Nice dad!​​​​

​After all that you need to repeat every year ?
thats not right. That sealer in that kit you used must be crap lol I wish I could work on mine in their garage. More space and great lighting.

I did see a YouTube video they showed a spray can to coat the lights to protect them that, The can itself was quite cool.....had a valve ( opened on the base ) that opened to mixed 2 chemicals .....I wish I wrote the details down!!!

My headlights are not bad at all really ...... and think I'll see what happens if I skip the sanding and go right to the polishing step. 1 I think just doing that will improve them a lot. I will post before and after pics.

 

Hi Stu,
With some effort and patience you should be able to do this yourself if you wish....

 

I the gloss clear paint GOOD for these headlight? May have missed it but I didn't see plastic on the can anywhere.... could not adhere well ? the headlight gets hot ... etc. UV resistant and non yellowing is good.

my take is its fairly simple to sand out a headlamp ...... but the clearcoat you apply after is the most important step. The trick is to use the "right" one

 

I don't think any spray clearcoat will compare to SprayMax 2K High Gloss Clear, to a non-professional, that is.
That's more than likely the type of clear-in-a-can that OP is talking about.

Have used it on multiple cars with great success. My LS is going on a year after a hand-sand, SprayMax 2K, and dual-action compound/polish. No yellowing/peeling/etc., but I wish I had done a better job of taking off the old stuff because I can still see some of my sanding marks :/
The work is in the prep, but so is the result. You have to get all of that oxidized/yellowed plastic/polycarbonate material off of the lens. Then you put on the 2-part clear coat to replace what you took off. Should last a LONG time.

One thing, though. If your lens has cracking from heat/stress/etc., more than likely it'll still be visible after all of this work.

 

The Sylvania restoration kit contains a spray specifically formulated to remove clearcoat and oxidization/yellowing. It is applied before initial 600 grit wet-sanding. 1000 and 2000 grit wet-sanding follow.

 

*****, why do you say USC SprayMax 2K Glamour High Gloss Aerosol Clear is a 2 part clear coat ?

The only 2 part clear coat I was able to find on YouTube was in a can that had a valve on the bottom you opened so the two parts mixed in the can .... wish I could find the video even if I would probably never find the exact can here anyway !

 

Watched the video...

A chemical.oxidation/clearcoat remover should be used instead of 400 grit sandpaper..400 grit is too coarse. . 600 grit wet sand is as course as you want to use on plastic. Next use interim 1000 grit wet sandpaper before 2000 grit. Have heard others use 3000 grit, but wonder if this allows best adhesion of clearcoat...

The spray Clearcoat is interesting, but is it designed for headlights?...

 

Headlights come with a UV film coating from the factory. The sanding process removes it. Some say to use a UV headlight protectant wipe-on product (3M makes one) and reapply periodically instead of spaying with a clearcoat. A friend used a clearcoat spray from a can (SpayMax 2k clear) after sanding his headlights, and his headlights still look great, but it has only been a couple of years since it was done....

 

(He did wear a respirator mask when spraying as this stuff is quite toxic....)

 

Below is the clear I initially used from recommendations I saw but I caused it to fish eye. That is why I like the wipe on for UV that will self settle. From most of the videos and reviews of the different headlight restoration kits they typically say it's only good for about a year. I'm betting it could be more or less on that time depending on variables like.....is the car outside or in a garage, do you live in a hot state like TX or AZ, if up North you'll probably get more road grime from the salts etc. The last one I had done by a "professional" said it would last a year but it's been two or more before it's bad enough now that I'm ready to do it again.

You're going to get all sorts of suggestions for brands/products to use. Research, look at reviews, watch videos and pull the trigger on the one you think is best.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this one as I had screwed up the last process because I got to close, to thick, to soon.

 

Simply because it is indeed a 2 component (they've denoted it as "2K") clear coat with an activated hardener.
The red piece in the cap comes off, goes on a port on the bottom, and punctures the internal seal to allow the components to mix.

 

I like that !!!!! A true two step. I didn't see that. Thanks.

Also Krylon paint.

The sealer is the most important and tricky step. You need to lay down several very very thin coats and also let the sealer dry inbetween coats. When you finish, keep it dry for 24 hours to let it dry completely and harden.

Sand and polish will be straight forward.... but painting is trickier. I will tackle this as soon as warmer

 

The OEM headlamp UV coating is durable.
Mine held up for 15 years.

Anyone know product used by OEM?

How is it applied?

Any special curing techniques; heat or UV light?

 

​​​​​​The YouTube video I watched used this clear. It's a 2 part system in a can.
https://www.eastwood.com/ew-2k-aeros...BoCeg8QAvD_BwE

 

I've used a mobile headlight service over 5 years ago on my LS, which is still holding up. The job is warrantied and if and when the clear begins to crack and/or peel he does a redo for $35. I've seen him do a number of my cars and he does work his a... off. He sands with numerous grades of paper and uses a spray gun for the clear. He did my mom's Honda which baked in the sun every day. When it finally started peeling (about 4 years after done), he came out to redo, and they looked brand new again.