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Headlight restoration

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  • #1

    Headlight restoration

    Greetings- I need a little help with the headlight on my motorcycle. The bike has about 26K miles on the odo, and the plastic headlight cover looks it. There are small chips, scratches, etc... I've already used Plastic X, which helped quite a bit.

    The plastic itself is lucid- no UV damage or hazing that is so common to Arizona. Is there a way to resurface the plastic to restore it to like-new condition? If there is a how-to with pics/video somewhere, that'd be super.

    Again, I don't think the Meguiars Headlight Restoration Kit is what I'm looking for... I have a feeling wet-sanding is in my future.
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  • #2
    Re: Headlight restoration

    sounds like you want to get out scratches, etc. you'll have to wet-sand and buff afterwards... which you can do with PlastX. You can also add a clear over it... lots of options online.

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    • #3
      Re: Headlight restoration

      This leads me to a question that pertains to the OPs post as well. As I understand it the UV protection on a headlight would be removed if it was sanded. Wouldn't sanding the OP's headlight make the situation worse in that now it would have a tendency to dull and become cloudy? I could be wrong about all of this... I'm just looking for information.

      Does PlasticX contain any UV protectors?

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      • #4
        Re: Headlight restoration

        Originally posted by tcope1 View Post
        This leads me to a question that pertains to the OPs post as well. As I understand it the UV protection on a headlight would be removed if it was sanded. Wouldn't sanding the OP's headlight make the situation worse in that now it would have a tendency to dull and become cloudy? I could be wrong about all of this... I'm just looking for information.

        Does PlasticX contain any UV protectors?
        Some recommend wet sanding starting at 500,800,1000 to conclude by 3000 grit.
        Personally i wet sand using 2000 grit only.
        After the lens has dried out it will look frosted,the product will feed it and it should last years with no further UV protection.Avoid washing your vehicle with detergents or dish soap.

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        • #5
          Re: Headlight restoration

          Meguiar's is introducing a Pro Headlight & Spot Repair Kit that will be out in January, and it contains everything you would need to accomplish a total headlight restoration. We understand that you don't need the whole kit to do a single headlight so all of the parts are being sold separately (except for the mini air tools). What's maybe more important to you right now is the process involved in headlight restoration, and we've got a write up of that HERE. You can hand sand the lens if you don't have the power tools suitable to the task, but either a D/A or rotary buffer is going to come in real handy for the final steps! Oh, and how coarse a grit you start with is totally determined by the condition of the lens. For really badly degraded lenses we'll start as coarse as 320 grit but for minor imperfections you might get away with as fine as 2000 grit.

          tcope1, yes, factory headlight lenses do come with a protective coating over the polycarbonate lens material. Even so, that coating will degrade over time and the lens will start to look hazy and yellowed, and even feel rough to the touch. Once it's gotten that far, that coating is basically gone anyway. Certainly if you try to correct a minor defect when the rest of the lens still looks really good you do run the risk of compromising the protective coating. But it's a trade off - those coatings don't last forever (unless you are incredibly meticulous in the way you care for the vehicle) but the problem is easy enough to correct. Even if you have to go so far as to heavily sand the surface and that coating is 100% gone, all is not lost. Sure, it's highly likely that the lenses will now degrade faster then they did the first time around, but this should also be a sign that you need to start taking better care of them. After a full restoration it's a good idea to go over the lenses with PlastX every time you wax the car, or even every month depending on what sort of exposure they get. At this point your into a preventative maintenance position, and prevention is always easier than correction.
          Michael Stoops
          Senior Global Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Inc.

          Remember, this hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need therapy.

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          • #6
            Re: Headlight restoration

            (UV) Stabilizers

            Are a group of chemical agents with the ability to counteract or neutralize the harmful effects of UV light? Competitive absorbers provide protection by converting UV light to heat so it can dissipate harmlessly. Other UV stabilizers work differently, but all UV stabilizers are consumed as they do their job. In a way, they serve as sacrificial molecules, taking the abuse from the UV light instead of the material they are protecting.

            Two important points:

            (1) UV protection is a sacrificial / renewable component; this is due to the UV protection layer being degraded by exposure to the elements (sun, sand, road or sea salt, and etc) so it is imperative that you renew it or your surfaces will degrade.

            (2) UV stabilizers have to be periodically renewed or replenished if continuing protection is to be achieved, there is no such thing as a permanent UV stabilizer, it a matter of physics, not chemistry.
            ~ Providing unbiased advice that Professional and Enthusiast Detailer’s Trust ~ Blog – http://togwt1980.blogspot.com

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            • #7
              Re: Headlight restoration

              There are 3 way's that I offer protection for headlight lens restoral...

              1) After restoral use a premium LSP such as #21 Polymer sealant which needs to be re applied at least quarterly.

              2) After restoral use a PPF (Paint protection film)

              3) After restoral use SEM #21013 - Solaray UV Headlight repair clear coating

              This should take care of protecting those headlight restoral issues in regards to UV protection.
              David M. Sylican
              Innovative Detailing
              Headlight Lens Restoral
              Detailing Caddy
              Join us on Facebook

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              • #8
                Re: Headlight restoration

                Thanks for the help, guys. A friend of mine has the Meguiars kit, so I'm going to borrow that and see how it goes. Here's a shot of the headlight in question. I know it's not too bad, but I'm weird about details. (aren't we all on this forum?)

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                • #9
                  Re: Headlight restoration

                  Dealing with the same on a set of car headlights. I'm used to buffing out a set of hazy headlights and the difference was night and day. The ones I'm working with are not hazy or yellowed, just a bunch of small micro-chips on them that I'd like to get out. I suppose sanding could work, but I would need to go fairly deep to get the little chips out.

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