Headlight sealant: spar urethane vs. opti coat 2.0

**mr.fusion** · 12-03-2012, 07:50 PM

For your own car, I would say take time going through sanding and polishing process to bring the lens back to a good finish and then maintain it with regular application of a wax/sealant with uv inhibitors, and at any point you could decide to use a more permanent coating.

Or you can wipe on minwax and cross your fingers

**pedro_paydro** · 12-03-2012, 08:53 PM

Or you can wipe on minwax and cross your fingers

^^ haha yes o well i havent had any issues w it.

**Part-timer** · 12-04-2012, 06:42 AM

Originally Posted by mr.fusion

I got my hands on some and have been using it for a few weeks. So far, it's holding up very nicely.

For best results, you need to get the lens fully refinished, including a compounding step, prior to applying the coating. It's not going to fill/hide sanding sins like minwax. But it does leave a nice flat natural look, without streaks of a thick coating or pattern of a spray coating. It may not have the same gloss of some other coatings, but the bottom line is that it looks good, period. If it proves to be a "permanent" coating.... still looks great after a year and continues to hold up pretty decent for another year or more, we have a winnner.

Where/how can I get MY hands on some of this?

**mr.fusion** · 12-04-2012, 10:53 PM

You might contact the AGO guys or Optimum direct to see what the status is. It was due to be released this month.

**ABC415** · 01-10-2013, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by mr.fusion

You might contact the AGO guys or Optimum direct to see what the status is. It was due to be released this month.

Who is AGO? I would like to contact them.

**Fishincricket** · 01-10-2013, 06:01 PM

Originally Posted by ABC415

Who is AGO? I would like to contact them.

That would be Auto Geek Online, upon who's forum you currently reside....

**ABC415** · 01-11-2013, 03:23 PM

Would it be advisable to put on a sealant after the spar/min method?

**ABC415** · 01-11-2013, 04:01 PM

Originally Posted by ray6

Assuming all the original coating was removed when you restored, when you see heavier deterioration at the top, it's probably be due to that surface receiving more UV than the rest of the headlight. If you wait long enough, the entire headlight will cloud starting from the top and working down.

We use a polyurethane coating, not minwax/MS but probably similar. However, our coating is much thicker than a 50/50 mix. The thicker the coating, the longer the lifetime, but the more difficult it is to apply.

We now only use poly for low end restores (fleets, buy here-pay here, etc.) but we are guaranteeing for 1 year. Few callbacks, but some, especially PT Cruisers because of their horizontal surfaces. They get hammered with UV.

You might try the following to get better lifetime:

Don't sand any finer than 1500 grit. The rougher the surface, the more surface area to stick to.

Make sure surface is spotless before applying poly. We scrub twice with blue lint free scott towel and Propanol. Don't use any alcohol with water in it like rubbing alcohol.

Make sure the cup you mix in isn't coated with wax, like a paper cup from McSonald's. HDPE or PET is best.

You want as heavy a coat as you can apply, Not familiar with Minwax, but would start ay 100% if possible. A heavier coat is thicker and dries slower, giving you time to work the coating. We apply with closed foam applicators wiping on with horizontal strokes, followed by wiping vertically. This smooths out the coating and gives you a uniform thickness. This should last longer. If you're charging money for your restores, I would try using a better coating like 2K LPE. This is what we use on most restores and warrant for 2 years (with 2 coats). The actual cost per headlight (2 coats) is less than a dollar. Poly is probably a quarter, Not worth the risk.

ray6

What's 2K LPE?

**BeachZone** · 01-11-2013, 04:17 PM

Is there any possibility that we can get the images reuploaded or something? I'm really curious to see the photos but none of them are working for me?

-Elijah

**roswell630** · 01-11-2013, 06:02 PM

Originally Posted by BeachZone

Is there any possibility that we can get the images reuploaded or something? I'm really curious to see the photos but none of them are working for me?

-Elijah

Elijah, I don't have any comparisons between the two but here are a few using the spar method. 1 to 1 mixture. I used 2000/2500/3000 grit paper soaked in water. I could have worked them a little longer on the drivers side, but the results are still nice. Hope this helps a little to see the outcome. You can also look at this post for other images.

The first two are before anything was done. The third is after sanding and the rest are afters.

Hope this gives you some info.

- Don