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Headlight restoration not what I hoped

17K views 18 replies 14 participants last post by  precisioneffect 
#1 ·
I attempted to do the wet sanding to get rid of the pits on my headlights. I did exactly as the guide said and no matter what i do, the lens still look slightly foggy and i can still see very fine scratches from the 2000 grit... any suggestions? Any place to buy new lens.... I know there isn't but i can hope.
 

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#2 · (Edited)
Not sure what guide you followed but try this:
-Sand with the coarsest grit in a horizontal direction, making sure not to cut too deep or cause major blemishes
-When you are ready to move onto the next, finer grit, sand in a vertical motion this time. Be careful again not to cause any blemishes
-With each finer sandpaper you move to, change directions from horizontal to vertical
-On your last pass, go horizontal. I did a my last two passes without water (dry sand) by just being very careful, first vertical, then horizontal. Do not push hard if you dry sand
-When you are done sanding, get a plastic polish compound and rub it in in circular motions. The compound will "disappear" very fast, you may use a good amount of it. Make sure the last sandpaper you use is of a very, very fine grit. You dont want the last pass to be with something coarse

What you did looks pretty good to me, just seems like you didnt use any plastic polish? Or if you did, go at them again, making sure to switch directions when you sand. Switching directions helps to remove the prior sandpaper's marks, so you even out the lens, instead of just cutting into it by doing it in one direction continuously.
 
#3 ·
+1 on what blackxs has stated.....Is it possible that you didn't do the horizontal then vertical switch between sandings. I did this DIY and was scared shi-less, but it turned out awesome...Dont loose hope Mister!
 
#5 ·
Yeah when you polish headlights, a nice coat of clear helps keep the discoloration and foggy-ness away for longer.

Id say he could use another coat of plastic polish, are you doing it by hand? Maybe a polisher on a low speed will help.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I'm pretty sure there is someone who sells just the lenses, at least for the early cars. THere was a thread not long ago. If I find the link, I'll post it.
Greg

Edit.
Found part of what I was looking for. I know there is a thread on here that leads to this http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=893721
 
#8 · (Edited)
it's pretty simple and having done this 3 times on various cars (once on mine) I've got a decent handle on it. If you have fogginess you're using the wrong polish at the end and/or the wrong polishing tool. You MUST use an electric polisher, either a rotary or an orbital (i achieved great results with a random orbital) as a very last step with a HIGH QUALITY polish. Plast-X WILL NOT give you the perfectly clear finish you want, believe me, I tried. Pony up the dough and use a quality polish like Menzerna SIP or P085RD. I tried PlastX, 3M fine polish, Turtle wax fine polish, swirl remover, basically every polish I could find until I broke down and spent the $30 or so on the Menzerna. The results were night and day. Note: you'll still need 2 passes even with the Menzerna polishes.

If you can still see sanding marks then you did not do a good enough job sanding that area with the finer grits or you sanded too hard with a coarse grit. In either case, tape off the area which still has sand marks and start with the 2nd from the coarsest grit in the opposite direction from the marks you have and take your time with less pressure than before.

Hope this helps you. If you follow the process and what I said above you WILL achieve results. Plastic is plastic and yours too will clear up :cheers:
 
#9 ·
+1 on Menzerna. I used a Porter cable, Lake Country pads and Menzerna power-gloss followed by power-finish followed by P085RD on my lights. This is an investment but you'll have numerous used for it. I polished my interior wood, detailed my car, took off bird poop etched into our brand new X5.... I have complete confidence in this combo and I've never created swirls. IMHO don't buy replacement lenses rather invest in tools you can use over and over.....
 
#10 ·
Where can I buy Menzerna, Is it avalible at local stores?
 
#12 · (Edited)
I'm taking the front-end of my car off--including headlights, so I polished my headlights today & took some pics, here is the outcome.

They are still "dirty" on the inside of cover, I can see some weak blemishes.
Now I gotta figure out how to get the post-2000 headlight covers removed from the assembly to get the inside cleaned.

I got 120,000 miles on each headlight, both original.. they have seen some really rough times.

P.S. I wiped off the non-polished headlight with a wet and then dry cloth before taking the pictures.





 
#15 ·
Also, agree with others on the clear coat. This is a necessary step or the oxidation will return very quickly. Most of the restoration kits include a UV coat and I've found the best way to apply is it with a foam sponge brush.
 
#16 ·
Just did my headlights today

Did my girlfriends car and my car today. Did her car first as a tester! I used 1000 grit, then 1500, then 2000 on hers. Then used turtle wax rubbing compound, and turtle wax polishing compound with a polishing buffer i got at Autozone. Then i used a random wax. I went a step further with my car and went to 2500 grit to finish! I know there are still some blemished so i should probably have started with a 600 grit! I was trying to be better safe then sorry!

Here is her car - Before


After


Now My car-Before



Left side close up after

Right Side Before

Right After

Close up
 
#17 ·
Those pics are way too big!

Anyway OP, the problem may be that someone before you has put a clear coat on the lens all ready. That was the case on one of my cars. It took a lot of sanding to get it all off. While wet sanding, the clear coat had a different more slippery feel than just the plastic.
 
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