Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

****Disclaimer: DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK, Every car's situation is different. You have been warned.****

Ok All,

I have now 'perfected' my method of restoring plastic headlights without buying those expensive and ineffective Headlight Restoration Kits...

For those who met me at the VIC V35 Meet, you would have saw how bad my headlights were, even after using the restoration kit...The yellowing was all gone, but the lights were 'faded', despite buffing with plastic polish...Undeterred, I did some research and redid the headlights....This time, they came up great.

Have a look...

v35leftsmall.jpg

v35rightsmall.jpg

Note: it was just finished, so u can see the surrounding hasn't been washed yet...

Interested in restoring yours? Ok, I've put together this DIY, and this time, I have taken pics....but I did it on a Mazda 3....

Equipment:

1200 grit wet type sandpaper (cut a 50cm x 90cm piece - 1 piece per headlight)

1500 grit wet type sandpaper (cut a 50cm x 90cm piece - 1 piece per headlight)

2000 grit wet type sandpaper (cut a 50cm x 90cm piece - 1 piece per headlight)

1 bucket

1 sponge

Duct tape

Plastic Polish (around 50mL per headlight)

Microfibre cloth x 2

Water

rubber gloves (optional)

Super strong arms and roughly 40mins - 1 hour per headlight...

Ok...Here are some shots of the headlight b4 restoring...

mazda3001.jpg

mazda3002.jpg

mazda3003.jpg

For comparison, here's the other light, which is unaffected and in like-new factory condition...

mazda3004.jpg

Steps....

1. Do Not Buy any headlight restoration kit - don't waste your money like me.

2. Tape up the paint work and sorrounding with duct tape. Duct tape is very very sticky, so before you stick it onto the car, stick it onto your cotton clothes to get rid of the stickiness...Lightly stick them on. The tape is there to protect your paintwork, and nothing else...

mazda3006.jpg

3. As the headlight was not that badly oxidised, I skipped 1200 grit sandpaper and went to 1500 grit. Soak the 1500 grit sandpaper in a 1/2 bucket of water for 5 mins...wash the headlight with a sponge, then sand in 1 directions for about 10 mins..make sure that you sand evenly, in 1 direction only, with plenty of sponged water to be dripped onto the headlight when u r sanding...

mazda3007.jpg

TIP: Sanding times differ, but a good guide to the sanding is to feel the sandpaper after 10 mins, if the particles on the paper are not as rough (or used up), then move to the next step.

4. Wash the headlight with water. change the water. soak 2000 grit sandpaper for 5 mins and start sanding, but this time in a perpendicular direction as step 3. Sand for 10 mins...make sure that you sand evenly, in 1 direction only, with plenty of sponged water to be dripped onto the headlight when u r sanding...

mazda3008.jpg

5. Wash off with water and dry....Your headlights will now look very dull....and you should have a very worried look on your face! LOL...

mazda3009.jpg

6. Pour a 20c piece worth of plastic polish onto a microfibre cloth and start rubbing in a circular motion....you will need to concentrate on a small area, say 10cm x 10cm area at a time. Rub until you arms feel like dropping off!!!! You would need to keep rubbing for about 10-15mins with 2 - 3 coats....In between the coats, buff off with a clean microfibre cloth to check the clarity... You should end up with the headlight looking like this...

mazda3010.jpg

If it is hazed, unclear or you can still see the scratches caused by the sandpaper, then....wait for it.....

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

You need to repeat the whole process again!!! If you feel like an idiot, then don't worry, because it happened to me too...I didn't sand long enough and had to redo it all on the V35....Keep trying and don't give up...

Moderators: When can we have a DIY section for V35s only??? Is this post eligible to be a sticky?

i didn't have any in the house....i originally did my V35 with masking tape and it was too thin...so I found some duct tape..works better...just make sure that b4 u stick it on, u sitck it onto your clothes or something...

what do you guys think of this product by meguiars? The one thing i am concerned about with these plastic products is that they contain a fine abbrasive texture like sand. We know that it will get rid of the yellow cloudy stuff on the outside however will they leave swirl marks in the plastic??? In saying this i have always trusted meguiars products. I have that clay brick kit which works excellent.

Click on the link and let me know what you think.

http://www.meguiars.com/estore/product_lis...onname=Consumer (Meguiar's Brand)>Clear Plastic Care&sectionID=15101

what do you guys think of this product by meguiars? The one thing i am concerned about with these plastic products is that they contain a fine abbrasive texture like sand. We know that it will get rid of the yellow cloudy stuff on the outside however will they leave swirl marks in the plastic??? In saying this i have always trusted meguiars products. I have that clay brick kit which works excellent.

Click on the link and let me know what you think.

http://www.meguiars.com/estore/product_lis...onname=Consumer (Meguiar's Brand)>Clear Plastic Care&sectionID=15101

do you have sum before after photoz? so we can see how good they are?

BTW. good work for siu loong bao! if that chemical thing isn't work for me, will try ur solution.

do you have sum before after photoz? so we can see how good they are?

BTW. good work for siu loong bao! if that chemical thing isn't work for me, will try ur solution.

I love my Meguiars products. I just put a coat of wax on it last weekend and cleaned the headlights using the PlastX..

http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/detail/MEG+G12310

Mind you, my headlights weren't "hazed" like the pictures in the earlier post by siu_loong_bao(only slightly hazed), but I think prevention is better than cure.

The wax...

http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/product_deta...p?T1=MEG+G12711

Coincidently, both products have the G35 picture on it, Not the reason why I chose the products. :)

Here are some photos of the results if you're interested:

http://cid-c29301da78538c2a.skydrive.live....0PlastX?lc=3081

Hi.

Great DIY write up.

Couple of points. I would have used brasso first which would have given you the same as your final result.

If you have to use 2000 paper soak it in brasso before use. I would not use 1500 paper to abrasive for perspex or whatever it is.

If you try brasso always thoroughly shake container before use.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • My dream is also to have a proper hoist, but I don't think it will ever happen. My quickjack is probably as close as I'll ever get, it really is very good though. 
    • Yeah we keep on in the dailies, it is pretty poor how many animals get hit and the driver leaves without checking....have saved a couple of little ones over the years. Bit of a gruesome job though, pouches generally need to be cut open because they are so tight and often the joey doesn't realise mum is gone so they are still locked onto the teat. I checked the modules in front of the DS wheel where an oil cooler should go.... There is the radar unit - that can go for race use) One of the 2 HX water pumps, the silver cylinder. That needs to be kept but might be able to be relocated But the bad news, the big computer mounted vertically in front of the wheel (blocking any potential air exit) is the electric steering computer. That is required until/unless i do a hydraulic steering conversion, and in CAD based modern car design it is not like I can just pop a big unit like that somewhere else (plus the loom would be too short anywhere else too). So, the passenger side is OK to clear out (just use a smaller washer reservoir, potentially elsewhere), but the DS no beuno
    • Well, all the best with the new camry It was interesting to hear about the UK process, it is generally a lot more streamlined here with a shipping agent looking after all the import side (noting the exact final price can still be a surprise.....) and I've used a few different brokers on the japan (or US) side, and never had any trouble with any of them....luck of the draw I guess. You mentioned you didn't get the auction sheet (understandable since you bought it from a dealer, not auction), but I always try and get hold of that because they are pretty thorough. I've imported 2x R grade vehicles over the years and both were fine, repairs in Japan are pretty thorough compared to here in Oz.
    • BTW I measured the jack I have, it is 70mm at the saddle but you only have about 700 until it returns to 150mm high at the cylinder so it is good but no magic bullet.
    • My experience with Rising Sun Exports Before agreeing to the sale I tried to do as much research as I could (obviously), his Facebook reviews are 98% and he goes Live at least once or twice a week. I contacted 2 people in the UK who had used him for their imports, both had positive feedback. His explanation and talk through of the import process was thorough, answering any query no matter how stupid it was. It felt as soon as the money was sent, communication dropped off. I asked for shipping updates every 2 weeks or so, not wanting to pester him, he never had any updates. I wasn't informed the car had been dropped off at the port, I only found out by his Facebook story. I asked for the photos taken at the port, knowing he would need some for insurance purposes. I received a few 5 second clips and that's it. When asked again, he said his staff had them. Weeks later I asked again, he tells me he doesn't have any, but does have 50 photos from the original advert. I never received them. I eventually got the documents sent via WhatsApp after I mentioned the port was requesting them. I purchased a CarVX report, to find out the vehicle is a Grade R with recorded accident damage, first recorded in 2017 when it was first auctioned. He never told me the grade, then again I didn't ask. His response was "Grade R means nothing, it wasn't chassis damage". Still, I would have liked to have been informed about it. Jon prides himself on being open and honest when it comes to inspecting cars, it's his main job doing so at the auctions for customers. When the vehicle arrived in the UK I noticed a few little cosmetic issues. It's a 21 year old car so it wasn't going to be mint condition. The side skirts are cracked on each corner and the sealant is failing. The front grill on the bonnet/hood isn't secured very well, mounting studs are missing. Both minor things, but again, it would have been nice to be told. During a Facebook Live walk around video of the vehicle, he mentioned it has a front Whiteline anti roll bar/sway bar. While on the inspection ramp, I noticed the stock item has been installed. When first questioned, his response was "the ARB? Switched? Since when, it never had them". Since sending video and photo evidence I've not received a response. I'm probably being over critical of the overall condition of an old car, but all I wanted was honesty (which he claims to have). I'm aware I wasn't his only customer, he's busy doing XYZ but other reviews praise him for great communication with regular updates and photos, I felt I didn't receive the same treatment. 
×
×
  • Create New...