My headlights were kinda foggy, I decided to shine them up. I did 1,000 girt, 1500 grit, 2000, grit, 3000 grit then I used Chemical guys V32 and finally Meguiars ScratchX to polish it up then I used Meguiars Ultimate wax/sealant.

When I watch chemical guys do it they said stop when you see the "dead plastic coming off"


I followed what he said and for 1 headlight I spend hours on it and the "dead plastic" never stopped coming off. I ultimately gave up. That headlight came out good (alot better than before) but not perfect.

How long do you sand headlights?

 

IMHO, It varies depending on the oxidation present.
If you want the 'clearness' to last and not have to repeat this process, it's best to 2K clear them as the guy below demonstrates.

 

if they're not cracked, it takes me about 45 mins to 1hr to make them look like crystals. 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, 3000, 5000, compound, polish.

Make sure you protect them against UV. Use a 2K urethane clearcoat (not regular store bought clear coat) or wrap it in 3M clear bra film.

The sun is what ruined your headlights in the first place.

Wax/sealant/ceramic coat offers almost 0 UV protection against re-hazing.

 

Thanks for posting this@zeta I'm inspired now, looks like the entire kit for everything he used is around $80. Trying to pick out a right plastic cover off Amazon is a headache though, there's only about a million choices, anyone have a good one they recommend? Not sure how much I would need lol. The tape I already have...Brian listed the 3m wrap, but I don't think I need $53 worth of plastic lol...

 

If you don't mind waiting, you can get cheap plastic covering from China; otherwise, you can still save over getting it on Amazon by searching Ebay.
Here's a smaller quantity one that's located in the US for $16.99+.99 standard shipping?
US 1.1*30M Car Home Clear Paint Plastic Protective Masking Film Cover Roll Sheet | eBay
In addition, you may eventually find other uses, around the house down the road, so it's good to have around?

 

How do you put clear coat after you polished your headlights? how is it sticking?

 

The paint society video is great! I ended up using his similar process when he restored the headlights on his ASM Type-S.


You can skip the compound and polish step - apply clear right after the 1500 grit I believe.

My headlights look brand new still. Polished headlights without clear coat/clear bra will fade in a week.

 

I've done about a dozen or so sets. These are the grits I use, with lots (2-3 spray bottles per set) of water after the 800, compound and polish, wax.
Problem is the tape disintegrates halfway thru,,,so now after the frog tape I do a layer of gorilla tape and it lasts 'til the end.
Since my cars don't see much sun, I haven't had to re-do any. {Mrs2TL's done 5-6 yrs ago and still good. Grandson's Mirano gets full sun and it only lasted for 2 years w/o clearcoat.} Takes me about 3 hours, but I'm slow...
I've never used the 2K clear, yet. I might try it on the next set. Should cut sanding time in half, eh?

Can you still pick up a 10X10 clear plastic drop 'cloth' at the dollar store?

 

I used this it claims its a sealant:


I first tried this:

It didn't work, made the headlights look foggy and cracked and i had to sand it off.

I finished both headlights they look 90% better.

 

I dono how people are putting clear coat on the headlights after sanding them with 3,000 -5000 grit sand paper, compound, polishing it and having it look good.

 

Nor do I.
1500 grit sounds like the stopping point if you're clearcoating them.

 

If you're using 2K clear, you stop sanding around 2000grit and spray it on.

If you're using clear bra, you keep going thru the polishing step. Then apply the clear bra. This (IMO) is the best option. It offers chip and UV protection. You can buy a 12x72" sheet of 3M from eBay for around $35, IIRC.

2K only provides UV protection. 2K clear requires a vapor respirator and masking of the whole car and anything in the nearby area that you don't want to get overspray on. And I don't think that clear on top of 2000 grit scratches looks completely crystal clear either.

Spraymax also makes "headlight clear coat". I imagine this can be sprayed onto a totally smooth surface like the factory does it. But I assume the lens has to be heated until its "tacky".

 

Wax and sealant and ceramic coats do not offer UV protection.

Acrylic clear won't work in the long term. It will last maybe a couple of months. You need to use a catalyst- clear (2K).