Hello everyone, I am looking for volunteers to see how long restoring the SC headlights will last with the way i've been doing them at work. Wet Sand 1500, Wet Sand 3000, Buff 1800 RPM, then Wax. I did all my headlights and taillights just to get all the little scratches out and a deep scratch that was in one but for that i used 600 grit on. NOTE: this isn't just buff and good to go which is why i wanna test it, also want to do another set that gets all the wet sanding and Meguiar's PlastX instead of compound to see if ether last longer then the other. Thanks for interest the idea came up when i was telling my boss we should have a headlight restoring service.

**Also looking into a more permanent solution** Recoating headlights, more info later.

To Qualify:
-worse the condition the better
-car usually kept outside and driven
-willing to pull and ship headlights
-willing to post update pics month after month

If you are interested post up pics and send me a pm.
also to note if anything is cracked I will not be able to remove the crack.

 

There must be some sort of constant factor for the results to mean anything.

The type of wax or sealant used is going to vastly impact the results. O.C 2.0 put on headlights after a wetsand and polish is going to last 10X longer than a carnauba or regular sealant.etc. etc.

If you are looking for a permanent solution and you guys are a business that will turn out a bunch of these... here's an article you should look at:

http://presidentialdetails.com/under...-pennsylvania/

Another solution is this:

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...lant-idea.html
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...oat-2-0-a.html

The key to the spar/urethane is that you mix them perfectly at 50/50.

 

awesome, thank you!

 

The only thing that completely stopped my headlights to yellow again is declaring it with clearcoat, period.

 

What about wetsabd, buff and clar bra?
The best solution known to me at this time is actually clear coating it
Charley

 

Clear-bra works also. I personally have no experience with it, but I have recalled many detailers doing that and standing by it. As with anything, prep the surface properly to ensure longevity.

 

They sell a spar polyurethane at home depot. Dunno if this is the same as ur talking about.

 

Also may want to note.. Due to where you live may differ the results. Wisonsin sun is nothing compared to here in Florida. I usually have to due mine every 4-5 months. I use 1000 wetsand, 2000 wetsand, then buff with plastix, then polish.

I drive my car everyday to and from work... car bakes in the sun from 7:30am to 6:00pm, then garage kept at night.

 

You are correct
If you were go to Toronto and look at all the cars from early 2000's and late 90's
they do not have this problem

 

Yep. That's the one. HD sells both the spar and the mineral spirits. Get both from the same manufacturer to avoid any unnecessary issues. You apply a very small amount. The can they sell at HD is about 32oz (if I am not mistaken, haven't looked in a while. That should do like a thousand sets of headlights if not more.

 

I bought autzone clear coat, and did everything you did then at the end put about 3-4 coats. Havent yellowed in 2 months.

 

awesome, thanks for the update ashtray!

 

I did my headlights today:

Initial clean - Hand Rub with paper towel: White wall tire cleaner/Mean Green cleaner 3:1 respectively (takes out yellowing and UV coating)

Then wet sand with 3 inch round sandpaper with foam backing and drill 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 grits.

Wipe down with alcohol to look for imperfections.

Then, apply Helmsmans urethane spar/mineral spirits mix (50/50 mix) with blue shop paper towels.

Here are the results looks better in person:

from this ...


to this...

 

I need to do this, gives me a new project my lights could use a refresher. I purchased the 3M kit last time and it looked great but it didn't last. The next time I'm going to take my time and coat it with urethane.

 

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.