This is just going to be my build and progress thread, so I'll update accordingly from here on out, and date my posts so we can all follow the progress together!
March 27, 2022 - Interior Detailing Session 01
Real tired of how dirty the interior has been, I set aside some time on a nice sunny day and got to work in the garage. I picked up some ArmourAll detail wipes with a matte finish and started cleaning the dashboard, running boards, and the driver side door.
The dash was more dusty than dirty, so I didn't take any pictures of that, but cleaning definitely made a big improvement. Imagine the running board pictures applied to the dash and center console.
Here's the before and after of the driver side running board: Dirty Clean
The door was pretty dang dirty, and I used most of the wipes in the pack scrubbing away on it for over an hour. Got lost in my OCD and went to town ha. Dirty Clean! Not perfect, but much, much better
Fairly impressed with the ArmourAll wipes overall. It took a ton of elbow grease, but they did work and brought some life back to the vinyl coverings. One door down, three to go!
March 19, 2022 - Headlight Restoration
So after owning my ES300 for about 3 months, I finally had time to do my first 'mod' aka clean the headlights, and what a difference that made!
I used the Meguiar's Severe Headlight Restoration kit, and as this was my first time doing this, probably spent about 2 hours between masking, sanding, polishing, etc.
Pretty happy with the results. Not perfect, but much, much improved. My headlights had been fairly dim, and they're much brighter now, and the car looks much cleaner.
Before Compare Done
Before After Before
After
I'll probably do the same process on the foglights in the near future as well. Now I just have to figure out how to fix the paint...
Those do look much nicer now, what did you use to protect that finish?
I once got into an argument about whether the clear coat or the protective film is superior, and both remained with their own opinions in the end. At the time, I insisted on the film being a better option, since it takes less time, can be replaced at any moment and it doesn't leave an orange peel behind, which can affect the beam pattern of the headlight. With that, one day I went to try a cheaper kind of film and failed miserably, it just wouldn't stretch at all, so I figured why not try the Spraymax 2K clear coat that was suggested by my opponent, and was quite pleased with the result. While it does take a full day to cure and is an utter misery to sand off should you mess up (ask me how I know), I liked how clear it is, even clearer than some films, which will still have at least a tiny bit of texture no matter what. All that makes me wonder what other options are out there, and why people would prefer one method other the other..
Am I a misguided idiot for believing that's what the UV Sealant included in the kit was for? I guess it needs a yet another layer of wax, or film, on top of that?
Am I a misguided idiot for believing that's what the UV Sealant included in the kit was for? I guess it needs a yet another layer of wax, or film, on top of that?
Welp. That's why I'm here, ha, I'm learning.
Ow, noope, the UV spray they include is only there to last you a few months at most, after that it either wears off clean or leaves a greasy mess that is hard to deal with, not really something to rely upon.
As I wrote above, there are two basic ways to protect the headlight in a long term - protective film or clear coat. At least in my area, it is quite a challenge to find a film locally, so you will likely have to go online for it. There are some shops that work with those films, and they may have a few pieces for you, so it may be worth to look around you area. 3M is among the best out there, don't get the cheap stuff, it's just an utter misery to work with, especially if you are now to it.
As for the clear coat, only get 2K ones, like the Eastwood or Spraymax, with an activator capsule on the bottom, 1K ones from Walmart really don't last all that long, and come off with any kind of detergent. There are surprisingly plenty of car paint shops in my area, so it is really not a problem to find such clear coat, but I am not sure if it is the same in you area. Look for Advance Auto shops that sell PPG paint, they are usually separate stores that specifically say they deal with paint, try calling any local shop and asking them if they know anything about it. Be sure to sand the headlight with the 2000 grit paper before laying the clear coat, and make the first layer pretty light, which will give a good base for the rest of the thicker coats to stick to without running.
The only part I'm confused about would be, are you saying I should sand off the UV Sealant I literally just applied? Otherwise, just cleaning off what I did with auto glass cleaner, and then applying the clear coat seems like it would work?
The only part I'm confused about would be, are you saying I should sand off the UV Sealant I literally just applied? Otherwise, just cleaning off what I did with auto glass cleaner, and then applying the clear coat seems like it would work?
It's not so much about sanding the coating off that you applied, as it is to give the clear coat a fighting chance to actually adhere to the plastic lens, otherwise it will either end up running or chipping off in the near future.
As for how to remove the sealant that came in a kit, I am actually not sure.. Try the adhesive remover or the paint prep sprays, if those won't get to it, then you are likely safe to sand it off. Read the manual that came with the kit, see if there is anything of use in there. Just make sure to not start sanding before you clean the headlight with one of the items listed, since you may end up pushing that sealant deep into the scratches, which can compromise the adhesion.
You'll need to wet sand before you apply the 2K Clear. 70% IPA is a good final wipe (let dry for a few hours) don't use any petroleum based preps 2K Clear hates it and will fish eye like crazy.
Real tired of how dirty the interior has been, I set aside some time on a nice sunny day and got to work in the garage. I picked up some ArmourAll detail wipes with a matte finish and started cleaning the dashboard, running boards, and the driver side door.
The dash was more dusty than dirty, so I didn't take any pictures of that, but cleaning definitely made a big improvement. Imagine the running board pictures applied to the dash and center console.
Here's the before and after of the driver side running board: Dirty Clean
The door was pretty dang dirty, and I used most of the wipes in the pack scrubbing away on it for over an hour. Got lost in my OCD and went to town ha. Dirty Clean! Not perfect, but much, much better Fairly impressed with the ArmourAll wipes overall. It took a ton of elbow grease, but they did work and brought some life back to the vinyl coverings. One door down, three to go!
Speaker Notes:
And on the note of detailing, the large front door speaker was largely left untouched because I plan on 'reupholstering' them (if that's the correct term?), probably with black fabric. Or maybe even molded black plastic cut to shape, if that would work? If anyone has any good tips or links to tutorials on how to remove the speaker and do said task, that'd be pretty handy!
The smaller speaker on the door has dead leaf debris lodged inside of it. No idea how that got in there, but it's fairly distracting, and I'm wondering how to disassemble the small speaker so I can clean that out. How would I do that? No idea how that got in there, but it's my mission to clean it out.
Thanks for any help!
PS: Is it possible to change the name of the overall thread? I really just want this to be a progress thread of my ES journey, instead of a one-off post about headlights.
