togwt]

UV Protection Spray



Once both lenses have been polished to restore clarity, they should be sanded with 1500 grit finishing paper, this ensures the clear coat has a ‘key’ to enable adhesion. When you spray clear coat on the sanded lenses it fills in those light scratches and makes them clear and glossy making them look brand new. SprayMax® (aerosol spray) is a 2K clear paint: two-component acrylic resins plus isocyanates hardener that contains UV protection



Product Application- shake aerosol can vigorously for two minutes before activating. To activate, take the red button from the cap and attach it to the pin on the bottom of the can. Put the top of the aerosol can on stable on a stable surface and push the red button firmly and press the pin into the can. Shake again for two minutes to ensure activator is thoroughly mixed with clear coat.



Apply 2-3 light coats and allow 5-10 minutes between each coat. After the application of the final coat allow approximately 24 hours dry time or use an infra red (IR) drying lamp (recommended)



Alternative product: Helmsman Spar Urethane (Indoor/Outdoor) Clear Gloss mixed with Mineral Spirits (1part urethane to 1 part mineral spirits.





http://www.autopia.org/forum/autopia-detailing-wiki/141706-headlight-restoration.html#post1506615



I hope the information in this article is of some help to you. If you have any further questions please let me know

 

[David Fermani]

I moved your thread to our Guide To Detailing sub-forum because it is filled with very valuable information that will benefit a greater scope of people. Great job on this project! :up

 

[Ron Ketcham]

Excellent!!

Grumpy

 

[IHA Mark]

Those look great, I've been wanting to add headlight restoration as an add-on service and you have motivated me well

 

[Ron Ketcham]

Thanks , Jon!

Your post just brought about a mind fart for me!

You are on the money on the sanding before applying the clear.

So correct, other wise, "how could the clear attach to the substrate.

I feel so stupid right now, it does make sense.

Now, off in the morning to get a broken 4 or 5 year old lens from the salvage yard and do some acelerated testing of how long the clear will stay attached.

Thanks, again, great thought process.

Grumpy

 

[grungy]

Thanks , Jon!

Your post just brought about a mind fart for me!

You are on the money on the sanding before applying the clear.

So correct, other wise, "how could the clear attach to the substrate.

I feel so stupid right now, it does make sense.

Now, off in the morning to get a broken 4 or 5 year old lens from the salvage yard and do some acelerated testing of how long the clear will stay attached.

Thanks, again, great thought process.

Grumpy

Ron - what do you plan on testing with? The urethane or the spray? I have high-traffic varethane that we used for the stairs.



-grungy-

 

[White lexus 23]

awesome job

 

[Quality Leather]

I am going to disagree on the Helmsmann spar. I have put it on three vehicles and all of them have yellow within a year. I don't have pics right now, but I did a test of the Spar and another product in June '12. They are already looking bad after six months. This was a torture test as I kept the car in direct sunlight in South Florida. I showed David the lights at the 3D event, so he can vouch for their condition. I am going to try one of the spray on UV coatings next.