Restoring Your Headlights With Pictures

[viet_boi]

Had a day off work so thought I'd do a D.I.Y about restoring the headlights, here it goes:

1.) This is how the headlights looked first, dirty and rough and starting to turn into piss coloured lights.

2.) Grab some fine waterproof sand paper (I used 2500 and 1500)

3.) Splash some water on the headlights then wet the sand paper and start sanding. (I used 1500 first to get the scratchs/dirt out then used 2500 to smooth it all out)

4.) After sanding the whole head light, rinse it with water so all the dirt comes off then dry it. (Should look like this)

5.) For myself I've used ScratchX for couple years now and works a treat but there are other products out there you can use. Put the ScratchX (Product) onto the headlights and rub it around.

6.) Get a buffer (I used the one you plug into the electric screwdriver) and start buffing the lights.

7.) End result? Smooth and silky, no dirt and colour has been brought back to life.

8.) Repeat the steps for the other headlight.

And for 3 series BMW's like my daily, its pretty much just unclip the headlight plastic clear cover, go to the sink and wash it inside out and dry it then clip back in.

Cheers

John

[J_R33]

I did the same. Used a kit and turned out really well..

Before:

After:

[darylmarklim]

i just bought scratch x to try, lights are still yellow

is sanding down required first?

also i didnt use an electric buff

[viet_boi]

yeah electric buffs it better, have tried with hands and you got to rub it hard and for awhile.

sanding is required as it takes of the yellow/dirt coat, without sanding, buffing it will just be another layer added ontop

[itsme]

Lolz John.. you don't have a Skyline and therefor you are under-qualified for posting on here.. Although you are a top bloke so I suppose we could let it go..

Guys this has come up heaps of times before and you can sand them, rub them, lick them <<(wtf) and polish them.. but if you want it to last I recommend using this stuff called Glassylite (or equivalent if there is one), comes in a little pack and you get all sorts of sh*t in there..

I got it for about $40 I think wish does both lights (got mine from Auto one in Malaga coz they are pretty good).

Just like Johns method above they provide the sandpaper which is the first step (you can actually see the water turning a yellowish color due to the buildup on the plastic).

The only advantage to the pack is they give you some stuff called 'nano-sealant' which must be expensive coz they give you sweet f-all of it. I must say though this stuff is insane, it not only give your lights that final 'glassy' clear look but apparently it has a UV protection agent in it which means your headlights are not only looking good but they are protected from looking like piss again for a while, otherwise you may have to do the above every few months and you may 'sand' a hole through your headlights over time..

Good luck all

-Steve

[gotRICE?]

My 10 min job with PlastX.

Sanding works.. but i CBF going through all that effort hehe

[Lucaas]

Great Write Up, definatly one to follow, tried it today and within like 10 minutes of hard larbour the VZ lights are returned back to normal

[R34tassiegirl]

Great Post. Will be trying this asap.

Edited November 30, 2010 by Project Dark Winter

[boiracer]

how long does the scratchX last before yellowing again?

[paulr33]

i just used normal cutting agent for polishing on my series 2 R33 and they came up like brand new

didnt need to use sand paper etc, just normal polish and good as new

[mad082]

i used scratch-X on mine with the buffing pad and it worked fine without sanding, however i had a bit scratch in 1 light so i ended up sanding them as well. came up a touch better.

as for how long they stayed clear, quite a while, but i used to just give them a quick polish everytime i polished the car (about once a year)

[S4LVA]

I also cleaned mine without sanding and it came up like new, Put a layer of carnaubra wax over the top after and they look much better, Had to scrub pretty hard to get it off.

[methz]

looks great mate

[SKYL1N]

i used PlastX rather then ScratchX

Much better result for my 33, i do not sand or buff, and polish by hand.

the result is good, but as all skyline headlights only lasts a month or so before you see the yellow again.

[Johnny87]

just recently bought a r33 skyline and im new to all of this, i just want to to know whats the best polish to get rid of the yellow out of the head lights

i have bought a restoration kit but after reading a few posts , i dont know if sanding is really that necessary?

So what do you think is the best polish to clean the head lights scratch x or plast x??

thanks in advance!

Edited August 10, 2011 by Johnny87

[Madaz]

Yeah well done on the constructive post

edit, this post irrelevant now

[Johnny87]

that wasnt me mate lol..work colleague did that sorry for the spam!

[Madaz]

Ah lol the ol' left the computer logged in

[Johnny87]

yeah i went to the toilet next thing u know..racism lol

[Madaz]

Lol you must work with a VB drinking bogan