Jack88

Well, I'm sure this has been done before but I thought I would document my own! I decided to properly restore my headlights by sanding them down and painting them with a clear coat. I used 600 grit to wet sand it until it looked pretty well cleared up, then a 2000 grit wet sand lightly until the surface was even and as pretty as it would get. Next up was a quick clean with rubbing alcohol. Then I hit it with 3 layers of clear, let dry 24 hours, and wet sanded it again with 2000 grit to get rid of the orange peel and 3 layers of a nice wax. It doesn't look perfect, depending on the angle, but it looks pretty good, far better than before. I think adding a 3000 grit step for the final wet sand would have helped, as would a little more time with the 600 grit. Whatever, only cost me a couple hours and about $20 of material. I did use a UV resistant paint for the clear, I have been told that's important!



This is before I did anything, just a dirty old headlight!


This was after the initial sanding, I had to remove the tape I used to protect the paint because it got soaked from the wet sanding and I didn't trust it to keep the spray from the clear off the pain anymore!


Everything taped up and protected, with the first layer of clear on there!


All done and polished up the next day, looking far better, I think!

MT Born

That's a vast improvement. Good work!

Jack88

Thank you! Unless you focus on them, they look perfect! Car looks good for just past 150k miles.

Tangirz

Very Nice, but are you trying to hide something so you can defraud someone on a trade? Lol Lol

a_very_naudi_guy

I recently did the same with my 2004 A8L with a kit from Rustoleum. It came with an initial 800 grit, to 1500 grit, to 2000 grit. Wet-sanded the whole time with a final coat of o a wax/polish material, buffing it in. It removed these large "blobs" of yellowish oxidation from the front of the lens but there is also some kind of oxidation on the inside of the lens as well. Irritating, sure - but a vast improvement. I have only done one lens as our weather has been lousy here lately but I will take a picture of the lens I did and the lens I didn't do so a 'before and after' can be seen.

cheers!

Jack88

Exactly what could restoring the headlights hide?

Good work, man! I hear you on the internal oxidation, but that is much less pronounced than the exterior oxidation, and the level of improvement is still worth the time.

Tangirz

I was just making a joke referring to that guy and raising my RPM's...The difference on your headlights is huge and I would imagine they project a much better beam at night!

Shark_V8

Standard practice to conceal, hide, swindle, turn back odo's, lie like a rugs, certainly in Toronto for private sales. In fact it's the Canadian way. I've bought tons of cars from Canada and have comparisons that I got from the USA, or Canadian dealers. W /the Canadian private-sale cars, for me it's a form of entertainment. The owners (even to this day, when I ask "look tell me what's wrong with it, I'll find out pretty quick" they conceal, hide, swindle, turn back odo's, lie like a rugs about nearly everything. I seriously have yet to find an honest seller even at the highest rungs of society.

I can spot the obvious and if in doubt I build the chicanery discount into my offer price.

I bought cars sight unseen from the USA or dealers = very good transactions, no surprises, or issues 100%.