Pitted and erroded headlights revisited(with pics)

Hello all.
I finally recieved the kit that I ordered from Micro Surface to fix up my headlight lens's. My 2000 Jetta has about 230,000 kms on it. The kit was a whopping $17.95 US and took about 2 weeks to get.
Each side took about 3 hours to refinish using the sanding pads. I started with 400 grit and worked my way through 1500,2400,3600,4000 and finally 12000. The last step is to apply some polish that comes with the kit. Alot of elbow grease is required but the savings are worth it. They are not 100% brand new but could be depending on how much and how long you wish to sand. I am quite satisfied with the results. Here are some pics as well. (sorry about the quality but it's a cheapo camera. You'll get the idea though)

Pitted and erroded headlights revisited

Wow, way to stick with it! Hearing about 6 hours of sanding is enough to make me order some headlight covers for my new Golf's (as of now clear) headlghts!

Pitted and erroded headlights revisited

I salute your perseverance and patience !!!!

Congratulations on a job well done!

Thanks much for the info and pics!
I just ordered my kit from www.micro-surface.com.
Its now $10.95 plus $10.00 shipping and handling.
I hope it doesn't take 2 weeks to arrive!

My headlights are very pitted after only 86000 miles.
I also didn't want to spend the ~$190 a piece the dealer
quoted me!!

Questions:
Did you do all the sanding by hand?
What about using an electic sander over the pad?
Would that speed it up?
Or does it need too much water to use a sander?
I may try that and see how it works.
Will let you know.

is this preventible, by using some sort of protection like wax on the lens?

There's probably other brands, but http://www.xpel.com has headlight laminate covers. About $30 US.

I've got a different product on order to deal with our B4 headlights. My wife's B4 are really bad. I'll try and get pics so you have a different product to compare.

There's probably other brands, but http://www.xpel.com has headlight laminate covers. About $30 US.

Click to expand...

Bill
I did all of the sanding by hand. I don't think that the sanding pads would be able to be put onto a sander. There are 2 grits on each pad. The water is good as a coolant and lubricant. Be sure to get rid of all of the sanding lines between pads (when going in each direction) otherwise you will have to go back and do some sanding over again.
Good luck and show some pics if you can, before and after.

In addition to the sandblasting/pitting, my Golf's lamps have a yellow discoloration, it looks like a residue. I first noticed this symptom when I got stuck behind an 18-wheeler for a few miles that was belching black smoke, like a blown turbo. I developed an oily film on my windshield that was so bad I had to stop for some window cleaner, and even then, it was tough to clean the crap off.

Anyway, do you think this polish would work for me, or are there other suggestions?

Check this link out looks like it can be done much easier.
http://reviews.ebay.com/GETTING-THOSE-PLASTIC-HEADLIGHT-LENSES-CLEAN_W0QQugidZ10000000000134696

I had that same problem but mine were 10x as bad as those were. They were so bad that you couldnt even see the reflector in the daytime, and the lens was a solid yellow/brown color. I got the Permatex headlight lens restoration kit at Autozone for about $12 or so and it worked great. Kit includes 1000,1500,2000, and 2500 grit sandpaper, bottle of plastic polish, rubber gloves, and full instructions. My lenses were so bad that I did then first with some 600 grit sandpaper I had around the house, then used the sandpaper in steps from the kit. If you get this kit, remember to soak all the sandpaper in water for 10 minutes before using it. Instead of using the polish included I used Maas polishing creme. After I was done they looked just like the finished pictures shown above.

Hi yetta0,
is this the kit which you ordered?
ACRYLIC HEADLIGHT LENSE RESTORAL KIT

Hey, that was easy!

Hey just finished this procedure and wanted to give feedback.
Car had 162,000 miles of highway travel on the headlights, but they weren't all that bad

I did not buy a kit.
I went to Autozone and bought 1000 grit and 2000 grit WetorDry sandpaper (both made by 3M) and a 3M bottle of rubbing compound that said it was designed to remove scratches 1500 grit and higher. I also got some "Headlight Lens Restorer" which was basically a polish. Total Cost: $14.00

I also wanted to say you don't have to spend 3 hours to do an excellent job... I didn't do a perfect job, but the lights look amazingly clear and it took me 30 minutes per light.

I finished off with a canabura wax for extra protection.

Give the procedure a try, it's not bad at all!

I decided to try just rubbing compund and some elbow grease and my B4 headlights cleaned up like new in few hrs of rubbing and polishing, man it's nice to be able to see again

really bad headlights

I have an '03 jetta, and the top inch or two of the headlights are badly pitted, so much that you can feel the pits in them like really rough sand paper. I used some plastic polish on them, and then some scratchX, and that didn't phase it. Is it possible to just replace the lense, or does the entire assembly have to be replaced? Should the sand paper kits work on that?

Thanks

It wouldnt hurt to try the kit at Autozone first. At roughly $15 its much cheaper than replacement headlights.

gquenstedt said:

I have an '03 jetta, and the top inch or two of the headlights are badly pitted, so much that you can feel the pits in them like really rough sand paper. I used some plastic polish on them, and then some scratchX, and that didn't phase it. Is it possible to just replace the lense, or does the entire assembly have to be replaced? Should the sand paper kits work on that?

Thanks

Click to expand...

I went to Autozone yesterday to check out one of these kits. The guy working there said that I didn't want anything with sandpaper because people were ruining their headlights with those kits. When I told him I saw good results online, he told me to try Advance Auto Parts. I got the kit by Crystal View Chemicals for about 20 bucks.

I couldn't be happier with the results. In the past, I used some plastic scratch remover with a random orbital buffer on the headlights, but it didn't do anything. The sandpaper worked well, and a liquid chemical that you put on at the end makes the lenses stay sharp and clear.

It's well worth the $20.

I didn't have any problem with the autozone kit... just make sure it's the one with the fluid you finish it off with...

Sand non circular, polish circular... normal plastic procedures..

it's easier to work with the lights when they're off the car. And, it'll keep you from hitting the paint. just my $.02

Review of Permatex Headlight Lens Restoration Kit

I was so glad to find this thread since I was about to pay big $$ to get a set of new lights. Although mine were not too badly pitted, they were dull, yellowed, and seemed to have some build-up on them. After reading the thread, I had it in my mind when I went to pick up a new fuel filter at my local autoparts store. I asked, and they sold me the Permatex kit for $14.99. If I was willing to wait, I could have gotten it for $10.99 from Amazon (but my local guys at Brick Block Autoparts in Millerton, NY always take good care of me, so they deserve the extra few bucks). Unlike the OP, I was looking to do this job quickly, so my results could have been slightly better, but then again, it took me less than 40 minutes.

Here's the kit:



Here's what's in the kit:



There were 4 pieces of sandpaper, ranging from 1000 grit to 2500 grit in 500 grit increments.

In the picture, you can see it soaking in the original box - you must soak each piece for 10 minutes (HOWEVER, be careful not to soak it too much longer than that as when I got to the final piece, it was a little deteriorated)

Before passenger side:



Before driver side (it was a little worse, and I kept doing it 2nd, so it got a little less love):



It took 10 minutes to soak, and then I probably spent 1:30-2:00 minutes sanding each side. As I sanded, I could see the tiny layer/film that I was sanding gathering on the light. Here's a picture after the initial sand at 1000 grit:



I think you can already see a big difference here. Be sure to re-wet the sand paper as you do it. The whitish residue is what's being sanded away.

This is after the 2000. As you go along, you sand in the opposite direction (e.g., for 1000 grit I sanded horizontally, and for the 1500, I sanded vertically). You can tell when it's time to move one when there's little, if any, friction:





After the 2500, and ready to be polished:



I polished it 3x each on both sides, and then buffed it with the cloth provided. Here's the driver's side after 3 polishes:



Here's the passenger's side:


Here's the original passenger side again for comparison:


Big Difference!!

I would definately recommend this kit. Altogether, I spent no more than 8 minutes sanding each side, and then spent about 6 minutes polishing each side. With the 10 minute "wet" time at the beginning, it took me no more than 40 minutes altogether. It was an easy job, and I would definately do it again.

Here are a few things I'd do next time:

I would spend more time with the original 1000 grit. I'd probably go back and redo both after the first pass. Second, I would not soak all the paper at once as the higher-level grit paper got a little messy toward the end. Third, I'd probably invest in some higher grit paper - probably up another 1000-3000 or so as it would probably make it even clearer at the end. Finally, I would tape-off the area around the light to reduce the amount of "stuff" that ends up on the car.

I too used the Permatex kit and it worked quite well...I didn't notice any problems soaking the paper at all though...If you are going to buy your own paper rather than a kit just make sure it's for wet sanding...And one more thing, although it works wonders on headlight covers, according to ahem, a friend of mine, it doesn't work well at all on sunglasses with plastic lenses...

When it comes to thrifty, my cost was much less than this and very little work. I cleaned both lights with window cleaner, let dry then spray can clear paint onto the lens. The scratches just go away! Put a couple coats on and you are good for quite awhile. Don't forget to mask off the area with some newspaper so you won't have a mess on your hands.

I got the guy who polishes my airplanes to buff them out with rubbing compound. Cost me lunch at Taco Bell. Much easier than sanding out by hand for 6 hours.

alphaseinor said:

Sand non circular, polish circular... normal plastic procedures..

Click to expand...

Could you elaborate? I get the idea, but plastic hadn't been invented back when I took Metal Shop and learned about finishing and polishing...

thanks,
Eddy

Used to have a detailing and custom mobile painting biz. If you have or can borrow a highspeed angle polisher use some mothers or any good micro fine rubbing compound and give them a quick spin. Takes about 15 minutes to do both and they look like new. Then give them a buff (by hand) with a good polish. Have to watch though some of the polishes will yellow from the heat of the lamps. Can't remember the name of it off hand but turtle wax make a new polimer that wipes on, let it dry and buff, seems to work pretty good. They also have a very fine compound (light blue in colour) of the same brand/product line which works well. Never been a turtlewax fan till I met this stuff.

Big trick whether sanding or buffing, don't overheat the acrylic lenses or they soften and will pit twice as fast as before. (thus the need for micro fine liquid compounds) and not too fast on or long on the buffer. Light touch.

just bought e-codes.... TWICE the light, I shouldn't have waited... the OEM North American lights are dangerous..

i polished mine and the top half looks fine but the bottom half is dingy from the inside...i was gonna remove the covers and do the inside but im having trouble getting the thing off..it appears that the entire assembly has to come out and i cant find the trick...can anyone point me to a how to remove the headlight assy?

Anyone wanting an easier fix:

-Polishing compound
-Polishing ball
-Power screw driver
-regular car wax
-"Rejuvenate" brand floor product or MopnGlo

Dip polishing ball in compound and load it. Polish the headlight....you may want to add small amount of water(don't rev too high or you will have it all over the place if you use too much water and too much speed).

Polish until you think you've got most of the dull out(maybe 1-2 minutes). Wipe residue off. Clean the rest off with car wax. Wipe head light with clean rag soaked with small amount of Rejuvenate or MOPnGLO.

5 minute job.

eb2143 said:

Hey just finished this procedure and wanted to give feedback.
Car had 162,000 miles of highway travel on the headlights, but they weren't all that bad

I did not buy a kit.
I went to Autozone and bought 1000 grit and 2000 grit WetorDry sandpaper (both made by 3M) and a 3M bottle of rubbing compound that said it was designed to remove scratches 1500 grit and higher. I also got some "Headlight Lens Restorer" which was basically a polish. Total Cost: $14.00

I also wanted to say you don't have to spend 3 hours to do an excellent job... I didn't do a perfect job, but the lights look amazingly clear and it took me 30 minutes per light.



I finished off with a canabura wax for extra protection.

Give the procedure a try, it's not bad at all!

Click to expand...

I had the same result with the autozone paper and polish and about 30 minutes total.