nitecow

Greetings,

I've been reading the various threads on cleaning your headlights and I'm amazed at the results. On my '96 SC400 (which I just bought) it has crystal clear fog lights and just dingy headlamps. Cleaning them is exactly what I need. I had some concerns though.

#1: I don't have any expierence in wet sanding. How easy is it to mess up a light? I'm afraid I won't be able to get the scratches out.

#2: My second question is there any place that does this service for you professionally? For some reason I don't see normal garages doing this. If so, any idea on the cost?

Am I getting worried over nothing? Please let me know what you think..

Thanks again,
-Dan

ForNgoods

the only way u could mess up on this is if ur blind, and you're trying to do it in the dark hanging upsidedown w/ your feet. trust me it's very easy. If you want a professional look just bring it down here and i'll do it and i'll charge you as much as the lexus dealership would

Anyhow welcome to the forum and i hope this reassures u that you're worrying too much. It's a piece of cake.

nitecow

Thank you very much for the welcome and the information. I've been looking for a place like this for a while. I stumbled onto it from a caller from a local radio station (i think). It seems like a great community and just what I've been looking for. I hope to be an active member and contribute when I can.

Thanks again,

-Dan

hoops_24

I did my lights with 3M swirl remover and a "rough" surface rag. The lights are spotless. I am sure the wetsand will look better, but it isn't necessary to get a MUCH better look.

nitecow

What do you mean by a "rough" surface rag? Just basicly a normal rag? Or is that a term for a specific rag? Or am I just over analizing this a little too much?

hehe

Are there any other cleaning methods with good results?

hoops_24

Yeah, overanalyzing.
I think the rag I used was "borrowed" from a Hampton Inn I stayed at. the rough part refers to the "knobbies" or course surface.

Trust me, you will be happy with the results. A MAJOR difference

nitecow

haha, great info.

Thanks again,
-Dan

nitecow

Alright, I'm back from the store, well 3 of them. 1 walmart and 2 auto part stores.

I basicly gave up on the Plexus and Novus stuff, the part stores didn't know anything about them. And at walmart, heh..

Anyway, I came back with 2 products from 3M but NOT the "Swirl Remover" that everyone keeps saying to use. The only ones I could find were:

3M Finish Restorer - "Removes swirl marks and light oxidation"
3M Rubbing Compound - "Safely and effectively removes 1500 grit or finer scratches" (the sandpaper is 2000 so wouldn't this be it?"

Will one of these products work for the job or will it require me to get some of the better products from the websites posted on another thread?

Sorry I'm really new, Could someone please give me a very small tutorial on wetsanding? As far as the basic procedure and how long to do it on the outside?

I've also posted a picture of the car now and I'll post another picture with the results. Really look at the comparison between the high beams and the others. Also as a note if you buy from North Hills Automotive - Be careful, they put that stupid front plate in front to cover a little ding AND they installed it wrong and made 2 big chips (complete with dents) where they used the wrong screws and the screw itself tore up the paint. (I'm currently looking for a better one to put up there, but it looks better on then off).

Thanks again,
-Dan


[This picture still doesn't really show how bad it is]

Twirl

i like that color, but no the picture does show it, you can really tell a difference in the high's and lows, =) im in the market for a 5spd sc300 b/c im looking to go turbo and nitrous, should be pretty quick =) i bet you were as excited as i am, my truck is now out in the front yard awaiting offers so i can go on ahead and start looking for a car =D i got butterflies im so excited
as to your questions, your question isn't stupid and isn't asked to in depth, b/c i will be asking the same exact questions, so we can learn together =)

nitecow

Thanks for the color compliment. I needed that, at first I wasn't happy with it just because it was the only one I could get at that price. If you read above, that North Hills Auto gave me a quote for my 96 Eclipse GS-T without looking at it. Everything was going wrong, the estimate to fix was $1,500. Just tons of stuff wrong and on top of that the odometer was rolled back from the previous owner. So because of this, no dealers would touch it. That place gave me 3x what the other dealers wanted to give me ($6,000 for the eclipse, $11.5 as the total remaining for the SC400). I was dead set on a Pearl White one, but it's quickly warming up to me. I can't wait till someone posts an answer to that question a few msg's up. I'm really ready to get started on these lights. Even washed and waxed today so in the morning it will look even better. hehehe

-Dan

hoops_24

Use the rubbing compound (part # 051131-39002) and a damp rag. Trust me. Get off of the wet sand kick. You will clean all of the oxidation and ***** off of your lows and It will take all of five minutes.

1. Wet rag.
2. Apply liberal amount of compound to rag.
3. Apply in a circular motion w/ medium to heavy force.
4. Don't "wipe" off. The Rubbing compound will begin to fade.
5. Clear light residue w/ clean damp cloth
6. Buff dry
7. Cover your hard-on w/ your shirt

It's that simple.

ForNgoods

what hoops is saying might be true but if u wet sand it then the entire surface of the headlight will be smooth and cleaner than it's ever been. I think it's worth the effort (and it's not a lot of effort so why not??).

wetsanding is easy.. jus get a bucket and a sponge. fill it w/ water and a lil soap. now use the sponge and get the headlight nice and wet. now start sanding in a circular motion. You need not put to much pressure on it but jus dont simple glide it across either. after 3 to 4 minute (that should be more than enuff) you'll notice that the headlight has a haze to it now.. dont freak cuz that's how it's suppose to look. at this point dry it off with a dry towel or whatever u use to dry ur car w/. now jus take some plastic polish and another dry cloth and rub it into the headlight. while doing this repeat the word hocus pocus allacazam! and jus like magic your headlighs are clean and resurfaced.

lex400sc

I've done all that, but my mildew build up was on the inside of the headlight cover. I had to open the headlight assembly by heating the adhesive to 225-degrees farenheit.

nitecow

Great information on this thread, thank you all for participating so much. So is buffing after applying the Rubbing Compound (have we come to an agreement on if that's ok to use) is a must? I seem to be getting the impression that you can but it's not required. If you could clarify that i'll stop being a pest


Great Job!


-Dan

nitecow

I don't know, for some reason I just can't get over how if you scratch a piece of clear plastic with sand paper it's fixable with a liquid and not just fixable, Like New Again... For some reason I just can't get the concept that putting liquid on a scratched piece of plastic will make it smooth and clear again.

Am I just odd?

-Dan