Headlight restoration charge...

[Clean Dean]

About 30 minutes total for two lights. Wetsand 600, wetsand 1000, spray PPG clear (clear, hardener, and reducer) in two wet coats. Cure with infrared lamp.



This is a permanent solution to hazed headlights.

__________________

Thanks. I would love to watch that process in video form. Sounds like a great service.

 

[sjs0433]

On my old car I actually had great success with just using Menzerna fine polish and a blue pad. 5 minutes later the headlights looked almost brand new. The pitting was still there but all of the haziness was gone. While this isn't 100% correction or close to it, it was a huge improvement. I got rid of the car a couple months later so I have no clue long term how it will hold up but they still looked great when I sold it.

 

[David Fermani]

Be careful spraying paint on headlights! Sounds like a recipe for overspray unless you cover 1/2 the vehicle (potential marring + more material costs) or removing them. If you remove them, they'll need to be re-aimmed (more time/liability).

 

[Clean Dean]

Be careful spraying paint on headlights! Sounds like a recipe for overspray unless you cover 1/2 the vehicle (potential marring + more material costs) or removing them. If you remove them, they'll need to be re-aimmed (more time/liability).

Respraying in general to me sounds like a lot of work with little room for error (overspay & runs). Although its sound interesting, most customers with cars with headlamps in need of restoration would not go for too much $$$ for this service.



I would love to see this process though (hint). AppliedColors any chance of making a video link?

 

[AppliedColors]

Respraying in general to me sounds like a lot of work with little room for error (overspay & runs). Although its sound interesting, most customers with cars with headlamps in need of restoration would not go for too much $$$ for this service.



I would love to see this process though (hint). AppliedColors any chance of making a video link?

Yes, because the spray point is relatively high, I'd recommend masking off the entire car with USC's "SharkSkin" masking plastic to avoid overspray.



As for a video, I have none, but if you've seen a car painted, it's the same process (slow, overlapping coats). It might take some practice, but clearing headlights is much simpler than clearing panels...you can't see dirt and texture in headlights like you can a black hood panel.



$50 a headlight for a 5+ year fix seems like a bargain compared to the cost of replacing the headlight housing.

 

[heatgain]

I sprayed a test set of headlights (a co-worker's car) with Krylon UV Resistant Clear Spray gloss after polishing them. They looked clearer before I used the Krylon, but they still looked clear compared to what they looked like before I started. I only sprayed one coat on each lens. I let the Krylon dry, then I polished with ColorX at speed 5, white pad on a PC. The lens look terrific, although not quite as sharp as before spraying the Krylon.

I did this on 2/8/09, so durability is not yet tested.



After polishing, before Krylon:

After Krylon:

ColorX after letting the Krylon dry:

Am I willing to settle for a little less clarity for more durability? I'm not sure yet.

 

[backwoods_lex]

About 30 minutes total for two lights. Wetsand 600, wetsand 1000, spray PPG clear (clear, hardener, and reducer) in two wet coats. Cure with infrared lamp.



This is a permanent solution to hazed headlights.

Just to clarify, you don't compound or polish after 1000 grit and before painting?



You've got a lot of knowledge there A.C. You should really post more often here :2thumbs:.

 

[Greg Nichols]

I don't know if this is helpful to you, but I was asking about the same issue of hazing headlights. I was curious about removing too much plastic which might remove too much UV protection. WeekendWarrior responded to me:



Hey,

I saw on another thread where you asked how guys handled adding UV protection to the headlights after they polished them (this was a while back, but I just read it). I use to work for GE Plastics. We supplied plastic resin to molders to make various things - automotive parts included. A lot of plastics that were used for applications such as headlights, had a UV stabilizer added into the base resin. So, what I am saying is that with a lot of headlights, the UV stabilizer is throughout the thickness of the lens, not just the surface. However, it would obviously depend on which plastic the manufacturer specified, to determine if the specific light you are working on has the UV stabilizer.



I think that a lot of lights that you see that are totally shot, may be a result of a failure with the UV stabilizer, incorrect molding, a bad batch of resin, or many other things...not neccessarily that the UV protectant was only on the outer layer, and has worn away. My personal opinion is that even if you would spray a clearcoat with UV protectant over a restored light, it may just be a matter of time until it hazes/discolors again...just due to something chemical going on with the plastic itself.



My point is that with a lot of headlights, there is no permenant fix, other than replacing them.



David

 

[AppliedColors]

Just to clarify, you don't compound or polish after 1000 grit and before painting?



You've got a lot of knowledge there A.C. You should really post more often here :2thumbs:.

Correct. The plastic must have some "bite" to it so the paint sticks.



If you were to polish it, the plastic would be too slick, and the paint would have poor adhesion. 1000 grit sandpaper--wet--is about the finest grit sandpaper you can sand with prior to painting.



Are some headlights unrestorable? Yes. Some haze up throughout the plastic. The inner housing--unreachable--can haze up. But 90+% haze up on the outside, and can be restored. And the 10% that are a lost cause are usually attached to cars that are a lost cause.

 

[Flashtime]

I've done quite a few headlamps myself. Here's a set from a 99 Lexus ES300.

Simple process: Wash, finish sand 1000, scuff and 2 coats of SPI Euro Clear.

I would say the clarity is around 95% not quite new but good enough.

The owner of his vehicle (a friend) opted for new lamps at around $275 each; the seals on the old set (pictured) ar bad

Tacoma:

What i like about this particular clear is that it has no amber cast like most

clears. It is clear with good UV protection.



I'll do a another set with a 2K aerosol clear; not your typical lacquer types

that don't cross link/cure (merely dries and is not durable)...

 

[Flashtime]

APPLIED COLORS,



I think you might like some of the SPI (Southern Polyurethane Inc.) products.

They're geared more towards restoration shops than production shops but the

quality, price and service is first rate. For your line of work, you may find the

Turbo clear, Turbo Primer, Euro Clear 2020 and Polar Accelerator to be worth it.

There is one forum member (AEE) that does mobil repairs.



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