Any imput? I have a customer that asked if i would do it, that is one thing I have never done, I have heard many methods are temporary. What would you recomend? Ive looked at the CG product they sell, im not intrested in the OTC kits. what is good and what is not? thanks as always for your imput
Get some wet sanding paper- 600-2500 Some Purple foam wool pads, few foam pads, orange and green 105 and 205 845iw as topper and ur set
IME when you sand a headlight, a great deal of the protective polycarbonate material is removed, especially UV protection. While putting 845 or other strong protectant over the top is nice, some of the new super-sealants (Aquartz, Gtechniq, Opti-Coat) or even a spray on UV clear coat would be a safer long term bet. Good luck, let us know how it goes.
yes, I would probably clear it with PPG clear or other Automotive grade clear. SO are the kits are worthless ? and is the sanding method the way to go? I just know some of the OTC kits last about a month or so and start looking like crap again. Anyone have any imput on kits?
Depends on the how bad and hard the headlights are, I would give m105 a go first. If the lens (plastic) are peeling, as far as i know sanding is the more effective method. I tried 600gt hand sanding on a benz's lens before and it did little even after sanding for 15 mins! Ever since then, gave up hand sanding and went on to Da sanding. Meguiar has their own pro healight restore system, you may want to have a look at it. Locally(Singapore) i could only get mirka and siawatt sanding disc so that is what I use. Grit range from 320p-4000p
When asked to provide this service for my customers I give them a couple of options... a) Resurface and polish/6 month guarantee b) Resurface and re-coat with sacrificial UV coating/2 year guarantee Here are some before and after shots of this 1996 Porsche C2 with failed lenses. Before headlight lens restoral After headlight lens restoral Steps for my option b) above resurface and re-coat Masking and prep is one of the most important parts of offering this type of service. Failure to do so may be costly Failed coating is removed by resurfacing lens, here you will see the area up close that has been removed versus whats still on. After spraying the UV coating it is cured with a UV curing lamp After shots Tools and products used Compressor 3 in air sander 15,000 rpm 3 in Backing plate 3 in interface pad Mirka Abralon 320,500,800,1500,3000 (320,500,800 - dry) (1500, 3000 - wet) SEM UV Headlight Re-coat SEM UV curing lamp Lots of Blue 3M tape Paper roll for coverage IPA to wipe for prep Here is a Passat with some better pics for you to understand... Before After I hope this will help you out....
Where do you get SEM UV Headlight Re-coat and is it necessary to use the SEM UV curing lamp. I have corrected my girlfriends headlights but want to put a longer lasting coating than Blackfire Wet Diamond.
I had the same headlight cover issue on my wife's 2003 BMW 540i Touring, and all I did was wetsand with a block using 1200 grit, 3200 grit, polished with meguiars 105, L/C 4" purple foam wool, orange pad, then meguiars 205 with orange and white pad, and they came out perfectly clear. I have done nothing to them since, except washing them and going over with a Q/Detailer and they have stayed that way. This car came from Southern California with 88k freeway miles so they were pretty sanded by dirt and pitted by little rocks, etc.. I used a Porter Cable 7424 for all the polishing and a Makita Rotary 9227C for the cutting stage. Good luck with your process. Dan F
im going to try the 3m kit, its inexpensive and I have an old suburban headlamp i can try it on........ we shall see. I guess. Its not something that I want to start doing on a regular basis.
yeah, I like it, simply for the fact it takes the guess work out of the process.. thanks! Also, i talked to a freind who owns a bodyshop, he said to clear it with auto clear (ppg, dupont) then work it like a car finnish, seal, wax etc.... so ill give that a try. Maybe post up some pics.
Hmmm.I did the headlights on my 1998 Camaro Z28 as they were very bad. I even cut off the little nipples on the lenses. I had to start with 400grt and moved all the way to 4000 then polished my 105 on wool with my 9227 and polished with 205 and a foam pad on my 9227 and through on a couple coats of Collinite 845 and they look just as they did when I was done with them (I did them last summer). I'm curious about the spray UV coating though. I also have a can of General Motors clearcoat in a spray can; I wonder how that'd work, as opposed to a specific UV coating or the 845
How much was that 3M kit? I'm considering buying one at some point, because I know of a couple people who would want that done on their cars.
ive seen them about 20-30. I think walmart has one, im getting one just because it comes with the drill attachment and the paper...... but ill be doing PPG auto clear, then working it like paintwork... for the final product.
