Headlight Restoration

[Erni902]

Right guys so my Zed was MOT'd 1 week ago before I bought it. The only advisory was both headlights slightly cloudy. This didnt really bother me until I saw the car. In my opinion it was the only thing that let the overall look of the car down. So I decided to do something about it. I looked online for someone to refurb them for me but then saw the cost. Yes cheaper than a new set but still not an attractive price. I then started looking at restoration kits with the sand paper sheets and polish and buffing pads etc etc. again these were expensive for what they were. I couldve bought the individual bits from B&Q for half the price.

 

So there I was holding a Meguiars kit in my hand thinking nah I can do it cheaper. Then I thought bu66er it everyone raves about toothpaste so why not give that a go. I then purchased a pair of Meguiars Microfiber Applicators for £3 from Halfrauds and then off to Sainsbury's and purchased a tube of Colgate Deep Clean Whitening toothpaste with added baking soda for £2.50.

 

 

Once home I started the process. Gave the lights a clean and then a wipe down with an alcohol wipe so it dried quickly.

 

Took 1 of the pads out and smeared toothpaste on one side. I then applied this to the light working it in a circular motion until the entire light was covered. I then continued to work in a circular motion wetting the lights occasionally as I went. I then turned the pad over and gave it a last work over until the toothpaste was all but worked in and removed. Once the lens was free of toothpaste I simply took the 2nd pad and dried it off in a buffing motion. Et Voila!! Done and what a difference it made!! See the before and after below:

 

 

 

The drivers side was worse and a bigger difference can be seen there. Yes I do realise the angel eye in the drivers side has come off its mount but these aren't currently wired up so makes no difference when the lights are on. Im potentially looking at replacing the lights at some point in the future anyway so not mega fussed about it.

 

Also I did not finish it off with any kind of polish or wax or sealant because even if its something I have to do once a month then I dont mind for the cost, time (around 5 mins per light) and relatively little effort.

Edited August 2, 2016 by Erni902

[veeg33]

Good work there mate. I would apply some UV sealant or UV wax on it to make it last longer. Mine lasted about 6 months ish with UV wax on.

[iwanprice12]

Good stuff, my job this week if it actually dries up! Looks great!

[coldel]

Nice one, I remember wasso compounded mine with a DA then waxed them - was a whole 'nother level!

[HEADPHONES]

Not only look great but probably taste minty too

[scobie140]

Looking good, another thing on my to do list at somepoint

[brillomaster]

i tried this.... but made the mistake of using a common or garden dish scouring pad, which funnily enough scratched the lens.

 

next time if I do it, ill be buying some proper applicator pads!

[Randy_Baton]

i tried this.... but made the mistake of using a common or garden dish scouring pad, which funnily enough scratched the lens.

 

next time if I do it, ill be buying some proper applicator pads!

 

That explains your username then!

[Justthejedi]

Good job!...what a difference it makes eh?.....by the way, where did you get your silver indicator bulbs from?

[Erni902]

These bulbs were in it when I bought the car but you can get them from many auto parts stores. I normally get them from ebay or a local motor factors. Just seach for chrome indicator bulb.

 

Just need to make sure the bayonets are situated in the right place so it fits in. Not sure if ours are 180 degrees or staggered.

[Science_GT]

I used a turtlewax kit for a tenner and worked like a charm.

[Marv]

Great result, looks spot on does that - I used Sonax glass cleaner which did the trick

[mctwistuk]

I used meguiars scratch remover and it worked pretty well. It's amazing what toothpaste can do lol

[GMballistic]

I used meguiars scratch remover and it worked pretty well. It's amazing what toothpaste can do lol

Scratch x2.0 was it?

 

I used the Megs headlight restoration kit which worked fantastically. Definitely was worth the money imo for the full kit but tbf the Ops done a fantastic job with just the toothpaste.

[Erni902]

Cheers guys, like I say took about 5 mins per light and I am very impressed with the result of very little effort and only one coat. Maybe Ill go over it a couple of times next time and see even better results but for now its done the job. Looking at maybe getting the angel eye rings and the bottom row of LED's to work next as neither of them are wired up currently.

[mctwistuk]

I used meguiars scratch remover and it worked pretty well. It's amazing what toothpaste can do lol

Scratch x2.0 was it?

 

I used the Megs headlight restoration kit which worked fantastically. Definitely was worth the money imo for the full kit but tbf the Ops done a fantastic job with just the toothpaste.

 

Can't remember to be honest. I borrowed off my brother in law. Was tempted with buying a restoration kit but thought I would try the cheap route first lol

[cearnshaw85]

im trying this!

[samsniss350z]

I used Marine (not the uniformed painted faced guys who kill people for a living) Yacht varnish from my local chandlers, the idea being that boats take a hell of a battering from the sun etc. I used wet and dry 2000 and 2500grit to clear the fogginess and to even out the finish and then applied the marine UV protectant varnish, waited for it to dry and gave it another coat. This was 2 years ago and they're still looking as good as the day i did them. I used Rustins Yacht Varnish which has a UV protectant and for a 2.5 litre tin i paid £24.95.

[ilogikal1]

for a 2.5 litre tin i paid £24.95.

 

And used, what... 5ml? 10?

 

Great product for IV protection but that's a lot of waste! Nearly as expensive as a coating too. Nearly!

[Ricey]

for a 2.5 litre tin i paid £24.95.

 

And used, what... 5ml? 10?

 

Great product for IV protection but that's a lot of waste! Nearly as expensive as a coating too. Nearly!

I only charge 20 squid for a coating on headlights.

 

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

 

 

[Floydbax]

i tried this.... but made the mistake of using a common or garden dish scouring pad, which funnily enough scratched the lens.

 

next time if I do it, ill be buying some proper applicator pads!

 

I actually used an old toothbrush, worked OK

[samsniss350z]

for a 2.5 litre tin i paid £24.95.

 

And used, what... 5ml? 10?

 

Great product for IV protection but that's a lot of waste! Nearly as expensive as a coating too. Nearly!

 

Also quite handy for varnishing my boat which i originally bought it for which surprisingly uses a fair bit more than 10ml

Edited November 9, 2016 by samsniss350z

[flat4matt]

Don't worry about scratching if you have a buffer, I used 2000grit wet and dry as my first step on the wife's lights

[GMballistic]

^^ Good job Matt. That looks great.

[Erni902]

Right guys, after a while my headlights clouded over again. This was to be expected as I did nothing to actually protect them, no clear coat etc etc so I did expect to be doing this agin soon.

 

Now this time I bit the bullet and purchased the Meguiars 2 Step Headlight Restoration Kit. Now I got this from Halfords as I have a trade card and saved £10 so it only cost me £20.

 

Its very simple to do:

 

Step 1 - Wet sand/clean with the supplied pad and cleaner. Wipe residue off with microfibre towel. Do this as many times as it takes to get an even smooth and cloudy effect on the headlight unit

 

Step 2 - Spray with the clear coat supplied. Let dry for 5-10 minutes then apply a second coat. Et Voila...Done

 

So I set about doing this yesterday. Took about an hour masking up the car and covering the paintwork and engine bay so as not to get covered in clear coat. (Did this as I didnt want to take the bumper off)

 

The only issue with this is that it was actually too cold for the clear coat to dry properly and it looked horrendous and as it dried it started to crack. So....

 

This brings me to today when I decided to remove the bummper and the headlights and carry out the job inside. Set to it and all is good. Fantastic difference and now it should hopefully stay this way for some time. Now I do have a question for you guys.

 

As I have removed the headlights and restored them they are obviously sat inside. Now they have dried and have been inside for well over an hour now and the clear coat is dry to touch. The question is it has started raining slightly here now and I was wondering if any of you detailing guru's knew if it would matter if I put the lights back on the car now or if the cold weather and rain would damage it again before it has had sufficient time to properly cure?

 

Meguiars say that it can take up to 24hrs for the clear coat to cure properly so should I leave the lights off and inside overnight or will I be okay to put them back on as it is dry? Just conscious of the lack of light these days and was hoping to use the car tonight although its no biggie if I cant.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice and I will be sure to get some pics up of the finished look and the product I used.