Well I finally took the plunge......

I am going to use the 3M kit to restore the headlights on my Nissan Titan Pick up. Then I am going to volunteer to do my mother inlaws c230 head lights. Depending on how these come out I will or will not attempt to the 996.

Any tips or suggestions would be really welcomed..... Also what treatment do I use after restoration in order to keep the lens nice a clear?

Pics pending..

 

i used the same kit.
i kept a constant stream of water on the headlight while sanding with a garden hose.
it kept the sanding disk cool and clog free.
happy buffing

 

I'll be doing my headlights soon using the 3M kit. I order the Headlight Shields from Griot's Garage which are UV stabilized to prevent yellowing....guaranteed for four years.

 

Use the shields or another coating. I did my daughter's Jetta lat year. The lights were really badly hazed before and came out looking great. But now a year later they are hazing up again. When you do the lenses it removes the UV coating which needs to be replaced. There is a service called http://drheadlight.com/ which fixes then lenses and applies a coating to them. Haven't used them but the have had great reviews.

 

I ordered a set of 3M lens films for the headlights from clearmask.com. Anybody use these before?

http://www.clearmask.com/online_store.php

 

I had Doctor Headlight service my 996 a few months ago. They look much, much better. We'll see how they hold up over time. They do apply some kind of a sealer to protect against UV rays, and the service is guaranteed for life. I think it was $90 and it took about an hour.

 

Before and after on the Titan. Definitely not going to DIY on the 996. Over all great results but it take skill with the drill. I messed up my lens in a few spots so I am going to have to get another kit. If I can get the 996 done for $90 I am pulling the trigger.

Anybody know of a good place in S. Florida?

 

Before

 

After

 

As a professional/show car detailer, here is my process. Wet sand the lights with 1500, 2000, 3000 grit. Wipe down the lens with a 50/50 mixture of H2O and Isopryil alcohol. My final coating requires no buffing which saves a ton of time. I then coat the lens with a mixture of 50/50 spar urethane/mineral spirits. Home Depot/Lowes and cheap. Lenses are lasting way past a year so far on my clients vehicles. If there is cloudiness inside the lens itself then it's time for new ones.

There are some fantastic sealers out there nowadays that may work as well as the urethane mix. To name a few: Opti-coat, CQuartz, AQuartz. There is a learning curve to using them. The Opti-Coat is an amazing resin that will easily last 2 years on paint...no more waxing! The scratch resistance is also amazing.

 

Keeping the constant stream of water on the headlight while sanding works best. You use up less of the sanding disks and the overall finished product is better.

I am going to redo them to get out my noob errors but I would think twice before attempting the 996.

 

How do you apply the spar urethane? I am guessing you spray it on, but just wanted to confirm. Would you recomend pulling the headlights first or is it less work to mask everything and do it on the car?

Do you apply the urethane in coats and wetsand / steel wool between?

 

I simply wipe it on using one of those blue, disposable shop rags. Dip it in the mixture then wipe it on. Not too thick. It will level itself out nicely. If I am doing a Porsche, I take them out. It is easier than taping off the curves. But, you can easily mask off everything and go to town. Keep the lens wet while you sand. Soak the sandpaper in water first for at least a half hour. A good way to practice is to hit the junkyard and get some crappy, cheap used lenses. It is not hard or intricate work.

 

I did my wife's clk 500 and they came out like new...just followed the directions