Headlight restoration?

[absolutevodka]

I got a kit from strauss auto, and i followed it step by step. It ended up being nice clear and polished on the top of the headlight lenses, and the bottom still had a fog cloud build-up(still do/attachment before and after). Idk if i should try using the kit again on the bottom or do the whole thing over again. They are a lot clearer than they appear in the picture, just the sun is beaming at them.. can't get a good angle at the time of day. maybe ill post another when the sun starts to go down.

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[ohlord]

they should come out and you don't need a kit.
400 600 1000 2000 grit wet sand paper
a bucket of water with a splash of dish soap. Lightly sand with a sponge wrapped under the sand paper after you have soaked the sand paper for a half hour. Keep dipping it in the water sand side to side for about 5 minutes with the 400 grit then 5 minutes top to bottom the next grit and so on up till the 2000 grit and then get the buffing wheel out and polish the uniform haze to a high shine with Meguires plastx or menzerna intensive polish. Keep the buffer moving if you stay in one place you may scar the lens.Also do't have the buffer going crazy fast.
The first and last pics are the befores the third pic is the during the second pic is the almost done and the night time pic is with the 65watt www.danielsternlighting.com
rally bulbs installed. No malfunction warnings and lots more light.
More headlight polishing tips on www.benzworld.org w210 diy section.

[absolutevodka]

Originally Posted by ohlord

they should come out and you don't need a kit.
400 600 1000 2000 grit wet sand paper
a bucket of water with a splash of dish soap. Lightly sand with a sponge wrapped under the sand paper after you have soaked the sand paper for a half hour. Keep dipping it in the water sand side to side for about 5 minutes with the 400 grit then 5 minutes top to bottom the next grit and so on up till the 2000 grit and then get the buffing wheel out and polish the uniform haze to a high shine with Meguires plastx or menzerna intensive polish. Keep the buffer moving if you stay in one place you may scar the lens.Also do't have the buffer going crazy fast.
The first and last pics are the befores the third pic is the during the second pic is the almost done and the night time pic is with the 65watt www.danielsternlighting.com
rally bulbs installed. No malfunction warnings and lots more light.
More headlight polishing tips on www.benzworld.org w210 diy section.

And where would i be able to get those grits, becuase the only kits I've seen in auto shops like strauss and so on have 1000-1500-2000-2500 and a bottle of polish. It took out most of the nasty cloud build-up, but there are still parts of the headlights that are clouded mostly the bottom half of all 4 lenses. It told me to use 1000 for 8-10 minutes up and down or side to side, and then 1500-2500 3-5 minutes the oposite way of the previous grit. I was thinking about getting the 3M kit.

[ohlord]

or any auto body supply shop.

[absolutevodka]

Originally Posted by ohlord

or any auto body supply shop.

For example?

[TMAllison]

Most hardware stores have wet dry paper in those grits for a buck or two a sheet. No mystery. OSH, Home Depot, True Value, the place on the corner......

[ejsheltra]

Starting with 400-600 is really aggressive. My wife's car had bad yellowing haze and I started with 1000 then 1500 and finally 3000. Then polished it with Meguiars lens cleaning polish bot from Pep Boys. They sparkle. Word of caution , go light pressure with the sanding action. It is only plastic and scratches pretty easily. Too much and you will scar the lens. Also Griot's Garage.com has a really nice 3 inch oribital polisher for about a hundred bucks with the pads. Great for doing this kind of work.

[ejsheltra]

Originally Posted by TMAllison

Most hardware stores have wet dry paper in those grits for a buck or two a sheet. No mystery. OSH, Home Depot, True Value, the place on the corner......

TM did you put all those miles on yourself? That's impressive. Your secrets to long auto shelf life?

[TMAllison]

Originally Posted by ejsheltra

TM did you put all those miles on yourself? That's impressive. Your secrets to long auto shelf life?

Bought the car with 100K on it. I commute 110 miles back and forth to work so the longevity of the diesel engine makes sense for me.

Secrets to long life: Keeping up with a reasonable level of DIY service, preventive maint, a good oil and watching gauges always.

[absolutevodka]

I'm just scared of scarring the lenses, so do I do it all over again. I was thinking of using the 3M restoration kit, what do you guys think? I got a pic of what the headlights look now, you can see the couldiness still hanging in there after two time of sanding and polishing.

[Palermo Len]

Originally Posted by absolutevodka

I'm just scared of scarring the lenses, so do I do it all over again. I was thinking of using the 3M restoration kit, what do you guys think? I got a pic of what the headlights look now, you can see the couldiness still hanging in there after two time of sanding and polishing.

I bought a kit from Harbor Freight for $14.95 and I used a 20% off coupon which made it even less and it did a great job but it's only good for 2 headlights. I only needed to do the left side because the body shop just replaced the right ones (I hit a pickup truck). This kit requires a 1200 RPM drill (I used my cordless 1100 RPM drill) and I really had what appeared to be hard water stains on the lower half of the lenses. I had previously hand sanded with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper to no avail. It really needed the 1100 RPMS to do the job. I can reuse the kit by cutting new discs and gluing them on and I believe I can use the lens cleaner I bought previously for the final polishing with this kit. I am very happy now.

[rennwerkes]

Originally Posted by Palermo Len

I bought a kit from Harbor Freight for $14.95 and I used a 20% off coupon which made it even less and it did a great job but it's only good for 2 headlights. I only needed to do the left side because the body shop just replaced the right ones (I hit a pickup truck). This kit requires a 1200 RPM drill (I used my cordless 1100 RPM drill) and I really had what appeared to be hard water stains on the lower half of the lenses. I had previously hand sanded with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper to no avail. It really needed the 1100 RPMS to do the job. I can reuse the kit by cutting new discs and gluing them on and I believe I can use the lens cleaner I bought previously for the final polishing with this kit. I am very happy now.

+1 on the polishing kits.
Amazon sells the 3M kits for under $20 if I recall correctly.
To get off the original coating that yellows is in my experience nearly impossible by hand. If the kits were more expensive I'd consider doing it by hand but being so inexpensive it's hard to beat.

[ohlord]

of wet paper, some polish and a sponge or sanding foam pad and a buffer. What could be easier than that. Look at the results in my post.
Can the results be any clearer
Easy way to get off the yellow haze before sanding. Mask off area and lightly spray easy off oven cleaner let sit for a few and wash off with plenty of warm soapy water. Then start sanding.

[ejsheltra]

Take it easy go gently on the pressure. It does not take that much elbow grease to do this job correctly. Consider that 3 inch random polisher. It does make the job go by very quickly.

[Mister Brenton]

Ohlord, is that you in the picture? Reminds me of the tall guy with the murderous floating orb in Phantasm.

I have a kit I intend to get around to. Cost about $18. I'll post pictures eventually.

[rennwerkes]

Originally Posted by absolutevodka

I'm just scared of scarring the lenses, so do I do it all over again. I was thinking of using the 3M restoration kit, what do you guys think? I got a pic of what the headlights look now, you can see the couldiness still hanging in there after two time of sanding and polishing.

Absolutevodka, sorry, didn't look carefully at your post and the pics.
The problem you're having is that the coating that yellows is still on your lens. You need to take all that crap off so that the lens can actually start shining up.
Just use nice even strokes but don't be afraid to cut through all that stuff. If your kit is anything like the 3M one it'll work out in the end. Don't be too afraid to scuff things up a bit. Just don't stay in one spot and dig a hole in the lens!

[ohlord]

I had to pass on that role.
My smile was to fetching and they wanted a more menacing look
Besides that ball was really sharp when you had to hang onto it for any period of time

[absolutevodka]

Originally Posted by rennwerkes

Absolutevodka, sorry, didn't look carefully at your post and the pics.
The problem you're having is that the coating that yellows is still on your lens. You need to take all that crap off so that the lens can actually start shining up.
Just use nice even strokes but don't be afraid to cut through all that stuff. If your kit is anything like the 3M one it'll work out in the end. Don't be too afraid to scuff things up a bit. Just don't stay in one spot and dig a hole in the lens!

Will do, thanks for the help guys.