Headlight restoration without tools, 7 month update pg 4

[crash93ssei]

This method has been in testing for a few years now on autogeek, figured I would give it a try. Real world testing shows up to two years of durability before hazing again vs. Three to six months with polishing or wetsanding and polishing alone.

You will need
wet sandpaper - 400, 600, 1000, 2000, and 2500 if you can find it but not absolutely necessary, 2500 was not used here.
Minwax Helmsman Spar urethane clear gloss, yes it is for wood, but it has UV protection.
Odorless mineral spirits.
Foam staining brush.

All said and done, this cost maybe $35 - $40 and is easy to do, have enough left to do probably 100 more headlights

Start with a nasty looking headlight


Wetsand starting with the coarsest grit, working to the finest.


Mix the urethane and mineral spirits 50/50 and apply with the foam brush in quick strokes, careful to not apply too thick to avoid runs.


Let it set for a couple hours and enjoy your new looking headlights

[harofreak00]

Hard to tell in the pics... but can you see any of the micro scratches from sanding? If I already have the polisher, would it make it look better if I polished it before applying the urethane.

Looks awesome, great technique! I have about a dozen headlights to do this too!

[crash93ssei]

You can polish before applying, but it was found on autogeek to basically have the same turnout either way so people just skip the polishing step.

I didn't notice any sanding micro scratches and I was looking pretty close so if they are there you would really have to be actually looking specifically for them to see if they are even there or not. I can tell you this much, I have polished many headlights before and I will never go back to the old way of doing it!

It will be going on the SE I just picked up tomorrow then I will check to see how it holds up to all the salt on the roads, I don't foresee any issues though as there are members on autogeek that do this exact process with a one year or an 18 month warranty.... just polishing or wetsanding and polishing alone would only last a few months at best.

[repinS]

just polishing or wetsanding and polishing alone would only last a few months at best.

The job we did last May on my GXP barely made it through the summer The top half hazed over pretty quickly.

I actually have stock, non-GXP headlights on my car now due to waiting on shipping for a failed HID bulb, so I'll try this on both sets!

[ga93sle]

Is light output affected at all? Restored my headlights this last August, and they look just as bad if not worse already...

[crash93ssei]

Nobody has mentioned any side effects on light output, basically it should be comparable to a brand new or fully polished headlight lens.

[vogie01]

Do you think that any other types or brands of poly would work or have they found this one is the only one that works? I have a couple of gallons of Old Masters Poly for house projects and would only need to get the some of the sand paper.

I don't think there is much difference other than quality of the stuff. My Old Masters is really expensive though so I don't know if I want to use it or buy cheaper stuff.

[00Beast]

Varnishes are designed to fill in the scratches from sanding (you don't buff a piece of wood after sanding...), so it applies the same way.

[00Beast]

Do you think that any other types or brands of poly would work or have they found this one is the only one that works? I have a couple of gallons of Old Masters Poly for house projects and would only need to get the some of the sand paper.

Joe, I think the key here is the UV protectant in the varnish.

[vogie01]

Do you think that any other types or brands of poly would work or have they found this one is the only one that works? I have a couple of gallons of Old Masters Poly for house projects and would only need to get the some of the sand paper.

Joe, I think the key here is the UV protectant in the varnish.

They all have UV protectant in the urethane because that is what they are made for. This Minwax stuff is a general indoor/outdoor oil based product and what I have is a oil based, high end indoor stuff. Mine not work as well because it is indoor stuff.

[ga93sle]

I'm just thinking that considering the scratches are still there, they may scatter the light beams, unless the varnish perfectly filled them in, which it may, idk lol. And Joe, I have sand paper... too much of it that never gets used...

[sethjamesrimrodt]

I wonder if this could be done to new headlights to keep them from hazing?

[00Beast]

Yeah, definitely. It will fade, then you just clean this off and start over. Or you could use Aerospace 303 protectant, which has UV protection in it as well.

[crash93ssei]

I slapped it in tonight when I got home from work, still looks great in the house, but looks even better on the car. The drivers side headlight looks pretty good, but overall this one looks even better. The bright bulb in the high beam on the passenger side is very blue (one I had from the parts car, it will be replaced) that is why the dim looks so yellow / gold in a couple pics... There is also a fog / haze on the restored light, this is on the inside of the lens, not the outside, not in the urethane coating I applied. I have ran into this a couple times with these headlights, it will be cleaned up when I take the lights apart to black out the glare caps and blinker chrome. You can not see any scratches at all in the restored lens with the lights on, you can see some micro cracking on both lenses, but that is actually throughout the plastic and is not repairable.

Drivers side


Passenger side / restored headlight. The camera didn't take to well to the very blue light and made it appear white while turning the white light a yellow / gold color...


Passenger dim


Passenger bright


Driver bright


Driver dim

[crash93ssei]

Looks like I am going to have to do the drivers side now too

[gweg_b]

I am impressed!! I did my headlights this past summer, and they still look good (but wasn't 100% happy though), but I think once it warms up, I might give this method a try. The idea of not having to do this for up to 2 years is very tempting (plus the idea of having to skip the polishing step sounds nice), especially since this car is now my daily driver, and probably will be for the next few years.

[harofreak00]

Wow, I can't even tell you how in LOVE I am with this technique!






These were just the ones on the shelf, now I have to do all 8 of our vehicles!

[crash93ssei]

It's the only way to do it! I am waiting for a break in the weather to take the headlights out of my Z71 to do this to.

Another good thing about this method is that the headlights do not have to come out of the vehicle. Tape off the paint around it to prevent damage from sanding, the apply the spar mix and good to go just can't do it in the rain or probably not the greatest to use when cold out.

[deano55]

was there any reports of the urethane yellowing over time. I know on wood over time it will yellow (clear coat no staining)

[1oldman]

I have used Ryan's "process" plus adding the polishing and after 18 months it still looks good. - BC