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Headlight Makeover

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  • #1

    Headlight Makeover

    Here's the makeover of the headlights on a Nissan Maxima, I'll let the pictures do the talking.



















    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Headlight Makeover

    That's insane! Nice work man!

    I can't believe how trashed the headlights were to start with - almost looks like they had a light coat of spray paint on them.
    Originally posted by Blueline
    I own a silver vehicle and a black vehicle owns me. The black one demands attention, washing, detailing, waxing and an occasional dinner out at a nice restaurant. The silver one demands nothing and it looks just fine. I think the black vehicle is taking advantage of me, and the silver car is more my style. We can go out for a drive without her makeup and she looks fine. If I want to take the black one out, it is three or four hours in the "bathroom" to get ready.

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    • #3
      Re: Headlight Makeover

      OUTSTANDING!

      What was your process?

      Bill

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      • #4
        Re: Headlight Makeover

        Originally posted by davey g-force View Post
        That's insane! Nice work man!

        I can't believe how trashed the headlights were to start with - almost looks like they had a light coat of spray paint on them.
        Thanks, it took some work, but they turned out great. The drivers side headlight was a used replacement light due to an accident. When I received it, it was pretty badly oxidized. I cleaned it up with PlastX, but 2 years later.... it looked like it did in the before pictures! Extremely oxidized.
        Originally posted by BillE View Post
        OUTSTANDING!

        What was your process?

        Bill
        With these lights, I began wetsanding with 500 grit, then 800, 1000, 1500, 2000. Wiped headlight down with Mineral Spirits, then applied a Spar Urethane/Mineral Spirits mixture for UV protection.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Headlight Makeover

          Originally posted by dangle View Post
          With these lights, I began wetsanding with 500 grit, then 800, 1000, 1500, 2000. Wiped headlight down with Mineral Spirits, then applied a Spar Urethane/Mineral Spirits mixture for UV protection.
          So you went straight from wetsanding to LSP? No compounding?
          Originally posted by Blueline
          I own a silver vehicle and a black vehicle owns me. The black one demands attention, washing, detailing, waxing and an occasional dinner out at a nice restaurant. The silver one demands nothing and it looks just fine. I think the black vehicle is taking advantage of me, and the silver car is more my style. We can go out for a drive without her makeup and she looks fine. If I want to take the black one out, it is three or four hours in the "bathroom" to get ready.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Headlight Makeover

            Originally posted by davey g-force View Post
            So you went straight from wetsanding to LSP? No compounding?
            Correct, no compounding. The sanding marks leave a "gritty" surface for the mixture to adhere to.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Headlight Makeover

              Oh, I see. Spar Urethane is actually a clear protective coating formulated for timber!

              Well, whatever works I guess
              Originally posted by Blueline
              I own a silver vehicle and a black vehicle owns me. The black one demands attention, washing, detailing, waxing and an occasional dinner out at a nice restaurant. The silver one demands nothing and it looks just fine. I think the black vehicle is taking advantage of me, and the silver car is more my style. We can go out for a drive without her makeup and she looks fine. If I want to take the black one out, it is three or four hours in the "bathroom" to get ready.

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Headlight Makeover

                Originally posted by davey g-force View Post
                Oh, I see. Spar Urethane is actually a clear protective coating formulated for timber!

                Well, whatever works I guess
                Correct, it is a "clear gloss" that dries hard, protects the plastic from UV rays and lasts years...not weeks or months.

                Any of the other "headlight kits" available to the common consumer offer "band-aid" solutions with their "headlight protectants"...

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Headlight Makeover

                  nice work, would plastX via DA remove that heavy haze?
                  btw....how the heck does anyone allow that to happen to their cars?
                  "STRIFE" aka Phil
                  2005 Infiniti G35 Coupe (IP/ aka White) the Toy
                  2011 Subaru Impreza (SWP/ aka White) the DD
                  2017 Subaru Forester (CWP/ aka White) Wifey's

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Headlight Makeover

                    Originally posted by STRIFE View Post
                    nice work, would plastX via DA remove that heavy haze?
                    btw....how the heck does anyone allow that to happen to their cars?
                    You'd be hard pressed to get any sort of desirable results for any length of time using a DA + compound or PlastX. The problem is the lack of "bite" in a DA pad to "clean" out all of the oxidation on the headlight lens in the condition that this headlight was in... hence the use of aggressive wet sanding.

                    Now if you want a temporary fix and are satisfied with ~80% correction and continual "messing" with your headlights to keep them presentable... yes.

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Headlight Makeover

                      They look brand new, what a difference from the before. Great work!
                      auto detailing atascadero
                      arroyo grande auto detailing
                      Paso Robles auto detailing

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Headlight Makeover

                        Originally posted by Fast_Eddie View Post
                        They look brand new, what a difference from the before. Great work!
                        Thanks!

                        I offer this service with a $50 price tag and 1 year guarantee... and people have still complained about price!

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: Headlight Makeover

                          Those look great! Worth $50 imo. Are you applying that product with a brush? Does mixing it with the mineral spirits help level it out like that? Is it a couple thin coats. Thank you.
                          Fergy-

                          You're only as good as your last detail

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: Headlight Makeover

                            Originally posted by MrCLRider View Post
                            Those look great! Worth $50 imo. Are you applying that product with a brush? Does mixing it with the mineral spirits help level it out like that? Is it a couple thin coats. Thank you.
                            The product is applied with a Scott's Shop Towel (the blue ones). The mineral spirits allows the mixture to be workable, but the mixture is self-leveling to a certain degree. Only one coat is applied.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Headlight Makeover

                              bookmark.

                              Comment

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