Head light polishing??

I gave a exterior detail to my very close fiend's 04 Civic SIR including both headlights polish. We had lunch together a week ago and he told me not to do any headlight polishing for any of my further customers because both of the headlights on his car turned yellow after I polished. He referred to his brother's theory that the 'coating' has been completely polished off from the headlights. I said it woundn't be possible because I have polished couples of headlights with no followed up issue. This include my 03 Toyota SUV with 300k mileage.

The brother of the owner commutes around 180km round trip a day to work and highway mileage composes most of the trips. I explained the turning of the colour might be caused by the road condition.

His brother had been using dishes soap instead of car wash shampoo until I convinced him not to. The clear coating on the car is thin in overall, and there is no clear no the front bumper. I guess this is caused by the sand and rock hitting, and this could be the major explanation for the colour turning.

Any thoughts? Does anyone knows if there is a 'real' coating on headlights?

 

I believe it is common for headlights to have a UV coating. And I have also heard polishing aggressively will remove this coating.

There is a chemical product available that is said to restore this finish. I'll pull up the article later. I recall the instructions tell you to wear a respiratory mask when applying.

Whatever sealant you put on probably was broken down by your friends washing product.

Opti-Coat or AQuarts might be a good product to try.

 

As a side note I have noticed Japanese car headlights are more easily damaged than German. American cars seem to be somewhere in the middle.

 

Yes your headlights do have an OEM sacrificial UV coating on them to protect them from the elements. When this coating fails as evident in the photo, this coating will start to check or delaminate from the lens surface......

Porsche 996 Lens



After failed UV coating has been removed....



Both lenses on the bench going thru "Headlight Lens Restoral"



New UV sacrificial coating applied and cured with a special UV curing lamp





Headlight Lens Restoral finished and ready for the install



Installed and looking like new....





Completed and ready for delivery............



This restoral is as clear as a CD case, solid and cured......no more sanding or polishing required and no more yellowing...guaranteed!

 

Great write up Inno. For those of us that don't have the special UV coating and curing lights what would you recommend using as a substitute? (Besides the obvious "Bring it to me." response.) Is Opti-coat a viable option?

 

I want to know where to buy the UV clearcoat... I know it's not expensive and spray kings had them, but their website no longer works. It was about $12 for a 10oz. can.

 

yeah I would like to get something for headlights as well. some kind of long lasting coating.

 

IIRC ... I believe this will work, but I have never used it. I believe Agpatel's dad works for SEM.

SEM Products - Catalog - SOLARAY UV HEADLIGHT REPAIR

 

ok, so how much is the stuff? and where can I get it?

should i get the uv lamp as well?

 

Roger ... it's about $40 bucks a can. I don't know how many you need per set, but I think one can should be fine for a normal light set. You can buy this stuff online.

The UV lamp (400w UVA lamp) is about $200-240 bucks. I have read everywhere that the uv lamp is not necessary if you leave the lights under the sun for a few hours. The lamp speeds up the process (2 min per light), but it's not a must for enthusiasts.

The only way I could justify buying the lamp is if I had to do several headlight restorations a day.

 

I agree. The lamp is too expensive for a weekend worrier or even a pro unless you do ALOT of these permanent light restoration on a daily or weekly basis.

How many coats of this clear coat should you apply per light? Do you wetsand and buff it once it cures to remove orange peel?

 

Gdal. Thanks for the heads up on the UV light.

I wonder if headlight removal is necessary. Or if tape will do.

 

If your doing that quality, removal should be done. They really are much easier to work on in the open.

 

If your doing that quality, removal should be done. They really are much easier to work on in the open.

 

‪Solaray UV Headlight Repair Video‬‏ - YouTube

There's a video of how it's applied.

I was surprised at how little he sprayed on the lights. I might have to pick up a can.... wonder if the clearcoat will fully cure by just leaving the car out in the sun.

 

I live in the Greater Toronto Area. Do you know any place that sells the UV coating? I have checked Home Deport and Rona but they never carried the product.

 

$40 bucks a can is nuts. I'm going to call ardex today (hopefully), and see what they charge for their stuff.

Thanks for the info G, and I'll let you know what Ardex says. I do know they sell a kit, and a banner.
http://www.ardexwax.com/uploads/Accessory_Catalog_4.30.pdf
scroll to page 23.

 

Ontario Distributors

SEM Products - Site Map

 

Let us know Roger. I might have to go to Philly to pick some of this stuff. Thanks again bro!

 

What I've done in the past is to correct and then apply 3M PPF film on it----which has a UV topper on it (some films dont). 3 years later, still looks good...