headlight restoration how to with pics.

[goldy...]

hi all had some spare time today so i thought i'd restore my Xenons back to the condition they should be in.

total time took around an hour for each light.

before i start, this is a step by step guide to what i have done and accomplished, any damage you do to your own car i cannot be held responsible, etc.etc. yada yada!

first thing i did was to mask the surrounding area off as i couldnt be arsed to take the bumper off (that is the proper way...) all i used to do this is some electrical tape

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once i did this i used 800 grit wet and dry paper with soapy water to ensure that it glided smoothly and also didnt cut too much. once i went over the whole light it looked like this.

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this leaves the headlight quite scratched, DONT WORRY! the use 1200 grit wet and dry again with soapy water to fine out most of the scratches you've just made with the 800. once thats been done it looks like this...

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it looks alot better, but still not quite right...



this is where i'm sure like i was, you will become very sceptical..... i used Toothpaste to polish. Using toothpaste, rub it in and when it starts to dry, keep rubbing! at this stage the tooth paste is basically a fine cutting compound. working in a small area use a lot of pressure and you'll be supprised how well it works!

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as you can see by the following photos, i used my wrist more than my hand as you can get more pressure doing this way..

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all you need to do now is polish with normal car polish and then make yourself a nice cuppa! lol.

once that vital step is complete, admire your work....

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[Kane.]

I think 800 is a bit too abrasive for this, 1200 is what I use minimum.

 

[Chri5]

Thats MINT, makes it look aqua-FRESH :quiet:.....I'll get my coat...

But no really, they've definatley come up nicely, I should really do mine again after my last 1/2 arsed attempt Good effort!

 

[partybish]

I've just used 1500 and still not got the correction I wanted (maybe 75% there) although given the risk of scratching the plastic and not being able to correct it I think I'd only ever go to 1200 maximum and even then being very careful not to apply too much pressure and using a DA and some heavier compounds to correct the hazing.


The use of toothpaste is interesting, nice bit of improvisation but as I understand it the polish is only a filler so it won't permanently correct scratches (just cover them up)?

I think 800 is a bit too abrasive for this, 1200 is what I use minimum.

 

[Final Maxim]

800 is a bit coarse as others have said, i use 800 to wetflat primer, i wouldnt go below p1500 myself unless they was proper scratched as going down that far int he grades to remove a haze is pointless, just creating more work for yourself.

as for the toothpaste, i dunno what to say, expect them to go cloudy in a few days/weeks again

 

[Joe#]

Jesus they were bad lol.

As mentioned though, I think you started with a bit too aggressive paper. I use 1500 then, 2300 I think.

 

[-Danman-]

Wow I thought mine were bad! Good job though mate, came up like new in the end

Not sure about the toothpaste though, why didn't you use a rubbing compound then normal polish after? At least you'll have that fresh breath smell when driving round :rasp:

 

[MarClio]

Good job mate! Needa get doing mine, trued before but didnt turn out much better tbh :/

 

[goldy...]

cheers for the comments guys, i would have used a 2500 grit paper if i had any but as they came up niceley by the time i finished so left them at that, if needs be i'll get the professionally mopped. any idea of the cost?

 

[Rubicon_]

Good job.

 

[graham27]

I started off with 500 wet on mine they were that bad - as long as you work your way up to 1500-2000 then you'll be fine, just depends how bad they are to start with. Must have taken you forever to polish them up by hand! I just used g3 and then some finer compound and they look good as new

 

[goldy...]

i wish i do have a machine polisher! lol

they're not perfect but will do for now....

 

[LJWRAY]

Followed this today thought it was weird using toothpaste but nope it works a treat! Cheers!

 

[DanEdser]

Followed this today thought it was weird using toothpaste but nope it works a treat! Cheers!

you can actually use real polish :L i used meguiars and worked nicely!

i can imagine toothpaste wearing off?

 

[Gibbo4k]

I did mine at the weekend they looked like yours to start with. I used a kit my mates garage just got with a small da for the sanding which has 4 stages then a polisher with 2 stages and they are like brand new now. Even any stone chips are gone. It would have taken days to do by hand but well worth the effort.

 

[LJWRAY]

you can actually use real polish :L i used meguiars and worked nicely!

i can imagine toothpaste wearing off?

Yeah but polish meant going out to get some toothpaste was just easier haha

 

[DanEdser]

Yeah but polish meant going out to get some toothpaste was just easier haha

aha

 

[Siddle]

i'm attempting this tomorrow boys. from the comments and other threads, think i'll tryyyy-

1500 wet & dry,
1800 wet & dry,
then in with the G3/megs scratch x

whaddya you lads think?

 

[DanEdser]

i'm attempting this tomorrow boys. from the comments and other threads, think i'll tryyyy-

1500 wet & dry,
1800 wet & dry,
then in with the G3/megs scratch x

whaddya you lads think?

finish on either 2000grit or 2500 grit, 1800 will leave too much of a harsh finish i think

 

[Wick]

i'm attempting this tomorrow boys. from the comments and other threads, think i'll tryyyy-

1500 wet & dry,
1800 wet & dry,
then in with the G3/megs scratch x

whaddya you lads think?

As above, I did 1200, 1500 and 2000 on mine. Then Scratch X and then topped with SRP.