headlight restoration on 2002 A8. headlight has very strange pattern? looks like tree
10-31-2016, 07:42 PM
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headlight restoration on 2002 A8. headlight has very strange pattern? looks like tree
if you look closely, the pattern is very strange like a blood vessel or tree branch. Would this be restorable using the water sand paper method to restore the clarity of the headlights?
10-31-2016, 08:07 PM
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This looks like paint clear-coat failure...
Perhaps awhile back, someone applied a clear coat product to the lens to protect it ?
I have sanded down and then compounded many sets of plastic headlight lenses and have never seen what you have on yours..
What are those evenly space vertical lines - were those in the new lens in the beginning ?
Since it looks so bad, I would take a chance on wet sanding it all down with a small rubber block to keep it evenly sanded, then polish it out which will take a long time, depending on what you have do that part, and then eventually you should have a perfectly clear, glossy lens again...
They sell liquid clear products now and perhaps even in spray cans to spray on and protect the lens from dying to UV rays, etc...
Whatever you decide to do, you need to tape a couple layers or more, all around the lens, so that you dont hit anything with the sand paper and then the compound, if you decide to go that route..
And then if you spray anything, you have to tape all around really perfectly and extend with a lot of paper way, way, all around the area so you get no overspray somewhere else...
Good luck !
Dan F
Perhaps awhile back, someone applied a clear coat product to the lens to protect it ?
I have sanded down and then compounded many sets of plastic headlight lenses and have never seen what you have on yours..
What are those evenly space vertical lines - were those in the new lens in the beginning ?
Since it looks so bad, I would take a chance on wet sanding it all down with a small rubber block to keep it evenly sanded, then polish it out which will take a long time, depending on what you have do that part, and then eventually you should have a perfectly clear, glossy lens again...
They sell liquid clear products now and perhaps even in spray cans to spray on and protect the lens from dying to UV rays, etc...
Whatever you decide to do, you need to tape a couple layers or more, all around the lens, so that you dont hit anything with the sand paper and then the compound, if you decide to go that route..
And then if you spray anything, you have to tape all around really perfectly and extend with a lot of paper way, way, all around the area so you get no overspray somewhere else...
Good luck !
Dan F
10-31-2016, 08:24 PM
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This looks like paint clear-coat failure...
Perhaps awhile back, someone applied a clear coat product to the lens to protect it ?
I have sanded down and then compounded many sets of plastic headlight lenses and have never seen what you have on yours..
What are those evenly space vertical lines - were those in the new lens in the beginning ?
Since it looks so bad, I would take a chance on wet sanding it all down with a small rubber block to keep it evenly sanded, then polish it out which will take a long time, depending on what you have do that part, and then eventually you should have a perfectly clear, glossy lens again...
They sell liquid clear products now and perhaps even in spray cans to spray on and protect the lens from dying to UV rays, etc...
Whatever you decide to do, you need to tape a couple layers or more, all around the lens, so that you dont hit anything with the sand paper and then the compound, if you decide to go that route..
And then if you spray anything, you have to tape all around really perfectly and extend with a lot of paper way, way, all around the area so you get no overspray somewhere else...
Good luck !
Dan F
Perhaps awhile back, someone applied a clear coat product to the lens to protect it ?
I have sanded down and then compounded many sets of plastic headlight lenses and have never seen what you have on yours..
What are those evenly space vertical lines - were those in the new lens in the beginning ?
Since it looks so bad, I would take a chance on wet sanding it all down with a small rubber block to keep it evenly sanded, then polish it out which will take a long time, depending on what you have do that part, and then eventually you should have a perfectly clear, glossy lens again...
They sell liquid clear products now and perhaps even in spray cans to spray on and protect the lens from dying to UV rays, etc...
Whatever you decide to do, you need to tape a couple layers or more, all around the lens, so that you dont hit anything with the sand paper and then the compound, if you decide to go that route..
And then if you spray anything, you have to tape all around really perfectly and extend with a lot of paper way, way, all around the area so you get no overspray somewhere else...
Good luck !
Dan F
The vertical lines are part of the design, and it's inside the headlights.
10-31-2016, 11:27 PM
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I'll be using this youtube instructional video to restore my headlights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEJbKLZ7RmM
It covers what you've mentioned about taping/clear coating etc.
The vertical lines are part of the design, and it's inside the headlights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEJbKLZ7RmM
It covers what you've mentioned about taping/clear coating etc.
The vertical lines are part of the design, and it's inside the headlights.
What has not happened here is that the sanding scratches have not been removed before painting the clear coat..
The result is not ever going to be as good as when you compound all the sanding scratches out first, and then painting the clear coat on..
All the headlights I have restored have been wet sanded and then compounded using a Rotary and some smaller 2" - 3" - 4" foam pads and some automotive paint compound, and when done the plastic is very clear, glossy and thee is not any cloudiness or haziness because I removed it all with the compound step...
This video process does improve the badly oxidized plastic but it does not restore it to how it looked when brand new..
Let me see if I can find some pictures I took of a Subaru WRX that had bad lights and I sanded and compounded them so you can see the difference..
Good Luck !
Dan F
11-01-2016, 12:36 AM
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All the headlights I have restored have been wet sanded and then compounded using a Rotary and some smaller 2" - 3" - 4" foam pads and some automotive paint compound, and when done the plastic is very clear, glossy and thee is not any cloudiness or haziness because I removed it all with the compound step...
- Meguiar's G17216 Ultimate Compound
Can you be more specific on what foam pad I need? Are they all the same grit?
11-02-2016, 05:32 AM
#6
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BUY THIS & READ the directions ... or have your parents explain it to you !
https://jet.com/product/detail/30dcf...kN7A&gclsrc=ds
https://jet.com/product/detail/30dcf...kN7A&gclsrc=ds
11-02-2016, 07:43 AM
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BUY THIS & READ the directions ... or have your parents explain it to you !
https://jet.com/product/detail/30dcf...kN7A&gclsrc=ds
https://jet.com/product/detail/30dcf...kN7A&gclsrc=ds
Last edited by shinigami; 11-02-2016 at 07:56 AM.
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11-02-2016, 05:00 PM
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