How Make Your Headlights Permanently Clear!!!

[dogfish246]

Hey guys,

So I have been working on a method to make your headlights permanently clear and here it is. There are many ways to make your headlights clear such as kits from the store (3M is pretty good), toothpaste, baking soda, brake fluid, bug spray, wet sand, etc. Some work great, others are bad for your light, but no matter what, all of those methods are temporary.

This is my method that is a permanent UV seal over the headlight lens so it wont fade. I experimented with different grit sandpaper, different sanding methods, different clear coats, and this is what I found to work best after all my testing.

Let me know what you think!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEJbKLZ7RmM

 

[BlazingTrails]

Great video, how long have you tested this new treatment? How do you know how long the clear coat will last?

Couldn't you just use the 3M headlight restore kit and then just spray it with the clear coat?

 

[smt 59]

I agree, great video. I did my Mazda at my buddies body shop, no wet sand just high speed buffer and compounds. My truck is not hazey just pitted, I will give this a shot and see how it turns out.

 

[dmanns67]

I agree you could pick up the 3M headlight restore kit for $20, but everything he used in his video, I already have in my garage/house. So really I would not be spending any more money.

BT did have a good question on how long your treatment has lasted. I seen you talk about the first headlight you did, but I dont think you said how long ago you did the restoration.

Awesome video though.

 

[sawicksted]

Looks good

Mine are a little pitted but not yellowed. Looks like a good but cost effective fix. I have a spare set of head lights that I might try this on someday.

 

[808_LS_EXT]

Um, sorry ChrisFix…

I did the wet sand / Rustoleum Clear Coat technique to my 2000 Blazer and a 2002 Dodge Ram Pick-up. I also applied a UV paint sealant over the clear-coat.

They both looked better than new…. for a little while… then the clear-coat began to peel off the headlights and tail-lights. I believe the clear-coat separates itself from the lens, as it doesn’t expand/shrink with the plastic lenses during heat cycles caused by the sun and the lamps.

Since then, I’ve found the best and cheapest way to restore headlights is to sand them with 1500grit sandpaper, buff with polishing compound (which is a less grittier than rubbing compound). Then apply the UV paint sealant over them.

 

[jrSS]

Ive painted my tails 2 yrs ago and they still look like the day I painted them. Clear coat is paint with no pigment.

 

[BlazingTrails]

Don't the headlights get a lot hotter than the tails tho?

 

[Mounce]

808, maybe your clear coat didn't bond right? If clear coat was that touchy, it wouldn't be used on the metal of the rest of the car. Although it does sometimes eventually peel off of there too but takes many years.

 

[808_LS_EXT]

808, maybe your clear coat didn't bond right? If clear coat was that touchy, it wouldn't be used on the metal of the rest of the car. Although it does sometimes eventually peel off of there too but takes many years.

Maybe Mounce...
but there's not a whole lot behind applying a coat of clear coat,
other than thoroughly cleaning and ruffing-up the surface.

… and yes, factory clear does peel from body paint too.
Ask your dealer warranty department about clear coat claims.

Maybe being here in Hawaii subjected my lights to more sun, which caused the clear to peel.

I’m not disparaging clear coat in general…
I’m just sharing my experience that clear-coat is not the Holy Grail to headlights.

As I’ve said above, I discovered that buffing/ polishing with a quality UV sealant produces a nice result,
It also eliminates a lot of masking/prep work, and a layer of possible failure.

 

[Mounce]

Understood.

 

[dogfish246]

Great video, how long have you tested this new treatment? How do you know how long the clear coat will last?

Couldn't you just use the 3M headlight restore kit and then just spray it with the clear coat?

Thanks! I did not want to use the 3M restore kit because it cost about $20 and I had everything besides the clear coat. Plus, you do not want to get the lens smooth because the clear coat will have nothing to grab onto. That is why I went from 600 to 2000 grit. The 600 puts a good size scratch and the 2000 just removes any surface roughness.

I agree, great video. I did my Mazda at my buddies body shop, no wet sand just high speed buffer and compounds. My truck is not hazey just pitted, I will give this a shot and see how it turns out.

Thanks! Let me know how it goes!

I agree you could pick up the 3M headlight restore kit for $20, but everything he used in his video, I already have in my garage/house. So really I would not be spending any more money.

BT did have a good question on how long your treatment has lasted. I seen you talk about the first headlight you did, but I dont think you said how long ago you did the restoration.

Awesome video though.

Unfortunately I have not had much time with the clear on them, just a few weeks.

Looks good

Mine are a little pitted but not yellowed. Looks like a good but cost effective fix. I have a spare set of head lights that I might try this on someday.

Thanks! Yea, it is something good to keep in the back of your mind!

Um, sorry ChrisFix…

I did the wet sand / Rustoleum Clear Coat technique to my 2000 Blazer and a 2002 Dodge Ram Pick-up. I also applied a UV paint sealant over the clear-coat.

They both looked better than new…. for a little while… then the clear-coat began to peel off the headlights and tail-lights. I believe the clear-coat separates itself from the lens, as it doesn’t expand/shrink with the plastic lenses during heat cycles caused by the sun and the lamps.

Since then, I’ve found the best and cheapest way to restore headlights is to sand them with 1500grit sandpaper, buff with polishing compound (which is a less grittier than rubbing compound). Then apply the UV paint sealant over them.

I would think that the peeling was caused by inaduquate adheasion. The paint I used said it expands and contracts with the surface you put it on (they arent talking about headlights but it just means it has a little play to it without cracking or peeling). How did you prep the headlight surface? All the work is in the prep. I explained above, I went from 600 grit to a light 2000 grit and the theory behind that is the 600 grit give the paint a lot of bite and the light sanding with the 2000 just cuts any roughness on the surface layer of the lens. Only time will tell, but so far so good.

How long did it last for you?

808, maybe your clear coat didn't bond right? If clear coat was that touchy, it wouldn't be used on the metal of the rest of the car. Although it does sometimes eventually peel off of there too but takes many years.

Yea, that is what I said in a reply to his comment. It is all about the prep. Not that he doesnt know how to prep the headlight, but I took a unique approach that I havent seen for headlights. Nothing lasts forever, but in my book, if it lasts over a year, for a headlight fix, it is permanent lol

 

[808_LS_EXT]

How long did it last for you?

Nothing lasts forever, but in my book, if it lasts over a year, for a headlight fix, it is permanent lol

A little less than a year...
Failed too soon to pass the "permanent marker"

 

[dogfish246]

A little less than a year...
Failed too soon to pass the "permanent marker"

Haha. That stinks. I have had this method work for over a year now on my other car but only time will tell with my new/improved method!