Sanded & Polished the Headlights on my Passat

I had some time on my hands Saturday so figured I'd take a shot at a project that has been on my to do list for a while. The headlights on my 03 Passat had been looking like crap since I bought the car and it was time to fix them.

As you can see, the headlights are looking like, well, crap.




After careful taping off, ( I didn't want to have to paint a panel because I wasn't careful and either sanded or burnt an edge off ), I used 1500 grit by hand to remove the oxidation and reveal a nice clean, smooth surface. Lube was just straight water.


After sanding, the initial polishing was done with Megs 105 / Megs MF Cutting Disc on my PC at speed 6 for a few passes and slowed to 5 for a few. This combo did a fantastic job of cleaning up the sanding haze.


After the initial polishing, I used Menz Power Finish on a MF Cutting disc and then followed up with Scholl S30 on a Megs MF Finishing Disc.


That looks a lot better!

 

Just beautiful, thoughtful, perfect job, Ken !!

There is nothing like turning the clock back 9 years on those headlight covers!!!

Did you put anything else on them for UV protection down the road ?

Thanks for doing this work so great and sharing the pics..
Dan F

 

Yeah, make sure you put some type of sealant on them. Factory lights come with a layer of UV protection over them. Now that you've sanded it completely off, they'll fade more quickly if not protected. I top mine off with Powerlock

 

Wow, huge difference. Nice!

 

Holy (*)$% Ken, that looks brand spanking new! How big was the pad you used?

 

Just used the small pads P1et. The lights are small enough to get away with just using them. Took about an hour to do both lights.

 

Looks great Ken! Much safer now.

-Kody-

 

Very nice Ken! Thanks for sharing. This is also on my "to do list"

 

Nice job and nice pics!

 

Looks great ken! did you opti-coat it?

 

Now that they are perfect time to put some clear film on those puppies.

 

Looks great Ken what a huge improvement, how big of a difference do you notice going down the road now?

 

Hey ken did you use a urethane type coating to protect them

 

No coating on them yet. Just did them Saturday. As for difference in lighting, haven't driven in the dark since doing it.

 

Nice that's some clean headlights!

 

What a difference. Looks brand new again.

 

Great job! Look great.

 

very nice, brand new looking!