DIY - Renewing your Faded HeadLights

[Muhammed]

Here is a Little DIY to fix your Faded Headlamps.

While driving around I have Noticed alot of Cars in Malaysia , that have this Problem , So rather than replace the Lights , it could be Fixed using this Tested Method , Have Done this on Many Civics , Mercs , Audis , and it works Beautifully Everytime

Civic HeadLamps Before Renewal Process

Materials you will need:

- 400 Grit Sanpaper
- 800 Grit Sanpaper
- 1000 Grit Sanpaper
- 1500 Grit Sanpaper
- 2000 Grit Sanpaper

- Meguiars Dual Action Cleaner / Similar
- Meguairs Plastx / Mothers Plastic Renewer
- Meguairs Fine Cut Cleaner / Similar
- Meguairs NXT Wax / Similar

We Used Meguiars as it was Readily available But Similar products will work as well

- Bucket of Water
- Microfiber Towels / A Soft Cloth
- Buffer (orbital or highspeed if you have it, if not use microfiber towels)

**Make sure to apply tape around the Bonnet , fender, bumper etc, where ever its possible to accidently scratch the paint.

When you first start using the 400grit sandpaper, the headlight is going to look like crap, but don't worry...it will clear up as you progress.

- Dip the sandpaper in the bucket of water and start sanding. Make sure the surface is always wet.

-For each grit, sand until the surface is completely smooth and apply even pressure. (ie. sanding block) I took about 7-10mins for each grit.
(would really help if you had a high speed polisher but if not it will just take longer by hand.)

- Apply 3 coats of Meguiar's Plast-X with an applicator, wipe off with the microfiber towels

- Now use the Meguiar's Fine Cut Cleaner to remove the fine scratches, use as many coats until you're happy with the results. Wipe off with microfiber towel.

- Apply 2 coats of Meguiar's NXT Wax, to provide the long lasting protection on the headlights. Wipe off with microfiber towel.

**I would recommend applying Meguiar's Plast-X or a decent polish at least once a month to prevent the headlights from hazing.

Civic After Headlamp Renewal

Audi Left Headlamp After Treatment - Right Headlamp Before Treatment

 

[RS@RapeSaints]

SOUNDS COOL... WILL TRY IT OUT AT THIS LONG WEEKEND!!

 

[Muhammed]

Great Stuff

Hope it comes out good

Why dont you take some Before and After Shots and Post them up here too, As well as Any problems that you may have encountered , To Show other Forum members what the Difference is Like

 

[cawyn]

Muhammed, would the same method work with glass headlamps? and also, where can i buy the buffer? i tried doing it by hand, and it takes too long! :(

 

[Muhammed]

Hi Cawyn

The Problem with Fading should not Affect Glass Headlamps , They are More Prone to Tarnishing , With Glass Headlamps , Generally , the Glass lens should come Off , So First Remove the Entire Headlight from the Vehicle , then See how the Glass lens is attached , Remove the Lens and Immerse in warm Soapy water to Loosen all the Accumulated Grime , After the dirt on the Glass is Soft , it will require some elbow grease and a Good Scrub to remove all the Dirt , A toothbrush will come in Very Handy in getting to all the tight Corners, It will be a good idea to clean the Inside of the Headlamp at the Same time so that when you re-assemble everything is clean and Shiny.

Secondly , If you are planning on getting a Buffer just to do this , Then would it Justify the Cost? Doing it by hand is a Bit time Consuming , I Agree, But if it is not working then Perhaps it is an Idea to head to the Nearest Detailing centre and With their help , use the Buffing Machine there , I am sure it will be Cheaper than Purchasing the Machine , However I did see a Simple Orbital Buffer at Tesco in Mutiara Damansara , But I do not know how effective it will be , As the Buffers at the Detailing centres are Heavy Duty

Hope this Helps

 

[Muhammed]

There is a KIT called Glassy Lights available at auto parts stores, Saw it at Eneos , This Kit contains everything that is needed to renew faded Headlamps , as well as detailed instructions

 

[Vyraz11]

dude, how much does that cost?

 

[Muhammed]

dude, how much does that cost?

I am not sure how much it costs , Tried Getting A price from the Staff at Eneos 1 Utama but they seem to be Much more content Socialising and Doing deals between themselves rather than attending to paying Customers , who happen to be irrelevant in the Daily course of business , Its sad that the Philosophy of Customer Service at the store does not feature the Customer or Service , Which left me Standing there for close on 20 minutes waiting to be Attended to while numerous Sales Staff walked Up and down , Without any Bothering to Assist , even after asking for someone to Assist with Pricing, All I got was an Ok and one of the best disappearing acts I have ever seen , Really a Strange situation

 

[Vyraz11]

i know how u feel man, i was looking at spotlights for my bumper coz its hard to buy... i have an evo5 bumper...
looked around for people and finally found one.. after asking him the size and wat not, he kept telling me "tak tau" i gave up and just left

 

[jolipoli81]

My headlight is totally fine, no faded sign, just that there's one thing that is disturbing me regarding my headlight
It has this dots, sparkle dots on the surface due to bad workmanship during spraying. I've tried certain polish solution and the dots are still there. Will sanding help to take off the spray dots? I'm afraid that sanding the headlight surface could also remove the protected coating on the surface.

 

[Muhammed]

Hi Jolipoli81

Why Dont you take a Picture of the Spots , Post it up and then we can see what to do to sort it out, Thanks

 

[jolipoli81]

Hi Jolipoli81

Why Dont you take a Picture of the Spots , Post it up and then we can see what to do to sort it out, Thanks

yeah, I've thought of that too earlier as it is not really easy to imagine my problem, but my camera is not with my atm, will post it later on, thanks anyway

 

[donCityZ]

Wow man.. this is cool... so u did the DIY by trial and error first, or u directly get to make it shine one the first time?

 

[E-Tech]

Wife's CRV head light have faded...and peeling off..
Looks like it has a layer of clear coat spray painted on it.
Maybe this is the second hand car dealer's idea of bring up the shine..

Will find a day to try this out...sand sand sand autosol, liquid polish/wax and then soft wax and buff buff....this way can?

 

[Yong_5290]

u guys can try using dot 3 brake fluid...i saw a acc shop using it n the headlamp is much much nicer....and then charge rm 50 for the service....he peel off the brake fluid sticker of coz...but its red and he say cannot kena body paint....so i terus shoot him izit dot3 he diam diam