Headlights

mjlinane

mjlinane

My name is Mike
Did these yesterday. A 2002 Honda Civic EX.

Before
KG_HL_Before.JPG


After
KG_HL_After.JPG


One round of GG6 + 4" Surbuf + D300 - maybe 3 min per headlight.
 
looks great mike. did you seal them with anything after polishing ? i've had problems in the past with the lenses yellowing again fairly quickly without a good sealant.
 
Yes, 2 coats of UPGP. Saw a new coating that has me interested for applications such as this, though.
 
Great work Mike!!

mjlinane said:
Yes, 2 coats of UPGP. Saw a new coating that has me interested for applications such as this, though.
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Three questions:

1) Is that coating the optimum headlight lens one?

2) If you seal with UPGP, how long does that in your experience?

3) How long do you wait between coats?
 
Thanks everyone. Part of the reason I posted this was just how simple the clearing of the foggy lens was. They did look like new.

ihaveacamaro said:
Three questions:

1) Is that coating the optimum headlight lens one?

2) If you seal with UPGP, how long does that in your experience?

3) How long do you wait between coats?
Click to expand...

1) No. Nanovere Nano-clear looks quite interesting and is very reasonably priced.
2) 6-9 months.
3) 45 min.
 
mjlinane said:
Thanks everyone. Part of the reason I posted this was just how simple the clearing of the foggy lens was. They did look like new.



1) No. Nanovere Nano-clear looks quite interesting and is very reasonably priced.
2) 6-9 months.
3) 45 min.
Click to expand...

OK couple follow up questions if you don't mind Mike:

1) Have you ever used anything else to seal with better results ie better longevity?
2) Have you ever had a situation were D300 wasn't aggressive enough for you?
 
ihaveacamaro said:
OK couple follow up questions if you don't mind Mike:

1) Have you ever used anything else to seal with better results ie better longevity?
2) Have you ever had a situation were D300 wasn't aggressive enough for you?
Click to expand...

1) KHGSG is probably the longest lasting sealant I have used. Just a bit more of a hassle to use.
2) Probably but there is always M105, M100 and M101.
 
mjlinane said:
1) KHGSG is probably the longest lasting sealant I have used. Just a bit more of a hassle to use.
2) Probably but there is always M105, M100 and M101.
Click to expand...

Sorry I'm playing 20 questions with you Mike, but couple more questions if you don't mind:

1) Ever had to use sanding disks, or have you been able to always remove oxidation/cloudiness with compounds?

2) Have you ever had to deal with cloudiness on the inside of headlights?

3) And if so, what did you do, if at all, to deal with that?

Thanks again Mike!
 
ihaveacamaro said:
Sorry I'm playing 20 questions with you Mike, but couple more questions if you don't mind:

1) Ever had to use sanding disks, or have you been able to always remove oxidation/cloudiness with compounds?

2) Have you ever had to deal with cloudiness on the inside of headlights?

3) And if so, what did you do, if at all, to deal with that?

Thanks again Mike!
Click to expand...

No worries.

1) Haven't needed sanding yet. I used to bust out the rotary but this combo is as effective and much easier/safer.
2) & 3) Yes and you are pretty much hosed there. They would need to be replaced or at least disassembled.
 
mjlinane said:
No worries.

1) Haven't needed sanding yet. I used to bust out the rotary but this combo is as effective and much easier/safer.
2) & 3) Yes and you are pretty much hosed there. They would need to be replaced or at least disassembled.
Click to expand...

Thank you Mike, I'm thinking about doing some headlight restorations (as they are pretty quick and you can make a decent amount of money), that's why I'm asking all these questions.

Do you know of any ways you could tell if the headlight has cloudiness inside the headlight BEFORE you start so as to avoid wasting time. I don't think it would be right to charge for headlight restorations, if there was no restoration lol, so avoiding wasting time in the first place would be nice.
 
ihaveacamaro said:
Thank you Mike, I'm thinking about doing some headlight restorations (as they are pretty quick and you can make a decent amount of money), that's why I'm asking all these questions.

Do you know of any ways you could tell if the headlight has cloudiness inside the headlight BEFORE you start so as to avoid wasting time. I don't think it would be right to charge for headlight restorations, if there was no restoration lol, so avoiding wasting time in the first place would be nice.
Click to expand...

I haven't figured out a way yet to tell. But, as I indicated, I probably only invested 5 minutes clearing them. Then I use the sealant I use on the rest of the car. Even if there is stuff on the inside, clearing the outside dramatically improves the headlight performance.
 
Nice work!

Ihaveacamaro- I have done tons of headlight restorations and have never come across ones that had hazing on the inside (other than water condensation).

The outside of the lens will oxidize (and block UV light) much faster then the inside, which almost seals the inside from hazing. I am sure that over time, with enough exposure, and enough "restorations" that the inside could degrade. At this point you would probably have to back the headlight assembly, remove the lens, and clean it like that.
 
True. The one case I had was after a hack slapped on some miracle salve and got it on the inside of the lens.
 
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