Headlight units clouded up... headlights now looking brilliant!
- Thread starter rjk
- Start date
Soldato
- Joined
- 11 Dec 2005
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- 11,364
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- Cheshire
New lights would be nice, can't beat em. but for £335 boys hmm.
Mine where really bad on my VW Bora, I live in Spain and the sun made them so i had to use full beam at night, I used wet and dry sand paper, about 500 course and worked up to about 1000 grit, then I used a good rubbing compound, they look like new now.
Ask a friendly RAF person to borrow a bottle of canopy cleaner it works a charm.
Failing that this is the same stuff. One is a mild abrasive the other a polisher.
Canopy cleaner
Canopy polish
Failing that this is the same stuff. One is a mild abrasive the other a polisher.
Canopy cleaner
Canopy polish
Buy decent silicone carbide wet and dry paper from a local motor factor, and if they're half decent they'll have rubbing compound too. Avoid halfords for paper, although they do sell g3 compound which is ideal.
25 to 50p per sheet, a couple of sheets each grade (800, 1000, 1200 and finer if you can find it). You will need a drill polishing attachment at minimum for use with compound. Silverline do one for about 8 quid (Ebay).
Should come in at about 20 quid for all material.
25 to 50p per sheet, a couple of sheets each grade (800, 1000, 1200 and finer if you can find it). You will need a drill polishing attachment at minimum for use with compound. Silverline do one for about 8 quid (Ebay).
Should come in at about 20 quid for all material.
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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.
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.
Good job.
I did the Jag's lights a while back. 1500 grit to get all the crap off, then I got the rotary polisher out and hit them with Menzerna Power Finish on Sonus SFX-1 pad before finishing with Menzerna Final Finish on Sonux SFX-3 pad.
Good as new in about 10 minutes.
I did the Jag's lights a while back. 1500 grit to get all the crap off, then I got the rotary polisher out and hit them with Menzerna Power Finish on Sonus SFX-1 pad before finishing with Menzerna Final Finish on Sonux SFX-3 pad.
Good as new in about 10 minutes.
Soldato
- Joined
- 11 Dec 2005
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- 11,364
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- Cheshire
Looking good man
Soldato
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- 18 May 2010
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They've come out really well