JJones91

Headlight restore!!

They been bugging the hell out of me. Snagged the Turtle Wax restore kit. Normally buy the Rain X kit but they didn't have it and this kit was pretty much identical.

Results came out great really took my time on them.

How it looked prior to restoration..


First stage of sanding...


Second stage...


Results..

teh CL

iTrader: (1)

Looks great

What grit did you use?

JJones91

Which ever came with the kit lol there were 4 different types I'd have to look

HDNBenjamin

Nice work!

projektvertx

iTrader: (2)

Good work!! Now remove that unnecessary front plate bracket!!!

JJones91

Lol idk if I'm gonna keep it or not. Haven't got my permanent plates yet and Texas requires a plate on front and back. Granted I've never ran with a plate up front but those were in my DGAF days.

projektvertx

iTrader: (2)

You could always go with a Hide A Plate style system.

JJones91

More of a hassle, back when I use to attend car meets and show off my cars I put work into I'd never run a front plate. Now days I could just care less, just less of a reason for an officer to pull me over. I've been pulled over so many times in the past not from the plate but just in general that it's grown old lol.
Running a front plate really doesn't bother me anymore

teh CL

iTrader: (1)

^ Car looks WAY better without it though.

Took mine off months ago & haven't thought twice about it

JJones91

Again, I could care less. If state law requires a front plate then I'm running a front plate. I'm tired of being pulled over.

teh CL

iTrader: (1)

thomask

What year is it? When does the headlight starts to fade in RL usually? Side question. Is there any kind of foil we can put on top to protect it from fading?

JJones91

05 with 153k miles.

Not really it's bound to fade at some point

projektvertx

iTrader: (2)

I put xpel headlight film on mine. So far, so good. No fading. I also remember a member spraying his headlights with a clear acrylic (?) film that returned them to a stock look.

oo7spy

The fade happens from UV damage to the plastic. Keep you queens in a garage at work and at home, and you won't have to worry about it.

Run the front plate if you're in Texas. What city?

JJones91

I'm in DFW now, was living in Austin few years back. Cops up here are real a holes about front plates up here.

HDNBenjamin

How long will this restoration last before it hazes again?

oo7spy

It depends on how much UV exposure it gets.

CFoote

You really should put a UV protectant film (xPel, 3M) on the lenses as others have mentioned. You may get 6 months or so before it starts to return.

Chris

NathanJax

My buddy at a body shop charges $100 to fix them. They sand the headlights down and then he uses clear coat (same thing that goes over paint) and clears the whole lens. Then you just take care of it like you would your paints clear coat and you'll never have issues. The thing is, you must use an automotive grade clear with UV protectant like others have mentioned or it will just keep coming back.

When I bought my RL a year ago he did mine and to this day look flawless

MrG4Life

iTrader: (1)

Results came out very good. As far as UV protectant, I went with Opti-Lens headlight coating. It is pricey but it was recommended to me and the reviews are great. This spring will make a full year that I applied it to my headlights and they still look good. I plan on applying a small amount again in the spring just for piece of mind.

thomask

Guys sorry for offtopic but I'm trying to search for UV protectant film (xpel) and we don't have anything across the pond I think :/. Would there be someone nice who could help me out with buying/shipping to Europe, please?

phishfood

Here they don't require them .. I should get a plate with a big "FU" on it and drive to Austin so the cops can stare at it.

If I get pulled over and they say anything I'll just tell 'em I went to Franklin University

Headlight look really nice, good job!

Wooodis

Beautiful! I need to do this on mine!