So I got bored and did the headlights

So I decided when I got bored tonight to wash my sisters car for her and buff out the oxidation on her headlights.

 

Here's what i used:

250c Grit dry sand paper

350 wet sand paper

600 wet sand paper

2000 wet sand paper

Plastix using my handheald buffer pad (orange polishing pad on one side black finishing pad on the other side.)

 

Before:

http://i30.tinypic.com/ekl3lv.jpg

http://i31.tinypic.com/29c9lrd.jpg

http://i29.tinypic.com/330vl7n.jpg

 

After:

http://i26.tinypic.com/dotn5u.jpg

http://i26.tinypic.com/14nmnf6.jpg

http://i29.tinypic.com/6eka6x.jpg

looks nice!!! good job.

Does your sister buff up just as good

 

 

 

 

she is beautiful on the outside and a rabid possum on the inside just waiting to bite your head off.

I need to do this to my car...I was wondering how to do it, thanks!

 

Directions:

Sand only in a horizontal direction and vertical direction. You want to sand until all you see is one direction of marks then switch to the other direction. (example: If your sanding horizontally then you want to sand until all the sand marks are horizontal and no vertical lines are present.)

 

the easiest way to use wet sandpaper is to just get a bucket of water and leave them all just laying inside the bucket and pull out the grit that you are using next. Also you don't need to leave running water on the lamp just keep putting the paper back into the bucket over and over to keep enough water on it.

 

You start with the lowest grit and work your way up.

 

Here's what i used:

250c Grit dry sand paper

350 wet sand paper

600 wet sand paper

2000 wet sand paper

Plastix using my handheald buffer pad (orange polishing pad on one side black finishing pad on the other side.)

Permatex makes a kit for this. It has all the sandpaper, polishes and polishing cloth to do the job. I used it on mine and did both headlights for about 12 to 15 bucks about 1.5 to 2 yrs ago.

 

Then a couple days ago I was putting on rainX on the glass and thought "why not try it on the headlights". BAD MOVE at first..............with more rainX applied to the headlights the towel got cleaner every time. I followed this with a # 10 and # 17 Meguires plastic polish and the headlights look better than just before the rainX was put on them. All I can figure is the rainX cleaned the crud and stuff off and allowed the plastic ploish to really get into the lense surface.

 

How ever you "clear" your polycarb lenses remember to tape off around them like MiniSti did.

yeah I cleared the ford rangers a few days ago but don't have any pics.

 

I find that if I redo the 600 and 2000 grit a few days later after having plastix on they really bite down good and get a beautiful result.

she is beautiful on the outside and a rabid possum on the inside just waiting to bite your head off.

 

 

:lol: Thats an awesome description!!!!!

its the first thing that came to mind...

 

I don't know if thats a bad thing or not ????

Is it a common problem to have oxidation inside the headlight lens?

its not a common problem to have it inside however it is possible depending on what your lighting setup is.

Ok got ya, I have some on the inside

I cleared my headlights spring of last year, just now starting to see patchy cloudy spots/lines on the covers. I'm gonna try the outside first with that permatex kit just for kicks, if not, it'll be another bake party. Just trying to figure out why they are doing this?! I've never had any condensation in them.

if you used some sort of silicone based product to help seal them up again then silicone when it cures releases a slight chemical that makes like a light film inside the headlamps. It can be that if you used some or its most likely the outside. I had my outsides slightly oxidizing but took care of it this past weekend while doing my lens swap and its all good now.

if you used some sort of silicone based product to help seal them up again then silicone when it cures releases a slight chemical that makes like a light film inside the headlamps. It can be that if you used some or its most likely the outside. I had my outsides slightly oxidizing but took care of it this past weekend while doing my lens swap and its all good now.

 

Wow maybe there is hope then!!! I didn't use any other sealant besides the stuff already holding the housing together. I'll give it a try, thanks.

Looks good.

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2697073#post2697073

 

I did the same thing. I have found that you can get away with two stages of sandpaper to get the brunt of the work done. Then you just need a compound then cleaner/polish.

My oxidation was actually on the outside. I was the CV kit that you can pick up at advanced auto. Headlight looks great now, just had to go over it with the included sandpaper a few times.

I found that softening the headlight with a heat gun makes the job not only easier but it comes out clearer as well (just don't melt it)

Nice work. I got to help my sister out too. She thinks a car is just a tool to go shopping.