Just a quick question concerning my headlights ... I have the iron man LEDs and decided to do a quick restoration since the top parts began to form some nasty oxidation.


I used Meguiars headlight restoration kit which I used previously on my g35, which worked unbelievably well. For some reason, this time they came out very cloudy and in all honesty worse than they were before. I was able to sand out most of the oxidation but they are just not clear. The only thing I did different was I got store bought sand paper since the original ones were already used.


I used the exact same steps as my g35 lights;
800 grit wet sand
1000 grit wet sand
2500 grit we sand
Polishing compound
UV protectant


The UV protectant ended up clearing them a little better than the polishing compound but not anywhere near as clear as they should be. Anybody experience this?

 

To me it sounds like they need a little more polishing.
I know when I did my headlights they looked really cloudy before the final step.






LINK

g/l

 

When restoring headlights I sand down to 3000 and use at least 2 machine polishing steps/compounds. I've never had even the slightest issue with them turning out anything less than crystal clear. Sand down finer. Polish finer.

 

I'm attempting it again this weekend so ill try to sanding down maybe finer and double-ing up the polish.

Question - - the polish applicator pad that attaches to the drill that came with the kit is now used and basically beat... the material was not anywhere close to as soft as the first time I used it and it may have affected the application of the compound. Any way to effectively apply the compound with something else? i.e. sponge, rag, something

 

Do you happen to know anyone w/ a DA buffer like a Porter Cable? It sounds like you just answered your question as far as your final polish pad wasn't smooth resulting in a final polish that wasn't really final. The finest I use is 2500 grit and have always had crystal results, going down to 3000 couldn't hurt. I use Mcguiars Ultimate compound for the final on my DA.
Gio 37s link uses Blue Magic for the final UV protectant and that would be a good final cover (something I need to do next time). So I'd get a couple new buff pads and even better if you can get a DA or borrow one. The Porter Cable is very good and if you like to do your own detailing it's a great investment, so easy to use and will get great results w/ the proper pad and compound assortment.

 

I guess that makes sense, I mean I did still apply it to the best of my ability, it just wasnt as smooth as it was the first time; the fibers in the pad had worn out significantly and the polish was sorta rubbing on more than "polishing".

I probably should invest in a buffer as I do detail the car myself regularly, just need to find time. But if I went out and bought new pads to re-apply the polish, what kind of pads should I be looking for? Does meguiares sell just the polish applying pad ?

 

That's a good question, I'm guessing the large auto chain stores probably have some type drill buffer pad, Harbor Freight perhaps?

 

They do. And if all you have is a drill then I guess that's the direction you'll have to go. http://www.meguiars.com/en/automotiv...-power-system/

Fill bucket with warm soapy water. Toss in all your paper to soak for a few minutes. Then:

Start with 800 this time. Go North South. 1000 East West. 1500 North South. 2000 East West. 2500 North South. 3000 (trizact) East West.

Now take your polishing apparatus, use a compound. A good store bought version is http://www.meguiars.com/en/automotiv...mate-compound/

Wipe that off and then protect the lens with some sort of coating. My preference is Opti-Lens Coating

 

When I refinish headlights without clear coating, I sand with anything from 1000-1500 grit (I pick one and only one grit to use) and finish them out with traditional body shop compound like Presta Ultra Cutting Cream. That product in conjunction with a wool cutting pad, will remove 1000-1500 scratches in a single step without the need for polish or foam. 6-8 passes of the buffer at 1500-2300 rpms and its done.

Foam makes things shine. Wool actually removes scratches.

If I'm going to apply automotive clear so they never yellow again, I just clear over 600-1000 grit scratches and call it a day.