Sanding Headlights??
Sanding Headlights??
Hey, so my headlights have some scratches and are starting to look yellow. I purchased the 3m Headlight restoration kit. You have to sand the headlight and then polish them to look like new. My question is has anybody tried this? i dont want to damage the headlights by sanding them down. You think its a good idea? I put a link of the product below. Theres also a video on youtube of the product. I put a link up of that video too.
Re: Sanding Headlights??
Gotta sand once they get bad. The grit is really fine so your not taking much off. Tape around the outside and make sure to do the edges well. If they were not such a PITA to fully remove I'd take them all the way out of the car to get the edges really well. Just depends on how bad it is.
Re: Sanding Headlights??
Myfire91, I did this last year (after putting it off for ages) and it worked great...take your time, follow the instructions, and you'll be really happy with the results. This is all done by hand, and it works fine.
As for that particular product, that doesn't look like what I used, but my kit was also from 3M.
This is the one I used for my lights:
As for that particular product, that doesn't look like what I used, but my kit was also from 3M.
This is the one I used for my lights:
Last edited by Sennaspirit; 04-12-2013 at 01:36 PM.
Re: Sanding Headlights??
Crazy as it sounds, I just had my headlights sanded and clear-coated - at Sam's Club! I don't know if it's available at every Sam's Club, but it is at the one here in Las Vegas - Centennial. $30 with a 5-year warranty. It takes about an hour. They tape and mask your car and everything! I already had my headlights out of the car, so that made it even easier for them.
Re: Sanding Headlights??
Crazy as it sounds, I just had my headlights sanded and clear-coated - at Sam's Club! I don't know if it's available at every Sam's Club, but it is at the one here in Las Vegas - Centennial. $30 with a 5-year warranty. It takes about an hour. They tape and mask your car and everything! I already had my headlights out of the car, so that made it even easier for them.
Re: Sanding Headlights??
Other than a really deep pit near the high beam passenger's side, the lenses look good. I used an LED shop light and the finish looks smooth. Just ordered HID kit so will wait a few days for it to arrive. Shop said to let the headlight lenses cure for a few days so timing is good. Will be dusting off Max's sticky on install. Will also be hard-wiring my Garmin behind the glove box. Car should look really clean by the end of next week.
Re: Sanding Headlights??
Other than a really deep pit near the high beam passenger's side, the lenses look good. I used an LED shop light and the finish looks smooth. Just ordered HID kit so will wait a few days for it to arrive. Shop said to let the headlight lenses cure for a few days so timing is good. Will be dusting off Max's sticky on install. Will also be hard-wiring my Garmin behind the glove box. Car should look really clean by the end of next week.
I connected a female cigarette lighter adapter to the glove box light and just routed the standard Garmin cord with male cigarette lighter plug to it inside the right removable panel.
That way, you can still remove the Garmin and use in another car if you need to.
( the glove box light is common to the installed cigarette lighter plug and is hot in accessory / start / run )
Re: Sanding Headlights??
Thanks for the tip Alaxfire! I will do exactly as you suggest. Here are before and after pictures of the headlights. I used a product called Black Wow (an expensive orange goop) on the rubber collars. They make black parts look really black instead of a dark oxidized gray. That makes the collars look brand new.
Re: Sanding Headlights??
I just did basically the same thing to mine at a friend's shop, but I got a little creative. If you have access and want a unique look, consider getting a small amount of black midcoat and mixing with the clear to get a slight tint. Use as many coats as you want for the desired color and instead of a poorly done 'tinted' headlight, you have a better than factory light that looks OEM but pops
Re: Sanding Headlights??
Don't hard wire the Garmin !
I connected a female cigarette lighter adapter to the glove box light and just routed the standard Garmin cord with male cigarette lighter plug to it inside the right removable panel.
That way, you can still remove the Garmin and use in another car if you need to.
( the glove box light is common to the installed cigarette lighter plug and is hot in accessory / start / run )
I connected a female cigarette lighter adapter to the glove box light and just routed the standard Garmin cord with male cigarette lighter plug to it inside the right removable panel.
That way, you can still remove the Garmin and use in another car if you need to.
( the glove box light is common to the installed cigarette lighter plug and is hot in accessory / start / run )
Re: Sanding Headlights??
I just did basically the same thing to mine at a friend's shop, but I got a little creative. If you have access and want a unique look, consider getting a small amount of black midcoat and mixing with the clear to get a slight tint. Use as many coats as you want for the desired color and instead of a poorly done 'tinted' headlight, you have a better than factory light that looks OEM but pops
Re: Sanding Headlights??
Understandable, I have the HIDs and went with a lighter shade than last time, hoping to get a little more light. It is not bad with the HIDs, but still not quite as bright as I would like...
Re: Sanding Headlights??
Yes - brown is ground - ( shell of female connector ) and BK/BL on the center contact.
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