recommendations to restore these headlights?

[zadjali]

Hello,

I have these headlights i tried to sand/polish the lenses but they still look cloudy. Do you think the cloudiness and the dots are from the inside? Any tips or solution to restore these headlights?

Steps that were used:

1000,1500, 2000 grit.
Megs 105 and LC orange cutting pad
Megs 205 gray finishing pad.

Before:
http://img102.herosh.com/2010/03/11/729966176.jpg (http://www.herosh.com)
http://img6.imageshack.us/i/beforefy.jpg/http://img8.imageshack.us/i/after1o.jpg/
http://img704.imageshack.us/i/23021458.jpg/http://img8.imageshack.us/i/after1o.jpg/http://img102.herosh.com/2010/03/11/715971760.jpg (http://www.herosh.com)


After:
http://img101.herosh.com/2010/03/11/599274406.jpg (http://www.herosh.com)
http://www8.0zz0.com/2010/03/11/08/299774572.jpg (http://www.0zz0.com)

http://img102.herosh.com/2010/03/11/429427562.jpg (http://www.herosh.com)
http://img297.imageshack.us/i/afterw.jpg/
http://img59.imageshack.us/i/before1l.jpg/
http://img8.imageshack.us/i/after1o.jpg/

[zadjali]

any suggestions how to remove the dots?

[A4 1.8tqm]

Are the dots pitted into the plastic? If you are unable to sand/polish them out you could try filling them by spraying a couple coats of clear and sanding like I did in my thread http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/22692-glass-fog-light-restore.html or try the spar urethane method here http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/19021-headlight-restoration-new-uv-sealant-idea.html :cheers:

Let us know if you find a solution and don't forget to take some pics! :D

[ScottB]

thats road rash debris ...(dots) ... have them on my foglamps with less than 11k miles. URG !

[LincolnZephyr2006]

What machine are you using on these?

[zadjali]

Are the dots pitted into the plastic? If you are unable to sand/polish them out you could try filling them by spraying a couple coats of clear and sanding like I did in my thread http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/22692-glass-fog-light-restore.html or try the spar urethane method here http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/19021-headlight-restoration-new-uv-sealant-idea.html :cheers:

Let us know if you find a solution and don't forget to take some pics! :D

They are not pitted and cannot be felt by hand. They do not appear unless the headlights are on.

Thank you for the links i will try one of the methods out.

[zadjali]

thats road rash debris ...(dots) ... have them on my foglamps with less than 11k miles. URG !

Any way to prevent the dots from happening? i have a new car and there are some dots that appear when the lamps are on.

[zadjali]

What machine are you using on these?

I used Makita 9227c with 4" spot buff pads.

[LincolnZephyr2006]

They must be pretty deep then... My only rec. is to start with 600 grit and work your way up from there then.... even though that sound a bit too aggressive..

[A4 1.8tqm]

Examining the pics, the "look" of the lenses really remind me of the the way my fogs looked after clear coating, sanding and polishing. In the second pic it looks like there is a little orange peel on the lens, also the dots resemble solvent popping, is it possible that they have already been clear-coated and you just don't know it?

[zadjali]

Examining the pics, the "look" of the lenses really remind me of the the way my fogs looked after clear coating, sanding and polishing. In the second pic it looks like there is a little orange peel on the lens, also the dots resemble solvent popping, is it possible that they have already been clear-coated and you just don't know it?

It is my friends car headlights, he told me that he took it to a shop and they couldn't do anything so they sprayed some clear coat on them. I though by sanding 1000 might remove the excess clear coat that was sprayed on them. I just did not want to go crazy on them and cause damage.

[zadjali]

They must be pretty deep then... My only rec. is to start with 600 grit and work your way up from there then.... even though that sound a bit too aggressive..

Actually it is my friends car headlights, it is ok to go crazy on them because if they cannot be fixed hes planning to buy new set of headlights.
I was thinking of sanding them with 600 and 800 grit but i have to find out a local supplier that sells them.

[A4 1.8tqm]

Ha! I'll try not to be too proud of my exceptional eye. :p

It would have made this a lot easier if you told us that in the first place. So what I think is going on is that the shop spayed the clear too thick, as the clear dries little air bubbles of evaporating solvent get trapped in the Too-thick layer of clear, this is called solvent popping. When you sand/polish you take off the top edge of the bubble leaving a divot. Make sense?

It is likely that this "shop" only applied one really thick coat and you will not be able too fix it without removing all the clear they applied. You could re-do the clear coat treatment yourself no prob following my fogs restore method, but the shop should be held accountable. I bet if you did that sanding/polishing process before the shop cleared them you would've been fine. Why were they cleared in the first place?

If you sand much further you will likely go through the clear, if you do you can probably peel it all off pretty easy (I doubt the surface was prepped for painting).

[zadjali]

I missed that point, when u mentioned it i remembered my friend told me about spraying the clear.
i got it so i think the shop sprayed the clear and they polished them which caused the divot. When i saw it first time these dots were there.

I am not sure why the shop sprayed the clear, looks like they did not want the guy to leave the shop without making him pay for anything :p

How can i know when am going through the clear and nothing is left?

[zadjali]

The picture below shows the dots closer than the previous pictures.

http://www14.0zz0.com/2010/03/13/22/869443318.jpg (http://www.0zz0.com)