New Headlight Polish Technique

[crazyhorse]

I polished my headlights yesterday. I use a different technique than most. Being a scale modeler, I'm used to making glass smooth paint from a hazy rattlecan job. This method can be fairly quick to time consuming depending on the condition of the lenses.
Before


After


Here's my preferred method.
You need a polishing kit from a local hobby shop or www.micro-mark.com Item #80939. This kit will do as many sets of lights as you can handle, until you lose a sheet.
A bottle of your favorite wax.

Start with the 2400 grit. It helps if you let water run over the headlights. Scuff the WHOLE light. Make sure that the tone is even all over.
If the lights are EXTREMELY bad/rough, you can start with 1500 grit dry, then use 2000 grit before starting with the polishing kit.
Work your way through the grits one at a time, DO NOT skip a grit. Once you finish with the last grit, dry the lenses thouroughly, then wax with your favorite car wax.

Hope this helps someone.

[SSSVX]

Is that look a lot better in person?

Maybe you should take some better pictures.

[nextse7en]

I've always stuck with 600 grit wet sand, 2000 grit wet sand, rubbing compound, polishing compound, then wax...


makes em look like they just came from the factory..

[nexus_7]

My way:

PlastX buff, invisible glass clean (5-6 times per lens)

6 coats of the new turtle wax Ice paste polish. Takes a little time but they now look clean as new. Probably about 30 minutes per lens.

Greg

[Manarius]

I just wet sanded mine with #0000 steel wool. Worked pretty well, but I think I need some more wax to get all the scuffing out....

[SilverSpear]

PlastX is gr8

[Manarius]

Originally Posted by SilverSpear

PlastX is gr8

I use that after I did the wet sand with the #0000 steel wool.

[Octanerush]

another quick solution to polishing/waxing is after doing all the sanding. clear coat the headlamps. they look even better than polishing/waxing. the clearcoat covers up all the little scratch marks in a fraction of the time and lasts longer than the wax


[M]i[K]E[¥]

[SilverSpear]

Originally Posted by Octanerush

another quick solution to polishing/waxing is after doing all the sanding. clear coat the headlamps. they look even better than polishing/waxing. the clearcoat covers up all the little scratch marks in a fraction of the time and lasts longer than the wax


[M]i[K]E[¥]

This is the best solution... but you should keep the headlights at a 600 sandpaper level before coating them... or else the latter will start peeling off...

[LetItSnow]

The question that stands... Do we have one method that lasts longer than the others?

[SilverSpear]

Originally Posted by LetItSnow

The question that stands... Do we have one method that lasts longer than the others?

Yeah, go with smallcar's kit

[Evil One]

I have 1000 grit, 2000 grit, turtlewax rubbing compound, turtlewax polishing compound, and plastX.
I plan on doing mine today.


Jim

[Manarius]

Originally Posted by SilverSpear

Yeah, go with smallcar's kit

I heard that they have bad beam patterns though - is this really the case?

[Evil One]

And here are mine. They were BAD yellow. The bulbs lit up the lens instead of shining thru.
Now... not too bad if I do say so myself.




Jim

[It's Just Eric]

the headlight vut off is way more pronounced, yeah. My biggest issue with the small car kit is it looks goofy unless you do their corners (which look like junk to me) and put in a 97 grill. Even then, as soon as you pop the hood, the small car kit's poor fit and finisn is pretty obvious

As for the headlights...600 is pretty course, but if your lenses are REALLY pitted, I suppose you could start there. my personal opinion, start with 1,000, go to 1500, 2000,(Or, if they arent that bad, start here) then move on to polishing compound(s) and then plast-x