My first headlight restorration job

[eohl79]

Here is my first amateur headlight restoration job. Never really did any real restoration before as I always used Megs Platx previously which can't do much correction.

Subject is a P.Saga headlights which has some slight yellowing, hazy, minor scratches/RIDS, pits. This is the same P.Saga in which I've reviewed CarPro TarX before in AW forum.
http://player.vimeo.com/video/32908402?title=0&amp

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-VE4BUENeLXc/TyDi5a0KTII/AAAAAAAAA_M/0d2V285K6U4/s640/DSC01218.JPG
Figure 1: Dull left headlights

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XZHQXShgqKM/TyDi8jZsIwI/AAAAAAAAA_c/a1ZIV5MJ3F4/s640/DSC01220.JPG
Figure 2: Dull left headlights under inspection lamp

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-UZePRCPcNeI/TyDi-HtvK1I/AAAAAAAAA_k/YS7tYMLLOW0/s640/DSC01221.JPG
Figure 3: Left headlights, zoomed in with visible RIDS and scratches besides the dull faded surface

Mission of the day is to restore the clarity of the headlights and the second the level out some minor RIDS and surface imperfection. The products that I've chosen are:
1. Osren P40 + Osren spot buff denim pad, Makita speed 1->2->1. This is as an alternative to manual wet sanding of the surface to remove minor imperfection. Tried with velvet pad before but find the cut too slow, hence used denim pads instead.
2. Osren P40 + LC spot buff wool pad, Makita speed 1->2->1. This is to remove the swirl sanding marks left over from the denim pad.
3. Optimum polish II + LC white spot buff foam, Makita speed 1->2->1. This is to remove the haziness from the P40 compound from denim and wool pad.

I chose Osren P40 compound as it has some serious cutting abilities and seems to be of diminishing abrasives. Initial cut seems more than Optimum compound II - it feels more gritty. Osren latest spot buff denim pad (version 3.0 which is thicker and does not require an interface pad) chosen as it has the highest cutting ability (somewhere around 1000 grit) will save me some precious time instead of doing manual wetsanding which is a tedious and time consuming job. My main aim to the headlight job is to use the minimal amount of products, steps and achieve a reasonable but not perfect finish.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--yIYJBlqpkE/TyDi57a0R7I/AAAAAAAAA_Q/RQJeTU6dckA/s640/DSC01219.JPG
Figure 4: Remedy for the day, Osren P40 with Osren spot buff denim and velvet pads (did not use this)

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Nxc3-hXuTRc/TyDi-5gmhqI/AAAAAAAAA_o/eDX8yOhR9jU/s640/DSC01224.JPG
Figure 5: Right uncorrected, center denim+P40, left denim+P40 and LC white+Opti Polish II. There are still some sanding mark swirls in the center which I could not remove with the polishing step. Followed on later with wool before polishing.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_mf-SlVwgEE/TyDjEBGJGDI/AAAAAAAAA_4/UdJDjoLd42Y/s640/DSC01225.JPG
Figure 6: After P40+denim, P40+wool, LC white+Opti Polish II. Clarity restored, light scratches removed.

On to the right headlights.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2NASSqL8Q90/TyDjE_iP72I/AAAAAAAABAA/BXp0lOo-5S8/s640/DSC01226.JPG
Figure 7: Right headlight after P40+denim, most surface imperfection removed except for micro cracks and deeper surface imperfection

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-V7ECfW7GPTY/TyDjEsFgGmI/AAAAAAAAA_8/Sbff5mwtcTQ/s640/DSC01227.JPG
Figure 8: Right headlight after P40+wool, sanding marks removed

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-NRK4gpYgOf8/TyDjJV0aAMI/AAAAAAAABAU/IOpg5x26iFE/s640/DSC01228.JPG
Figure 9: Right headlight after LC white+Opti Polish II. Not as clear as left headlight. There are some micro cracks and surface defects which I did not do any correction as it would need some serious surface leveling which I am not keen

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YjPaCTNivV4/TyDjI-6fckI/AAAAAAAABAY/LyKHsiMOMkA/s640/DSC01229.JPG
Figure 10: Right headlight all complete. Not as good as left headlight but owner is satisfied enough as he just wanted to get rid of the yellowing and haziness.

Lastly, cleaned both headlights surface thoroughly with denatured alcohol before giving it a coat of OC2.0. Let's see how long OC2.0 lasts on the headlamp.

Conclusion:
1. Osren P40 + spot buff denim pad with a rotary at low speed does achieve somewhat of a similar method to sanding the headlights with a 1000 grit sandpaper. There are definitely some rotary swirl marks after using it which can be removed easily by a wool pad.
2. If the headlamp surface is inspected on closeup, there are still some unevenness to the surface. Might need a coarser sandpaper in the range of 500 or 800 grit to level it out. Did not do so as I want to minimize the steps and not the finish that I wanted to achieve with this headlights - plastic is thin and and further leveling would make the plastic more fragile, no point doing so. This is an everyday driver.
3. There are some clouding and dirt behind the headlights. Not sure where it came from. Probably from the bulb opening or the seal surrounding the clear case perimeter isn't tight. Will get to that another day.
4. Total time taken, less than 2 hours to complete both headlights, take picture, test spot, etc.
5. Don't use cotton applicator or MF towel to apply OC2.0 on headlights! Tried using those stuff and it generates static once you rub it over the plastic surface thereby attracting lint/dirt! Need to use sponge applicator instead as it is lint free. Could also do with a coat of sealant instead like Opti-seal.
6. I might want to try Osren range of polish instead of Optimum Polish II next time as it is easier to source locally. BTW, Osren compound and polishes are definitely easier to clean with just water alone.
7. I am happy, owner is happy

Do drop feedback or comment on what I can improve on. TQ very much for viewing. Now to go enjoy some CNY cookies...

 

[DarkAccoon]

not perfect but worth the effort. Love the details thrown into the detailing and the write up. Two words.... LOVE IT

 

[Lean]

Nicely done there. Thumbs up.

 

[AD_EG]

nice write up bro :top:

 

[SevenDust]

Pretty darn awesome work done! nice!

 

[eohl79]

Here are some close up shots of the surface (since I got the image captured with pretty high res at 16MP) to show you guys why I sanded the surface instead of just using a wool and foam combo to remove the yellow and haze. No bullshit on my work here with edited or photo shopped or hiding defects through camera angle. What you see is what you get. Not a perfect surface but got rid of yellowing and haze. Pits and scratches maybe 50 to 60% correction. I wanted to see how much I could level out the pits and original coating unevenness of the headlight.

Image is divided into 4 quad matrix:
11 - Top left
12 - Top right
21 - Bottom left
22 - bottom right

Here you can see why the right headlight final outcome where I left off is poorer than the left headlight. You can see more unevenness on the right headlight surface - almost like orange peel. FYI, I did less cutting on the right headlight vs the left ones after single pass cutting inspection.

Left headlight closeup pictures
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-HVvqYONYtYQ/TyJzqaUua9I/AAAAAAAABCY/w2XvP09IZ7w/s800/left_pic.jpg
Figure 11: Left headlight index matrix

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-YuuakImSTS0/TyJzqXLaVGI/AAAAAAAABCY/xzGUgdwziwA/s800/left_pic11.jpg
Figure 12: Left headlight, matrix 11

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-31zHcDRQUiY/TyJzqfdokDI/AAAAAAAABCY/-zWP_Ym0YPQ/s800/left_pic12.jpg
Figure 13: Left headlight, matrix 12

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-c87io9O0zLY/TyJzqwu0PXI/AAAAAAAABCY/lMN-4vmVujM/s800/left_pic21.jpg
Figure 14: Left headlight, matrix 21

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-RZMIW9djmWw/TyJzrMLX3XI/AAAAAAAABCY/FlY2nsa6w6w/s800/left_pic22.jpg
Figure 15: Left headlight, matrix 22. Notice the cloudiness - it is on the back plastic surface, not sure what happen. Maybe a smoked bulb.

Right headlight closeup pictures
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-jMbRCWwLn8I/TyJz8sM9rnI/AAAAAAAABDk/dsRNfIkFM4M/s800/right_pic.jpg
Figure 16: Right headlight index matrix

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2HlrMrFmqBg/TyJz8qrFd-I/AAAAAAAABDk/fN770e0D2zM/s800/right_pic11.jpg
Figure 17: Right headlight, matrix 11

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-cHlpDAuwVsk/TyJz8o7FgLI/AAAAAAAABDk/0J4URexN07I/s800/right_pic12.jpg
Figure 18: Right headlight, matrix 12

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-l0oflTD1rJQ/TyJz9ynffOI/AAAAAAAABDk/GdYZQpl3IaE/s800/right_pic21.jpg
Figure 19: Right headlight, matrix 21

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-DpvhVk2OgwU/TyJz951KgeI/AAAAAAAABDk/C3lFL7lnTfg/s800/right_pic22.jpg
Figure 20: Right headlight, matrix 22

 

[fishbonezken]

Nice one sir!
The cutting power of just P40+denim is good stuff, don't have to crack out the sandpaper and can remove all the yellowing. the deeper ones shown in your nice closeup shots have to be sanded away already.

I've been following this Jap detailing blog for a while and noticed they always use an orbital sander when sanding headlights.

Might be something worth trying.

 

[eohl79]

Nice one sir!
The cutting power of just P40+denim is good stuff, don't have to crack out the sandpaper and can remove all the yellowing. the deeper ones shown in your nice closeup shots have to be sanded away already.

I've been following this Jap detailing blog for a while and noticed they always use an orbital sander when sanding headlights.

Might be something worth trying.

Orbital sander does help in lessening the burden of sanding but only dare to use it for dry sanding. Wet sanding too dangerous with an electrical powered unit. Only if I had a pneumatic sander...

 

[fishbonezken]

Orbital sander does help in lessening the burden of sanding but only dare to use it for dry sanding. Wet sanding too dangerous with an electrical powered unit. Only if I had a pneumatic sander...

I had thought of going the pneumatic route too.
Air compressor will cost around RM480
Pneumatic DA from Autogeek is 60USD excluding freight and taxes.
The 3" sanding discs aren't cheap either.

Have to spend about RM 1,000 to get that kinda setup. :(

 

[eohl79]

Bro Ken, I don't think the RM480 compressor is able to cope up with the air feed rate of a pneumatic DA. Need a larger one with a big tank. Maybe ask bro Henry as he has a very nice light weight pneumatic RB in his arsenal.

 

[autocrazee]

Great job on the write-up man. Thanks for sharing!!!

 

[seech]

Nice job. Great documentation..... Almost fish like.... :-)

 

[Veloc]

If you didn't mention "first", I would have thought this is just one of your many times job. Nice results. Really envy the stuff you guys got there such as the P40 and denim pads. Last time I wet-sanded until my arms are sore for a few days.

As for the detail of your documentation...
I think scientists just got OWNED!

 

[eohl79]

Hahaha... after reading KC's articles, bro Seech works and of course bro Fish works which is full of details and products used what can't be as tempting to get into detailing. Like to experiment but lack of experience, time and finesse unlike you guys. I like to tinker around stuff... for the fun of it.

Owner of the car was actually complaining of dim headlights. Changed to brighter bulbs but still dim. Mechanic asked him to change wiring, add relay, etc to improve the headlight brightness and almost wanted to do so. Actually it was just a case of bad hazed up headlight surface which could be simply solved by wool and foam like what was shown in KC's detailing class article. The RB+denim+P40 was just my experimentation to see how much I can level out the surface with minimal effort. Not the quality level of bro Veloc in sanding out and restoring the headlights.