NOOdS

Heres a small project I did and I decided to take pictures of. Ive been wanting to do this restoration for a long time but was unsure of the outcome. A car just look nicer with clean headlights, and I didn’t want to buy new ones. CTR headlight aint cheap. Hahaa

The kit I used was MOTHERS PowerBall 4lights Headlight Restoration all-in-one kit.
Whats included in the kit:
Power Plastic 4 lights polish
Power ball
Microfiber towel
Wet sand paper, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000 grit


What else youll need to have to start this small project:
Power drill
Painters tape
Bucket of water

Heres how my headlights looked like before I started. It was starting to fade and turn yellow on the top. Plus I had some scratches and small rock chips. It wasn’t that bad, but I hate it.


Passenger side wasn’t as bad


PREP
Mask off around your headlights with painters tape.

POLISH

I wanted to see if polishing would be enough so I didn’t have to sand. It turned out pretty clean, but I still notice scratches and chips. So the sanding begins.
I started off with the 800 grit. Remember to keep the surface wet and rinse off the sand paper with water periodically. Start sanding using a back and forth, overlapping motion.

Moved on to 1000 grit. Start sanding in the opposite direction (90 degrees) of the 800 grit

1500 grit sand in the opposite direction (90 degrees) of the 1000 grit

2000 grit also sand in the opposite direction

Up close after sanding with 2000 grit. You can choose to sand with a finer sand paper if you like. But 2000 works just fine.

At this time I removed the painters tape because it was falling off from the sanding and the water. Applied new tape around the headlights. And the polishing begins. Wipe with micro fiber towel and youre done.
Sit back and admire your newly restored, crystal clear lenses. No more chips, no more scratches, no more faded yellow.

slumdog

nice work looks brand new

tehtyler

when i restore headlight all i do is sand with 600 then clear coat them with ppg clear coat so you dont have to worry about them getting yellow again

AztecEGhatch

good write-up, definitely something everyone should do. Its amazing how much newer/fresher the car will look after

Jimmy

iTrader: (5)

Great write-up man. Thank you

joeshmo

I have heard people say that clear coat won't stick to raw plastic like this, especially with heat cycling.

AztecEGhatch

If the prep work is done well enough It should adhere just fine. Only thing I would be concerned about would be chipping from road debris

joeshmo

To each their own. A light that has been properly polished and protected with wax or film will last pretty well. I think I may try throwing some clearcoat on one light while polishing the other and see which shows defects first.

98civdx

I agree.

AztecEGhatch

I think it makes more sense to just polish the headlight. Clear coat or not you need to sand and polish so the clear coat thing is just more effort and more potential to fail

Jimmy

iTrader: (5)

Stuff like this reminds me of old days.. Everyone really needs to appreciate the time people take to do write-up's and hopefully we will see more in the near future..

D3vin

Very nice! Great write-up. But what are some ways to prevent it from oxidizing again? I just installed and polished my SiR headlights. I'm afraid it will oxidize really soon because I park on the street and my car is under direct sunlight most of the day at school and at home. I do wash my car once a week though and wax it if I ever have enough time.

I was thinking about clear-bra. Does anyone have experience with that?

TOP91

Wow! they couldn't look better!

AztecEGhatch

clear bra could work well although I work at a car wash and a lot of the clear-bras I see get faded after a few years and make the paint look yellowed. That may last longer than just polishing them though, and the lens wouldn't get damaged. But just waxing your headlights and taillights regularly (with the rest of the car) should help keep them from oxidizing due to the sun/elements

Blazin Si

I sanded and polished my headlights 3 years ago and they still look the same. As long you wash your car weekly or bi-weekly, take an extra 5 mins and apply a coat of Meguiar's PlastX. If you haven't use it before, it takes a little getting used to. When first applied, it will be a milky, paste-like wax. There are microparticals that need to be broken down. Continue rubbing while applying pressure and it will eventually turn into a slippery, clear substance. When all the paste turns clear, you're done. Just wipe it with a microfiber towel.

sw07tc

add a clear coat on doesn't seem to be a good idea, a nice polish and wax layer will last pretty long and if it start fading you just need to redo it once every 4-5months, since you already know how to restore it, and it's easy and quick...

D16SiHatch

thumbs up for everything besides the hids in stock housings.. :p

i definitely think i will try this on my ek, it'd be much easier than re-retrofitting another set of lights lol

pliskin8

iTrader: (1)

bump!! for a good write up, i actually did this a couple of months back when i bought a set of used sir headlights ,they werent that bad but they did show some very slight discoloration on top, i used the turtle wax kit but same result!!

uwishucould158

Where did u get those lighs at I have black housings too but I want the city light in mine

pliskin8

iTrader: (1)

picked them up on ebay for 2 bills love the way it looks with the city lights (Raybrig bulbs!!) i'm looking for another set for my 99 but no luck yet

b18EK6

I did this a few weeks ago, just using 1500 grit sand paper and a quick hand polish afterwards (eventually ill get around to buffing them

Before:


After:


I'm sure with more buffing, they will look even better.

BryanM.

iTrader: (1)

https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/diy-foggy-hazy-oxidized-headlight-fix-56k-warning-2336666/

Mine never gets any love

katchup

look good

thunder70

Thanks for the write-up. I'll be doing this over the weekend.

MikNomis

Got a lil question. Before I read this I followed another guide that said to wetsand 1500 then 2000, then spray a couple coats of clearcoat. His came out looking great but mine still look cloudy (though still an improvement) after the clearcoat. When I rinsed off the headlight after 2000, the water made it look crystal clear, but after drying it, it looked hazy and spraying clearcoat on it didn't help (the guide I followed said the clearcoat was supposed to make the headlight look clear by filling up the tiny spots from sanding).
What do you think?