How To Restore Your Headlights

[Magnum]

Is there any advantage in pasting those white/blue stickers on headlights? Will the lights never get yellowish again if I paste the white sticker? Is there any affect on using that sticker?

I was told it protects the lens from turning yellow or losing its color(tail lights)

I got a 3M clear sticker done for my Hiace tail lights surprisingly it turned the red color more reddish lol

I left the headlight as it is cuz the fellow ran out of 3M sticker and dad didnt like what was done to the tail lights

[tiv]

Is there any advantage in pasting those white/blue stickers on headlights? Will the lights never get yellowish again if I paste the white sticker? Is there any affect on using that sticker?

Tried the whole smoked look tint thing, its a black vehicle btw, looked really well.

The headlamps still yellowed up within 6 months, maybe the grade of tint or vehicle type whatever, but didn't work well for me

(what they used was no-where near 3m btw/ generic china bits)

There was a 10-15% loss in output if my eyes work well, But its not much of a fall if you have HID.

As for the clear coat remedy we discussed, Still in 99% clarity after 3 months,

Edited August 14, 2015 by tiv

[tiv]

I was told it protects the lens from turning yellow or losing its color(tail lights)

I got a 3M clear sticker done for my Hiace tail lights surprisingly it turned the red color more reddish lol

I left the headlight as it is cuz the fellow ran out of 3M sticker and dad didnt like what was done to the tail lights

You will have to do something about those headlamps as I've seen the opacity starting the in latest prado, x-trail, and even the ever-growing wagon R population as well.

[PreseaLover]

Tried the whole smoked look tint thing, its a black vehicle btw, looked really well.

The headlamps still yellowed up within 6 months, maybe the grade of tint or vehicle type whatever, but didn't work well for me

(what they used was no-where near 3m btw/ generic china bits)

There was a 10-15% loss in output if my eyes work well, But its not much of a fall if you have HID.

As for the clear coat remedy we discussed, Still in 99% clarity after 3 months,

Yep, had to sand it so bad to get the crystal clear look after applying the clear coat... Still it does look clear and haven't got the colour of the parking light, Sand it around 3 times now after applying it.... I guess I"ll stop it from there, and will see if there is any change in colour after 3 months as you said...

[Magnum]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="tiv" data-cid="281423" data-time="1439563476"><p>

You will have to do something about those headlamps as I've seen the opacity starting the in latest prado, x-trail, and even the ever-growing wagon R population as well.</p></blockquote>

The original Hiace lights seem to be doing OK, it's those thaiwan/thailand lights which are turning yellow.

[tiv]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="tiv" data-cid="281423" data-time="1439563476"><p>

You will have to do something about those headlamps as I've seen the opacity starting the in latest prado, x-trail, and even the ever-growing wagon R population as well.</p></blockquote>

The original Hiace lights seem to be doing OK, it's those thaiwan/thailand lights which are turning yellow.

Good to hear that, are they glass or poly-carbonate?

[Magnum]

The headlight definitely was not glass but I think the fog lamps were glass. I don't think manufacturers are allowed to use glass headlights now
My Bluebird lights have that issue of becoming yellow...I think this issue is there with certain models. I have seen 121 lights becoming yellow too

Edited August 15, 2015 by Magnum

[Dushyantha]

So i cleaned out my light sometime back using sandpaper and the polishing method . and now its starting to get yellowish again . would spraying a clearcoat over the cleaned up lenses be a solution to this ? has anyone tried clear coating headlights ? i went and asked from a nearby paint baas about this and his reply was "eka hariyanney naa"  doesnt seem to know an exact reason as to why this would not work or ruin it . cant argue with those old people so i just said ok and came.

So has anyone successfully tried this clear coating method ?

[Muditha420]

Well since your lights might be made of Poly-carbonate even after you have done the sandpaper and polishing method the light will eventually become yellow tinted due to UV and other contaminants. What you can try is to do the same as before and use a Sealant which for me so far has helped but will see how it survives few more months pass by. check the images before n after.

 

[Dushyantha]

Hi muditha.  Thanx for the reply.  Your photi comparison is exactly how my headlights looked like.  Just after the polishing.  But as time passed im seeing them get yellowish again. I know that using a sanding paper and then polishing it would make them appear new again.  But im searching for a more permanent solution like clearcoating the headlights.  But then havent still found anyone who tried this. I would hav clearcoated it but am not sure about how safe it would be for the plastic lense 

[Muditha420]

As said before use a Sealant OR u might wanna try the 3M sticker option as i have seen new cars hving applied it. I am sure someone here might have tried it

[Dushyantha]

3 hours ago, Muditha420 said:

As said before use a Sealant OR u might wanna try the 3M sticker option as i have seen new cars hving applied it. I am sure someone here might have tried it

Sealant ? like a car wax ? or a headlight sealant ? are they available in sri lanka ? what do you think about the clear coating method ? wouldnt that be a more permanent method ? do u know of anyone who has tried clear coating headlights ?

[Muditha420]

The sealant i have used is from Chemical Guys you will see on the video below. I have no experience or no idea if anyone used the clear coat method but lots of videos can be found. U can most likely get from eBay as well as local dealers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI3IYduACEE

[Davy]

10 hours ago, Muditha420 said:

The sealant i have used is from Chemical Guys you will see on the video below. I have no experience or no idea if anyone used the clear coat method but lots of videos can be found. U can most likely get from eBay as well as local dealers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI3IYduACEE

I have used clear coat and that works well too. After three coats of clear, wet sand and polish and it looks as good as new, and holds up well against the local sunlight.

[Dushyantha]

1 hour ago, Davy said:

I have used clear coat and that works well too. After three coats of clear, wet sand and polish and it looks as good as new, and holds up well against the local sunlight.

Thanks for the reply Davy . what was the clearcoat you used ? was it the spray can type or 2k paint ? im planing on spraying a 2k clearcoat . would the 2k paint be harsh on the plastic lens ? 

[Davy]

45 minutes ago, Dushyantha said:

Thanks for the reply Davy . what was the clearcoat you used ? was it the spray can type or 2k paint ? im planing on spraying a 2k clearcoat . would the 2k paint be harsh on the plastic lens ? 

I used a TOA spray can. I don't think 2K will be harsh on the lenses. But you can do a pretty decent job using just a spray can, provided that you clean the surfaces well before, and that you spray even coats, about 20 minutes apart. After all coats have been applied, the surface might look a bit textured (just like when a car is newly painted and before polishing). But that will go away after wet sanding (2000 grit) and then polishing.

[Iroshw]

Guys,

 

I know that this post is little old but I have some doubts. 

I'm planning to restore my headlights this week. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

1st step: Sand the Headlight cover using wet 1000 grit, 1500 grit finally 2000 grit sanding papers. Hope I can use Brasso with Sanding paper???

2nd step: Wash the headlight

3rd Step: Apply rubbing compound, please suggest me a good rubbing compound which can easily purchase?

4th step: Apply clear coat three times. Should I do this on the same day or need one day to get the headlight dry? Hope TOA Clear Coat spray is fine. 

 

Irosh

 

[Davy]

41 minutes ago, Iroshw said:

Guys,

 

I know that this post is little old but I have some doubts. 

I'm planning to restore my headlights this week. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

1st step: Sand the Headlight cover using wet 1000 grit, 1500 grit finally 2000 grit sanding papers. Hope I can use Brasso with Sanding paper???

2nd step: Wash the headlight

3rd Step: Apply rubbing compound, please suggest me a good rubbing compound which can easily purchase?

4th step: Apply clear coat three times. Should I do this on the same day or need one day to get the headlight dry? Hope TOA Clear Coat spray is fine. 

 

Irosh

 

1000, 1500 and 2000 gritt sandpaper is wet sandpaper, so you should use plain water. I'm not sure why you would use Brasso with sandpaper. Brasso is an abrasive liquid on its own, so there is no point in using Brasso with wet sandpaper. 

3M rubbing compound. Should be available at some Arpico outlets. Wurth also has good rubbing compound.

Before applying any paint, the surface should be clean and dry. The headlights are no exception. So yes, dry them under the sun or use some rubbing alcohol to quickly get the water to evaporate. 

TOA is fine. It's mostly how you apply it that makes all the difference. If you go too light, it will leave a grainy texture. Too thick and the paint will drip. All this can be fixed by cutting the clear again lightly using rubbing compound. This will give a smooth surface.