Headlight restoration

[Fech]

It got dark before I could do the other ones, but the first headlight is a success.
Hand wet sanded, then finished off with a microfiber pad on the Bigfoot.
Before:


After:


Will post the full finished front tomorrow. Thanks as always for looking.

 

[Fech]

Thank you Mike for the tutorial!

 

[Setec Astronomy]

Did you have to sand the coating off? Pad/polish on the Bigfoot? Looks perfect, BTW.

 

[Fech]

Did you have to sand the coating off? Pad/polish on the Bigfoot? Looks perfect, BTW.

I lightly sanded. The coating I’m sure has been gone for a while. I usually do the headlights once a year. The pad was a microfiber one. (Sorry I don’t remember the brand) And the polish was hd polish.
Thank you, I appreciate it.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

The headlights I've had to sand the factory coating off of developed a horizontal line of bubbled opaque coating, I guess at the interface of where the coating had worn off and where it was still there, so I had to sand everything off. But after that, they never got hazy again like yours, only yellowed, which was removed by polishing. That was on two different cars.

I wonder if yours still have the coating and you are just removing the top oxidized layer with the sanding. It takes quite a lot to sand through the factory coating, I didn't watch Mike's video but on the ones I did I sanded by machine (my early-version GG 3") and I went down to at least 800 grit, maybe coarser. I think I was following a guide at MOL from...I can't remember the gentleman's name.

 

[Fech]

Maybe you’re right. I didn’t realize they didn’t have after the coat is gone. Thanks for the info.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

Maybe you’re right. I didn’t realize they didn’t haze after the coat is gone. Thanks for the info.

Well, that's just been my experience, don't take that as 100% true/correct.

 

[Fech]

As promised, the finished headlights.



Thanks for looking

 

[Setec Astronomy]

Did you have to do the inner set of lights too?

 

[Fech]

Did you have to do the inner set of lights too?

Yep, all were yellowing

 

[Setec Astronomy]

Looks like new!