Headlight restoration

[Bill1234]

I have tried to restore my headlights a number of times. I have started with ultimate compound, and have moved to toothpaste,m105,m205 etc. should I step it up to high grit sand paper or keep trying these methods

[Scott@IncrediblyDetailed]

You'll need 2000 and 3000 grit to remove the oxidation and old clear coat that has failed. Then polish and seal.

[VroomVroom]

^ Totally agreed. I follow the 3k grit paper with at least M105/LC Orange/PC, and sometimes M205/LC White/PC. Some lenses finish great with the M105 (Toyota, GM, Audi), while others (Honda, Mercedes) seem to need that extra bit of refinement. FWIW, I was shy about sanding at first, but I've not seen a successful restore without that effort. The 3M kits are great, if that helps. For sealant, I use either Four Star UPP or Blackfire WD. Good luck...

[Bill1234]

Then ill be new to wetsanding . Ill be working by hand as I only have a 4v drill. So I would go with heavier cut paper (low grit ). then higher grit paper with water ? I have a da by meguiars and m105 and 205 which is lucky for me. I also have painters tape. About the head light problem. So I would wet the paper for 20 minutes then rub and spray water on ?

help would be appreciated

[CM8 6MT]

Then ill be new to wetsanding . Ill be working by hand as I only have a 4v drill. So I would go with heavier cut paper (low grit ). then higher grit paper with water ? I have a da by meguiars and m105 and 205 which is lucky for me. I also have painters tape. About the head light problem. So I would wet the paper for 20 minutes then rub and spray water on ?

help would be appreciated

Make sure you use plenty of lubrication, and I mean PLENTY. I learned that the hard way last year when I tried to restore my headlights with 3M's kit , didnt use enough water and they didnt turn out so well.

Second time around I did it by hand actually, 1000, 2000, 2500, 3000 then followed up with Meg's Plastic X, and finally Meg's UC.

Take your time and work clean. Treat it as if it were paint.

[Bill1234]

So basically I would start with 1000 and move on up. How would I hold the sand paper, Should I rub as if I was doing a woodworking project? I have water as my lubricant and I also do have uc

[CM8 6MT]

So basically I would start with 1000 and move on up. How would I hold the sand paper, Should I rub as if I was doing a woodworking project? I have water as my lubricant and I also do have uc

Some folks say you should sand directionally, meaning one way only. I sand both directionally and in circles like im buffing by hand with no issues. You can use water or add a little bit of ONR for extra lubrication.

The important key is lubrication, use lots of it liberally because you want to remove the oxidation but at the same time you want to minimize any additional scratching/swirling. So when you compound, they will come out crystal clear.

Edit : make sure you TAPE the surrounding paint around your headlights. Double tape them for extra protection.

[Bill1234]

Im on an audi so would m105 on a wax pad or a cutting pad be okay?

[CM8 6MT]

Im on an audi so would m105 on a wax pad or a cutting pad be okay?

Thats going to be up to you to decide what compound you want to finish off with. Meg's Plastic X cleared them up for me, but there was still very light marring left. When I hit it with UC, they were cleared away. Usually the headlight restoration kits come with some type of Rubbing Compound, im sure M105 will work fine. You can even hit them with Ultimate Polish or Menzerna SF4500 for optimal clarity.

[Bill1234]

so basically I would rub back and forth with 1000 grit sand paper while its soaked and use water as a lubricant then polish out the haze with ultimate compound and a red cutting pad or m105 and a red cutting pad

[Anthony@zerboautoworks]

so basically I would rub back and forth with 1000 grit sand paper while its soaked and use water as a lubricant then polish out the haze with ultimate compound and a red cutting pad or m105 and a red cutting pad


use soap and water in a spray bottle for lubrication while wet sanding.

[Bill1234]

would I need 2000 and 3000 too ?

[CM8 6MT]

so basically I would rub back and forth with 1000 grit sand paper while its soaked and use water as a lubricant then polish out the haze with ultimate compound and a red cutting pad or m105 and a red cutting pad

Basically, like Zerbo said use soapy water. I forgot to mention that, or you can use a little bit of ONR.

Spend the majority of your sanding time with the 3000 grit. You can realistically skip the 2500, I only did it because I really like to finish down my work but others have gone from 2000 to 3000 with no issues.

[Bill1234]

I found a 6 pack I can order off of autogeek which comes with 1000 1200 1500 2000 2500 and 3000 which ones would I need to moderate oxidation?>

[CM8 6MT]

I found a 6 pack I can order off of autogeek which comes with 1000 1200 1500 2000 2500 and 3000 which ones would I need to moderate oxidation?>

That sounds like a good pack :)