Headlight Restoration-new UV sealant idea

[The Guz]

On another forum I'm a member of there is a vender selling vinyl headlight covering, like a clear bra. Anyone tried something like that?

Check out X-pel. It's great stuff. Have it on my headlights.

[foolthrottle808]

Hi, newbie from Hawaii here. My recent attempt at the Glasweld Gclear on a 96 Dodge Caravan light. This was my first time using a coating like this so there was a bit of a run in the middle of the light. Personally I don't think its bad at all, though I wouldn't call it perfect. From a distance and to the casual eye...it looks pretty good.

[jeff79]

Headlight sealer: Spraymax

i wonder if this would be a good idea to spray onto the lights(instead of cleaning it with oms/ipa) as a primer right before the clearcoat. ive been reading good things about this helping to promote plastic adhesion.

[SameGuy]

If you're using Gclear you shouldn't need a primer. Just sand off the old coating, clean with diluted IPA and apply the Gclear. I've had better results finishing to P3000 before the Gclear, BTW, rather than stopping at P2000 as GlasWeld suggests.

[jeff79]

If you're using Gclear you shouldn't need a primer. Just sand off the old coating, clean with diluted IPA and apply the Gclear. I've had better results finishing to P3000 before the Gclear, BTW, rather than stopping at P2000 as GlasWeld suggests.

i know it may not be neccessary im just wondering if its possible that the primer can help the gclear adhere to the light better and increase the longevity of the gclear. again i have no idea if this would work or not(im not a chemist) but i wonder if theres a chance it could help.

did you stop at P3000 to improve the clarity of the lens? i have done a comparison where i would stop at p2000 on one light and P3000 on the other and i didnt notice any visible difference in clarity between the 2 lights. Another reason i stop at p2 is becuase ive read stopping at a lower grit will promote better adhesion for the clear.

also how is the gclear holding up for you? does the headlight have the same clarity as the day you applied it? i applied the gclear i think 4-5 months ago and am starting to notice light white streaking on the light but you need to be very close to the headlight to notice.

[jeff79]

ok so ive received 2 complaints of about 40-45 regarding the longevity of the gclear. One guy whose lights i did looked real bad after only 3.5 months like the gclear really started to streak up after a few months. They arent starting to yellow but you can tell the gclear is either peeling or streaking or something and i feel obligated to fix this since i have been giving out 1 year warranties with the gclear. Im guessing there are more then 2 people whose lights need to be redone but only 2 have complained. does anyone know anything about jetseal109? i heard it will last a long time on headlights.





Here is a pic of the lights

[paintman607]

Did you contact Glas-Weld and get their comments? If so What did they tell you. I haven't had that problem with Gclear

[SameGuy]

That looks like what I've experienced on one single lens, I've attributed it to contamination from my IPA wipe and some residual slurry that may have flowed out of a seal. That lens didn't want to cure as quickly as it should've, and looked about 95%. As this was right before winter I told my friend I'd do it again in the spring, sanding down to the PC again. Not looking forward to it, but I knew it would be a problem as soon as I finished.

[tigerwash]

Headlights look great!

[jeff79]

That looks like what I've experienced on one single lens, I've attributed it to contamination from my IPA wipe and some residual slurry that may have flowed out of a seal. That lens didn't want to cure as quickly as it should've, and looked about 95%. As this was right before winter I told my friend I'd do it again in the spring, sanding down to the PC again. Not looking forward to it, but I knew it would be a problem as soon as I finished.

i dont think the ipa/oms is what caused it because they looked brand new right after i finished and stayed looking that way for a few months. i had this same problem with the spar/oms method where the exact same streaks would start to appear after several months. this could be happeing becuase i am using the sunlight rather then the lamp to cure the lights even though the guys at gclear assured me the sunlight(few hours) would be enough to cure the lens properly. im deciding whether i should invest in the uv curing lamp or find a new system for the clear coat. have you heard anything about a company called dvelup? apparently they have a very good liquid clear coat according to other forums.. let me know if you have heard anything about them