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<\/p>\nIt is nearly impossible to go anywhere and not see\u00a0a vehicle with headlights that are in\u00a0very poor condition. Headlight restoration is going to remain an important task for anyone in the detailing industry. \u00a0With most of the cars on the road today having plastic lenses, it is very common as they age to become hazy or have a yellow look to them such as the set in this example. \u00a0When your lights begin to look like this you are losing a majority of the lighting output, which is\u00a0safety concern.<\/p>\n
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For this example I had\u00a0a set of Chrysler Voyager headlights that were in very poor condition as the lens was heavily oxidized. \u00a0This picture of the headlight is prior to me starting the restoration process. \u00a0It should be noted that you do not need to have the headlights removed from the vehicle in order to perform this task.\u00a0The owner of these removed them as this was the only thing I was doing on the vehicle, making it\u00a0easier than giving\u00a0me the whole vehicle.<\/p>\n
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If you’re working on the headlights while they are still on the car, you will want to tape off the paint around the outer edges of the headlights to protect it\u00a0while sanding. \u00a0Due to the condition of these lights I started with a fairly aggressive 320 grit sand paper. \u00a0For this step you will want to dry sand using a sanding block and work in one direction, horizontal or vertical. \u00a0As seen\u00a0in the picture above I worked horizontal across the light on this step.<\/p>\n
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After doing the whole surface with 320 grit, I followed that up with 600 grit paper in the opposing direction. \u00a0You will want to alternate the direction in which you sand as your progress your way from course grits to finer grits.<\/p>\n
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This was followed up with 800 grit paper, which was done with horizontal passes. \u00a0This will be the last step in which you will be dry sanding. \u00a0The next few sanding steps you will be wet sanding.<\/p>\n
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For the remainder of the\u00a0steps I used my Rupes LHR 75E<\/a>, which really speeds up\u00a0the last few steps of the process. \u00a0I keep the speed set at a lower level when sanding, for the Rupes I keep it between setting 2 and 3.<\/p>\n For the first step of the wet sanding process,\u00a0I am using a Meguiar’s Unigrit 1000 Foam Finishing Disc<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0I like using\u00a0one of the DI 4 oz. spray bottles<\/a>, however you can use any\u00a0small spray bottle filled with water to mist the surface to keep it wet while sanding.<\/p>\n As you progress through the\u00a0steps, you should be able to see the\u00a0lens improve in clarity\u00a0as the surface becomes further\u00a0refined. \u00a0The above image\u00a0shows the\u00a0surface after being wiped cleaned.<\/p>\n This was then followed up with the final wet sanding step. \u00a0A\u00a0Meguiar’s 3000 Unigrit Foam Finishing Disc<\/a>\u00a0is used with a spray bottle again, which really cleans up the surface. \u00a0At this point a majority of the defects are now gone leaving a nice flat surface. You are now able to proceed to the compounding and polishing process.<\/p>\n Once all the sanding is finished, you can begin the compounding process to remove the sanding marks from the previous steps. \u00a0I typically like to use a 3″ Meguiar’s MF Cutting Pad<\/a>\u00a0with my Rupes Mini. \u00a0My favorite compounds to use are\u00a0Meguiar’s M105<\/a> or Optimum Hyper Compound<\/a>, however you can use any compound that you have on hand. \u00a0You will follow this up with a finishing polish such as Meguiar’s M205<\/a> or Optimum Hyper Polish<\/a> on a foam finishing pad. \u00a0For this example I used a yellow Rupes 4″ Foam Polishing Pad<\/a>.<\/p>\n After finishing up the restoration process, you will want to clean the surface with Carpro Eraser<\/a> or an IPA wipe down to remove any polishing residue that may be present before applying a sealant or coating over the lens. \u00a0On this set of lights I used Carpro DLUX Plastic and Wheel Coating<\/a>,\u00a0or another alternative could be\u00a0a sealant such as Carpro Reload<\/a>. \u00a0You will want to use some type of protection on the lens following this process. If protection is not used,\u00a0the lens will quickly yellow again due to the removal of the coating during the restoration process.<\/p>\n Follow these simple steps to take your headlights from yellowed and dingy to nearly new condition in less than an afternoon. \u00a0If you think they look good in the daylight, they will look even better at night when all your hard work truly shines.<\/p>\n If you are looking for a simple all in one kit to begin restoring headlights, give the\u00a0Meguiar’s Professional Headlight and Spot Repair Kit<\/a>\u00a0a try.<\/p>\n![\"KMG](\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/555\/20403250546_8c52816fca_b.jpg\")
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<\/p>\nCompounding & Polishing Process<\/h2>\n
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