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Headlight Restoration: 2004 Cadillac CTS

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  • #1

    Headlight Restoration: 2004 Cadillac CTS

    Hi everyone! The owner's ride was looking sweet but the headlights were pretty worn out. He wanted his headlights restored to like new condition. I didn't know what the condition was going into it and when I arrived, it was looking pretty bad.. The headlights were in extremely rough shape and the scratches were pretty deep. I told the owner that I will definitely be able to improve it but it would not be perfect.

    Products Used:

    3M 1200 grit sand paper
    3M 2000 grit sand paper
    3M Blue Painter's Tape
    Meguiar's G100 / 3.5" LC Backing Plate
    Meguiar's M105 / LC Orange Pads
    Meguiar's PlastiX / Meguiar's Foam Pad
    Meguiar's NXT 2.0 Tech Wax

    Here are some before pictures of the headlights:

    Driver Side:







    Passenger Side:







    I first taped up the surrounding paint areas and opened the hood in order to protect the paint. I wetsanded the headlights with 1200 grit sand paper then followed it up with 2000 grit. Here's a picture of 1 headlight sanded down:



    There were so many deep scratches that could not be removed. I think that I would crack the headlight case if I use a coarser sandpaper and sand into it more. I told the owner that this is the point where I felt it was safe to stop. It was GREATLY improved but it wasn't perfect. You be the judge

    After completing the sanding step, I polished the headlights with M105 with a LC orange pad hooked up to my Meguiar's G100. This was followed up with PlastiX applied via a foam applicator pad. The headlights were then sealed with NXT 2.0 Tech Wax after. Here are some final pictures:

    Driver Side:







    Passenger Side:








    What do you guys think? Comments and criticisms are welcome!

    Thanks for looking!
    2011 Car Crazy Showcase SEMA Team
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Headlight Restoration: 2004 Cadillac CTS

    Big improvement!

    Just make sure the owner knows that you will need to see it every few months to top off the protection and polish possibly because now you have completely removed the UV protection that was remaining.
    Fergy-

    You're only as good as your last detail

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Headlight Restoration: 2004 Cadillac CTS

      Well done, Marc.

      The headlights were severely scratched and oxidized. They look much better after your restoration.

      As above, they need a regular protection application so the process doesn't reverse.

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Headlight Restoration: 2004 Cadillac CTS

        Originally posted by MrCLRider View Post
        Big improvement!

        Just make sure the owner knows that you will need to see it every few months to top off the protection and polish possibly because now you have completely removed the UV protection that was remaining.
        Thanks! I told the owner to apply any wax after each wash he does. Hopefully this will help keep the oxidation from coming back.

        Originally posted by greg0303 View Post
        Well done, Marc.

        The headlights were severely scratched and oxidized. They look much better after your restoration.

        As above, they need a regular protection application so the process doesn't reverse.
        Thanks for the compliment Greg! Hopefully the NXT 2.0 will be enough to protect it from the harmful Arizona sun.
        2011 Car Crazy Showcase SEMA Team

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Headlight Restoration: 2004 Cadillac CTS

          Nice job Marc. Looks alot better.
          Jesse

          2009-2014 Meguiar's/Car Crazy SEMA Team
          www.ShineTechAutoDetail.com
          Facebook www.detailing.com

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Headlight Restoration: 2004 Cadillac CTS

            Originally posted by Hemin8r View Post
            Nice job Marc. Looks alot better.
            Thanks Jesse!
            2011 Car Crazy Showcase SEMA Team

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Headlight Restoration: 2004 Cadillac CTS

              What is up with the Cadillac headlights? I have a 06 CTS and mine look even worse then this.

              When I get the chance im gonna try this process out and hope it helps. Any advice?

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Headlight Restoration: 2004 Cadillac CTS

                Originally posted by JetterIsBetter View Post
                What is up with the Cadillac headlights? I have a 06 CTS and mine look even worse then this.

                When I get the chance im gonna try this process out and hope it helps. Any advice?
                If yours look worse, then i would suggest starting it out with 800 grit sand paper or something lower. The scratches were pretty deep and 1200 took a long time and didn't take out all of them.
                2011 Car Crazy Showcase SEMA Team

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Headlight Restoration: 2004 Cadillac CTS

                  Did the same thing to my lights, but found it annoying to have to keep reapplying a protectant so I tried some helmsman spar clear coat from walmart and mixed it in a 50/50 ratio with mineral spirits.

                  Just dipped one of those blue shop paper towels in it and wiped it on like wax. After drying, the headlight was even shinier from the clear coat and it should be protected for a very long time since the paint is designed for outdoor use.

                  If anyone attempts this, make sure you wipe it with regular isopropyl alcohol first prior to painting. Some say to not polish after the last sanding stage and just apply it to give the paint more grip to hang on to, but I polished with a plastic compound to get rid of the minor scratches after the last sanding stage, wiped it with alcohol and painted it with clear coat and it turned out fine.

                  So far I'm very happy with this solution and it's a cheap way to remove 1 thing off your maintenance list, just something to think about.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Headlight Restoration: 2004 Cadillac CTS

                    The lights turned out great Marc...excellent job!
                    Don
                    "In the game of life, I have no need for tickets on the 50-yard line, I brought my shoes, I came to play." unknown

                    http://www.facebook.com/pages/OC-Det...7770507?v=wall

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Headlight Restoration: 2004 Cadillac CTS

                      Looks great... This car has almost all the same mods as mine

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Headlight Restoration: 2004 Cadillac CTS

                        Looks pretty good. This is next on my list for my STi. It has a brand new right headlight, but the left is 6 yrs old now, and showing badly. It looks very lopsided >.<

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: Headlight Restoration: 2004 Cadillac CTS

                          Originally posted by Simon777 View Post
                          Did the same thing to my lights, but found it annoying to have to keep reapplying a protectant so I tried some helmsman spar clear coat from walmart and mixed it in a 50/50 ratio with mineral spirits.

                          Just dipped one of those blue shop paper towels in it and wiped it on like wax. After drying, the headlight was even shinier from the clear coat and it should be protected for a very long time since the paint is designed for outdoor use.

                          If anyone attempts this, make sure you wipe it with regular isopropyl alcohol first prior to painting. Some say to not polish after the last sanding stage and just apply it to give the paint more grip to hang on to, but I polished with a plastic compound to get rid of the minor scratches after the last sanding stage, wiped it with alcohol and painted it with clear coat and it turned out fine.

                          So far I'm very happy with this solution and it's a cheap way to remove 1 thing off your maintenance list, just something to think about.
                          Thanks for the info. Can you please show a link as to what chemicals you're talking about? I'm interested to know this process.

                          Originally posted by gto_don View Post
                          The lights turned out great Marc...excellent job!
                          Thanks Don!

                          Originally posted by agp423 View Post
                          Looks great... This car has almost all the same mods as mine
                          You have a S/C too?

                          Originally posted by Darksabre View Post
                          Looks pretty good. This is next on my list for my STi. It has a brand new right headlight, but the left is 6 yrs old now, and showing badly. It looks very lopsided >.<
                          Thanks!
                          2011 Car Crazy Showcase SEMA Team

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: Headlight Restoration: 2004 Cadillac CTS

                            What's an S/C?

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: Headlight Restoration: 2004 Cadillac CTS

                              Originally posted by agp423 View Post
                              What's an S/C?
                              supercharger.
                              2011 Car Crazy Showcase SEMA Team

                              Comment

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