Off car headlight restoration?

C

Cameronswmp9

New member
I did some headlights the other day and got them nice and shiny, but was thinking how much easier it may be to have them off to get the corners easier. Got me thinking with headlights that are always bad and easy to pull the assembly, would pulling them make it any easier? Say a polishing pad on a bench grinder and work with the assembly?

Completely thinking outside the normal box, just making sure it could be done better for a happier customer!

Ive been searching for buffing and polishing pads and found many polishing pads, not so many cut pads.
 
I would think you are opening up yourself to other issues such as scratching the paint, dropping the HL assembly or breaking a wire/connector?
 
i guess you could pull off the "easy" ones but why not just get the right tools to reach the corners?

only reason i say "easy" is because sometimes the easiest jobs become difficult (like pulling an easy headlamp off and breaking a tab or scratching the bumper)
 
donbeezy said:
i guess you could pull off the "easy" ones but why not just get the right tools to reach the corners?

only reason i say "easy" is because sometimes the easiest jobs become difficult (like pulling an easy headlamp off and breaking a tab or scratching the bumper)
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I understand completely, and agree that bumpers and tabs can make an easy job a nightmare. One just thinking that if I could pull the light and do it in 25-35 minutes vs 45+ with the taping and all.

Like I said, just thinking out loud here too.
 
Some of my vehicles are *extremely* easy to R&R headlights (no need to re-aim or anything, piece of cake- just pull the mounting retainers), while others take even the experienced guys at the dealership, with the requisite specialty tools, a long time (removal can mess up the aiming adjusters and require a complicated procedure to rectify). Different vehicles are simply different in this regard, it can range from a few minutes to well over an hour.
 
I prefer restoring headlight right on the car. More stable, perfect height(when sitting) and never had a problem with corners. I tape around the light so I dont accidently polish the paint.
I will also receive my Flex PE-8 soon with even smaller back plates and pads to make things even easier.
 
Accumulator said:
Some of my vehicles are *extremely* easy to R&R headlights (no need to re-aim or anything, piece of cake- just pull the mounting retainers), while others take even the experienced guys at the dealership, with the requisite specialty tools, a long time (removal can mess up the aiming adjusters and require a complicated procedure to rectify). Different vehicles are simply different in this regard, it can range from a few minutes to well over an hour.
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I was thinking this only on the easy ones, Impalas, Mustangs, Silverado based trucks and SUVs, as well as a few others. The intense cars, Acadias, BMWs, etc, that can take hours to pull would simply not be worth doing. And those there is big risk of spider webbing the bumper just to pull, no thank you! Lol
 
RangerDetails said:
I prefer restoring headlight right on the car. More stable, perfect height(when sitting) and never had a problem with corners. I tape around the light so I dont accidently polish the paint.
I will also receive my Flex PE-8 soon with even smaller back plates and pads to make things even easier.
Click to expand...

I have other ideas with this too, but you are correct as well.
 
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