Headlight units clouded up... headlights now looking brilliant!

[rjk]

Hi guys

My headlight units are slightly clouded. It isn't too noticeable from afar but up close it just looks rubbish.

here are some pictures to show you what I mean.

head on pic [nearside unpolished/offside polished]

nearside light:

so to try and get rid of the scuffed/rough patches, I used rubbing compound followed by megs polish.

offside light:

the rubbing compound seems to have got rid of the worst of it but it is far from smooth still and still looks rubbish.

was thinking of taking the lights off and taking a fine wet and dry to it tomorrow?

anyone refurbed their headlights or know what this could be? looks like the plastic has sort of corroded in a way.

any input would be appreciated.

 

[rjk]

see, it is quite rough, which is what concerns me. i am worried that wet and dry will take the bad bit off but then it may come back?

 

[rjk]

Exhaust polish (peek or Autosol) is recommended too.

i used a bit of Autosol after the rubbing compound actually to buff up the unit as the rubbing compound left it dull.

sod that polishing order replacements surely it aint gonna be as good as new ?

I guess but if some wet and dry and a bit of polish will refurb them then it would be great at less than a tenner for the bits...

a new set of headlights from Honda are £167.36 each which I am in no rush to spend if I am being absolutely honest with you

do you have a spare £335?

 

[rjk]

can you feel those visible scratches with your nail ?

if so then wet and dry

if not then more polishing till its scratch free

yeah, its rough to the touch. even after i have used the compound and polish on there, it still doesnt feel smooth

 

[rjk]

just spotted this, may be worth picking up.

http://www.type-r-scotland.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=190482&sid=bbf5fec2038593ee3ac340a2521dc62d

 

[rjk]

well, i ordered the 3m kit. its not like its gonna make it worse tbh.

will post some pics up of it when it arrives.

 

[rjk]

headlight kit arrived today
will try it out this week

 

[rjk]

Right then, heres a quick picture of the headlights. both of them were pretty much in this state. not brilliant tbh, loads of small scuffs and scrapes that the rubbing compound simply wouldnt get out.

Started on the offside by taping it up properly. used loads of masking tape. I would suggest if anyone else uses this kit to mask off a large area and put a layer of gaffer tape over the top of it as I caught the masking tape with the edge of the buffer and it whipped it straight off, lucky it wasn't an abrasive pad.

first sanding pad which is the course one of the two.

Then move onto the second sanding pad which is much finer.

Then after wetting the light and removing all of the dust, you use the abrasive sponge for around 5-10 passes, it removes pretty much all of the scratches and swirls from the abrasive pads, because its wet, it creates a slurry when you use it which is why I didnt grab a picture.

moving onto the buffing sponge, you dry any excess slurry from the light and put the supplied rubbing compound onto the sponge. using the sponge to smear it all over the front of the headlight to avoid it splatting everywhere
I didn't read the instructions like a moron and it went everywhere...
After a few passes of working the compound into the light, it looked like this...

and the nearside unit

to protect the light and my hard work, I used Auto Glym resin polish on the lights followed by two coats of Collonite wax.

In all, the job took about 45 minutes to complete. I have enough spare parts in the kit to potentially do the lights another few times if required but I will be keeping a close eye on them to see if the scuffs and brown/yellowness come back.


for the cost of £20 and a bit of polish and wax, I cant really fault this kit from 3M. easy to use and didnt take that long to get a near new result which I am really happy with.

 

[rjk]

Ci, post your results up.

I strongly urge you to put gaffer tape over the masking tape.

And don't forget the polish and wax at the end!

Looking forward to seeing how you get on.


@Maccy. There is a video on how to do it on YouTube from 3m. You can't go wrong if you read the instructions.
I would suggest doing it but work really slowly. It's easy but you need to get used to the way the rotary pad kicks sometimes if your headlights curves away from it. It's nothing disastrous but you need to have the drill gripped firmly to keep it under control and keep the sanding line smooth.

 

[rjk]

Nope. Put masking tape on first like it suggests but then put gaffer tape over the masking tape to ensure it is protected better.