Quick Headlight Restoration

[Newdetailer1]

Started with 600 and then went to 800, 1000, 2000. Followed up with some menzerna PF, SF and then sealed it with PL.
Customer was really had to have his night driving visibility back!

[Sponger8]

Was that by hand or some type of machine polisher? And cuz I'm a noob could you translate your acronyms for the products you used?

[jknott58]

Has anybody tried the Wolfgang or diamondite headlight kits? Looking to find out which one is better tried the sanding process and have had success with it and some not so good so wanna add something different. Just wanna find out what one is better or if no good at all

[Newdetailer1]

Was that by hand or some type of machine polisher? And cuz I'm a noob could you translate your acronyms for the products you used?

Sorry. The PF is for menzerna Power Finish, SF is for menzerna Super Finish and PL is for menzerna Powerlock. The sanding was done by hand and then I hit the lights with my flex 3401 (orange ccs pad for the PF and white pad for the SF)

Has anybody tried the Wolfgang or diamondite headlight kits? Looking to find out which one is better tried the sanding process and have had success with it and some not so good so wanna add something different. Just wanna find out what one is better or if no good at all

I've never used any kits. Always just used the sand paper followed with some polish and sealer.

[Ohio Detailing]

Has anybody tried the Wolfgang or diamondite headlight kits? Looking to find out which one is better tried the sanding process and have had success with it and some not so good so wanna add something different. Just wanna find out what one is better or if no good at all

I would like to know about this as well. My headlights are NO WHERE as bad as these, just wanting to do some thorough surface cleaning from some light pebble nicks and slight surface contamination.

[mamut]

i used the diamondite kit. didnt really have any success with it. maybe user error but i doubt it.

[Talvanos]

I've never used any kits. Always just used the sand paper followed with some polish and sealer.

+1

The items I use on a PCXP are as follows;
Meguiars Unigrit 3 Inch Foam Interface Pad, foam backup pad, sanding disc interface
with
Meguiars Unigrit 500 3 inch Sanding Discs, 50 per box
Meguiars Unigrit 800 3 Inch Sanding Discs, 50 per box
Meguiars Unigrit 1500 3 Inch Sanding Discs, 25 per box
and then this
3M Trizact Hookit 3 Inch Foam Discs P3000, 3m spot repair discs, abrasive discs

Next I start polishing with
Single 3 x 1.25 Inch Hydro-Tech Cyan Advanced Cutting Foam Pad and
Meguiars Mirror Glaze #105 Ultra-Cut Compound 32 oz. New D.A. Version

and then finally this

Single 3 x 1.25 Hydro-Tech Tangerine Ultra Polishing Foam Pad
Meguiars Mirror Glaze #205 Ultra Finishing Polish, final polish, Meguiars polishes, car polish, 205 FP

Of course this is all dependent on how bad they are.

This process I have down pact.

I am looking for a clear coat paint with UV protect-ant in it that DOES NOT require a UV light for curing. That is my only hang up right now. I have used Meguiars Headlight Protectant, plastic protectant, plastic sealer but I want something more long term. Not something I have to re-apply every 2-3 months.

[reggie1967]

Has anybody tried the Wolfgang or diamondite headlight kits? Looking to find out which one is better tried the sanding process and have had success with it and some not so good so wanna add something different. Just wanna find out what one is better or if no good at all

i done some cars with diamondite it has come out very good but after notice some cars they fail to keep the cleaning process of the lights tends not to stay clear

[Rsurfer]

Let me know when you find it. Spar Urethane will last, but hard to work with.

+1
I am looking for a clear coat paint with UV protect-ant in it that DOES NOT require a UV light for curing. That is my only hang up right now. I have used Meguiars Headlight Protectant, plastic protectant, plastic sealer but I want something more long term. Not something I have to re-apply every 2-3 months.

[ray6]

I am looking for a clear coat paint with UV protect-ant in it that DOES NOT require a UV light for curing. That is my only hang up right now. I have used Meguiars Headlight Protectant, plastic protectant, plastic sealer but I want something more long term. Not something I have to re-apply every 2-3 months.[/QUOTE]

There are a number of wipe on coatings available that cure by different methods but not requiring UV lamps, both water based and solvent based.

As a rule of thumb, coating lifetime is a function of the coating's ability to adsorb UV and the amount of material on the headlight (coating thickness). The thicker the coating, the longer it will last. Also, the coating hardness is a factor since a softer coat will wear away quicker.

For example, wax is a good UV adsorber, but because it is thin, UV adsorption is limited. Because it is not hard, it will wear off quickly with car washing, rain, etc. This is why most coatings sold retail as shine restorer, protector, sealer, etc. don't last. Some coatings such as Opticoat are great sealers, but don't adsorb UV.

If you maintained a good coating of wax on your headlights, they'd probably stay clear forever.

For a more permanent solution (although none of them are permanent) what you want is a solution that is easy to apply a thick, even film with high solids content of UV adsorbers (usually silicone, polyurethane or phenolic) and excellent sealing capability and hardness.

Minwax/mineral spirits is a solvent based recipe that many are using. It cures by first flashing (solvent evaporation) then by oxygen adsorption.

The thicker the coating, the longer it will last. Although not really designed for this application, it does provide reasonable results and is dirt cheap.

Potential problems with spar/ms is that it is very sensitive to moisture and temperature. It also sets up very quickly, possibly too quickly in some cases. It's not a real hard coat, but adequate for some low cost restorations. If you want to go this route, read the many postings related to this coating on this forum.

Pro features is that this mixture is very good at covering sanding scratches and can be usually applied to a 1500 grit sanded surface and will fill in the scratches well.

Another feature is that it is easy to customize the mixture to meet current weather. If it's hot and/or dry, increase the mineral spirits percentage to retard the setting up. Try maybe 60% spar, 40% ms. This will retard setup, but will also apply a thinner coat. Taken to extremes, you can get runs and drips.

Theoretically, you would get the best performance from using spar at 100%, but it would be difficult or impossible to apply and would setup too quickly.

Another feature of spar/ms is that is so cheap that when you apply it, and you don't like it, you can simply wipe it off with mineral spirits and re-apply as long as you do it quickly.

This coating is very sensitive to moisture and you must be careful when applying. Scrub the headlight with 100% alcohol before applying. Denatured is fine (Home Depot). Don't use rubbing alcohol (30% water) or anything less than 100%. Make sure everything coming in contact with the spar/headlight is dry.

Many restorers go beyond 1500 grit before applying spar, and some even use compounds or other patent solutions. I don't recommend this because you don't want to use anything that might interfere with the spar. Also, the rougher the surface, the greater the surface area and the greater the adhesion between spar and polycarbonate.

Other solvent based coatings (1k and 2k) are similar to the spar method with the following exceptions:
Most have higher solids content than spar/ms.
Higher grade UV adsorbers, such as phenolic resin.
Specifically formulated to adhere to polycarbonate.
Better self-leveling capability on vertical surfaces.
Usually provides a thicker coating than most any other type of coating.
Typical lifetime 2 years vs. 1 year for spar.

Unfortunately, these solutions are expensive to manufacture (phenolic based UV adsorbers are $450 per gallon) and expensive to buy. I don't know of any kit containing a coating like this, probably since no one would buy it due to costs. For people restoring many headlights the cost is probably less than a dollar per headlight, but you have to buy $50-150's worth.

Most also cure by solvent evaporation and oxygen adsorption, but have better working characteristics such as working time and shorter drying time. These coatings usually have a golden tint to them and is quite pleasing to most customers.

There are also water borne headlight coatings (usually 2K) that cure by chemical reaction between the actual coating and hardener. Think fiberglass resin. Same chemical reaction but not the same material). You mix the coating with the hardener and coat. Curing is very quick, usually under 3-4 minutes. These coatings are usually quite thin and I recommend at least 2 coats for a long lifetime. Once this coating cures, you can't even remove it with a screwdriver (we've tried).

Pot life is typically 30-60 minutes and working time sufficient for easy application.

The downside is cost. Typical cost is $10-20/oz., but cost per headlight is probably $1 to $2/ headlight. Typical lifetime is probably 2-3 years.

On the flip side, since they are water based, they can be shipped anywhere including overseas. Solvent based cannot be shipped by air. They also have long shelf life.

There are many other coatings specifically developed for headlight restoration, but either require spraying and/or UV curing. Coatings that require UV to cure will cure just as well in sunlight as well as under UV lamps.

Some of the disadvantages of these types of coatings is that if they're sprayed, you need to tape and mask the vehicle for over spray. They are also expensive ($40-60 for 12 oz. spray can) and inefficient.
A 12 oz. can is 7 oz. product and 5 oz. propellant and transfer efficiency of spraying is about 50% so you end up with about 3 1/2 oz. on the headlight. My experience with these coatings is that some are very good, but thin and need multiple coats for long lifetime. When you factor in the extra labor costs of taping and masking, plus the high costs and short lifetime of required UV lamps (unless using sunlight) they get expensive. Also difficult to use in the field due to wind, over spray, etc.

A little research on the internet will easily turn up most of these coatings. When searching for a coating (other than spar/ms) keep these things in mind:


Most everybody fibs. They may claim 1 oz. will do x number of cars. I'd cut that number in half.

If you're new to the business, take a hard look at some vendor's estimates about how long it will take you to restore a headlight (multiply by 2) and how much you can charge (cut in half).

Also, you don't have to buy anyone's "kit". Restoring headlights is not complicated. Remove the old coating, apply a new one.
ray6