Some headlight restorations!

[kaval]

Three sets of headlights and one set of glass fog lights. The 3rd set is just about finished so I'll add pics of that set later (most likely tomorrow).



The first set is from a Civic SiR (US Civic Si) EP3. The owner is having the whole car repainted, and wanted his headlights refinished to match with the new clean look of the car.



Sanded with 800, 1000, 2000, followed by M105 on PFW and White pad, then SIP on a white pad. Sealed with Victoria's Red.



These lights were quite the task to mount securely! I need to custom make something!

Here's an 02 WRX. I did a full exterior and interior for this gentleman back in August. He came by for the headlight resto and a quick winter prep. Not many pictures of this one. Headlights were refinished, and the fog lights were polished using a diamond glass polish and pads.



Same combo as above for polishing, except, 1000 grit, and 2000 grit first.

Here's the other set of lights:



Unfortunately the passenger side light has water spots on the inside of the lens, so it reduced the clarity. The driver's side is mint though .



Sanded with 1000 on deep defects, followed by 2000 dry, and 2000 wet. M105 of PFW and white pad, followed by SIP on a white pad, all via rotary. Sealed with Victoria Red.

That's all for now! Will update this thread with the other set shortly



Thanks for looking



Kaval

 

[Greg Nichols]

Kaval,



WOW I love the dramatic improvement.



How long did it take to do each set? I'm still trying to figure out if I'm taking too long or not charging correctly.



Cheers,

GREG

 

[Underdawg736GTC]

Holy smokes, they look brand new! Excellent work on restoring those headlights.

 

[Apollo_Auto]

Nice buddy, niiiiiiice!! Plexi aint easy!

 

[mose]

I take it all the sanding is done by hand? Do you use any type of sanding block or pad?

 

[Möller]

Great work!

When I have been restoring lights I have done just like you except for the last step, I have finished off with clearcoat instead....but that have been taillights....hum, forget that I said anything

 

[automedix]

do you put any UV protectant over them when complete?

 

[imp_Rob.]

wow !!!



Why didnt you tell me you do this too ?

I need this done on my rear civic tail lights ! :2thumbs:

 

[Scottwax]

Nice job, headlight restoration is a great add-on service. Sort of like our "do you want fries with that?".

 

[kaval]

Kaval,



WOW I love the dramatic improvement.



How long did it take to do each set? I'm still trying to figure out if I'm taking too long or not charging correctly.



Cheers,

GREG

Thanks Greg. The EP3 lights took a lot of time - around 3.5 hours. A lot of chasing had to be done to get all the nicks out. The WRX lights took about 1.5 hours including the fog lights.

Holy smokes, they look brand new! Excellent work on restoring those headlights.

Thanks!

Nice buddy, niiiiiiice!! Plexi aint easy!

Hey buddy thanks! I agree. Lots of M105ing! lol

I take it all the sanding is done by hand? Do you use any type of sanding block or pad?

You are correct. I use a Meguiar's soft backing pad for sanding. However, for spot sanding, I just fold the paper and work at the specific area by hand.

Great work!

When I have been restoring lights I have done just like you except for the last step, I have finished off with clearcoat instead....but that have been taillights....hum, forget that I said anything

Thanks! Up to this point, I have been wondering about spraying a clear coat on the lights after completion. I'm just not sure what product to buy. Any recommendations? I'm looking for something that is strong, resistant to fading, etc. I want clients to be able to look at their lights a couple years after and be happy they spent the money to get it done properly.

do you put any UV protectant over them when complete?

I am currently sealing the lights with wax and advising customers to do the same after every second or third wash.

wow !!!



Why didnt you tell me you do this too ?

I need this done on my rear civic tail lights ! :2thumbs:

Thanks Rob.

Nice job, headlight restoration is a great add-on service. Sort of like our "do you want fries with that?".

Thanks Scott. I completely agree. A lot of times, it's the finishing touch that will really set off a freshly detailed car!

 

[kaval]

Here's the other set of lights:



Unfortunately the passenger side light has water spots on the inside of the lens, so it reduced the clarity. The driver's side is mint though .



Sanded with 1000 on deep defects, followed by 2000 dry, and 2000 wet. M105 of PFW and white pad, followed by SIP on a white pad, all via rotary. Sealed with Victoria Red.

 

[vtec92civic]

All i can say is wow! Those lights are crystal clear! I don't think one would be able to tell those from one's brand new and out of the box.



Question for you. Can all lenses be brought back and how do you determine that? I had some trouble with some BMW X5 headlights. Things drove me crazy. Didn't come out the way i had hoped they would ya know.



Great work though!

 

[kaval]

All i can say is wow! Those lights are crystal clear! I don't think one would be able to tell those from one's brand new and out of the box.



Question for you. Can all lenses be brought back and how do you determine that? I had some trouble with some BMW X5 headlights. Things drove me crazy. Didn't come out the way i had hoped they would ya know.



Great work though!

Thanks!

What was your process for the X5 lights? Be as detailed as possible...

 

[RaskyR1]

Nice work! The side by side pics are very cool too! :2thumbs:



I would think if you cleared them you would have orange peel and that would need to be wet sanded as well...



Anyone have close up pics of a cleared light?

 

[vtec92civic]

Thanks!

What was your process for the X5 lights? Be as detailed as possible...

you got PM

 

[kaval]

Nice work! The side by side pics are very cool too! :2thumbs:



I would think if you cleared them you would have orange peel and that would need to be wet sanded as well...



Anyone have close up pics of a cleared light?

Thanks! I was wondering about the orange peel too! My lights need some refinishing, so I might try the clearcoating method myself and see how it turns out.

 

[dennn]

Kaval, that's some 1337 work on those Honda lights!! The JDM Integra lights look awesome.

All i can say is wow! Those lights are crystal clear! I don't think one would be able to tell those from one's brand new and out of the box.



Question for you. Can all lenses be brought back and how do you determine that? I had some trouble with some BMW X5 headlights. Things drove me crazy. Didn't come out the way i had hoped they would ya know.



Great work though!

Most headlight lenses are VERY hard and can be safely sanded down. Also they are quite thick. Even after some vigorous sanding, you're barely removing any plastic from the lenses.



However, when polishing the lenses with a compound, heat can be quite an issue. There are many headlight restoration "kits" out there thrown together for drill applications. I find the electric drill to be too tedious to operate. While spot repair air-driven drills are workable because of their weights, I find the electric drill too heavy for proper polishing. Rotary is the best machine to use even for headlight restorations.

 

[automedix]

I use Hi-Tech Industries Magna Shine - I get tremendous results.Headlight Restoration

 

[imported_Jakerooni]

Just what I wanted to see.. I have a headlight restore coming up on Monday. I love the step by steps.. I have everything in hand so hopefully I can get similar or very close results Thanks for the write up!!!

 

[Scottwax]

Just what I wanted to see.. I have a headlight restore coming up on Monday. I love the step by steps.. I have everything in hand so hopefully I can get similar or very close results Thanks for the write up!!!

Make sure you post your headlight restorations, I had a Supra interior detail the other day and the owner had seen the Skyline headlights I restored so he wanted the headlights of his Supra restored too. Nearly doubled what I originally expected to make!