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Headlight polishing

Old 20 March 2016, 10:11 AM
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Cambs_Stuart
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Default Headlight polishing

I've also bought some de-tango'd headlights from the for sale section on here (thanks to Arch, they were a bargain). They were in great condition, but I thought I'd give them a buff before fitting them on Monday.
So I bought this:





Meguiars headlight restoration kit.
It's great. Easy to use, effective and it even smells good.

15 minutes later they're ready to go on.

Old 20 March 2016, 02:44 PM
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looking good, do you get a sealer as well as the polish?

Just need silver indicator bulbs now to fully de-tango....
Old 21 March 2016, 03:47 PM
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As above if they've been heavily cut with a wool pad you'll need to seal them to prevent them yellowing.

Something with a good degree of UV protection is ideal, preferably a ceramic coating to give the highest degree of protection.
Old 21 March 2016, 08:06 PM
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Originally Posted by B0DSKI
As above if they've been heavily cut with a wool pad you'll need to seal them to prevent them yellowing.

Something with a good degree of UV protection is ideal, preferably a ceramic coating to give the highest degree of protection.
I didn't know that! Any products you'd recommend?
Old 21 March 2016, 08:58 PM
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Gtechniq G1 & G2 would be ideal. You can use the excess to coat your windscreen and Windows
Old 21 March 2016, 09:29 PM
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Originally Posted by B0DSKI
Gtechniq G1 & G2 would be ideal. You can use the excess to coat your windscreen and Windows
Thanks for the tip, I'll get some on order.
Old 02 April 2016, 01:09 PM
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Got some:



It smells a lot like nail varnish remover (acetone). For the price I hope there is something else in there!

It went on easily:



And buffed up nicely. Here's hoping it prevents them going yellow.







Can see my face in them.
Old 03 April 2016, 01:23 PM
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Where did you buy it from cambs_stuart ?.
Old 03 April 2016, 03:03 PM
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Originally Posted by Wouldie
Where did you buy it from cambs_stuart ?.
From roll up and shine on ebay. I had a money off voucher and their shipping is very quick.

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item...829046&alt=web
Old 03 April 2016, 06:48 PM
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Looks top work fella I'll look into buying this kit too.
Old 04 April 2016, 11:58 PM
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Cheers Cambs_Stuart just bought some and G4 Glass Nano Polish
Old 24 August 2016, 11:52 PM
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Rather than start a new thread, I thought I'd post this to show what can be done. It's amazing what you can do with a bit (or a lot in my case) of elbow grease.





My method was a quick wash and clay followed by wet sanding using 800, 1200 and then 2000 grit. I sanded with 800 until there was no more yellow residue. Dried them off and applied some Megs PlastX. Took 3 applications until I was happy with the outcome and then applied some of this; https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00A3S1RGU. I might also apply a layer of Collinite 476S wax over the top to add a bit more weatherproofing.







Much better I'm sure you'll agree. The headlights do have some internal scratches somehow but look absolutely worlds apart from before. Took about 2 hours to complete.
Old 25 August 2016, 08:14 AM
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Originally Posted by agw_01
Much better I'm sure you'll agree. The headlights do have some internal scratches somehow but look absolutely worlds apart from before. Took about 2 hours to complete.
I agree, they look superb. I have to say I don't think mine are weathering well, despite the G1 and G2 treatment and regular applications of paste wax. If it stops raining I'll try to get some pictures.
If I try to polish them again I was going to see if I could find some lacquer to go over the top for more protection
Old 25 August 2016, 12:36 PM
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Interesting to hear about how yours have turned out. You do read a lot of horror stories about polishing/sanding and removing that UV protective layer, but surely for a headlight to start yellowing in the first place, that layer has gone.

Does the G1/G2 state it offers UV protection? I wonder how well sun cream would work? I'm sure a bottle of SPF50 would last a while
Old 25 August 2016, 06:54 PM
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These are how my lights look now, about 4 months after using the wool pad and the G1+G2. The pictures aren't too bad but in the flesh there is a yellow tinge.



Old 02 May 2017, 11:35 AM
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Wow this is weird. Remember buying some of this stuff but with the G4 polish as well, putting it in a draw and forgot about. Re-reading this thread and the stuff's still in the draw unused lol. How did it finish up with this stuff with you Cambs_Stuart or did you use something else ?.
Old 02 May 2017, 01:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Wouldie
Wow this is weird. Remember buying some of this stuff but with the G4 polish as well, putting it in a draw and forgot about. Re-reading this thread and the stuff's still in the draw unused lol. How did it finish up with this stuff with you Cambs_Stuart or did you use something else ?.
I did use the G1+G2, but I have found the lights are tarnishing again, so probably will need to be re-done at some point. Would they have tarnished quicker without the G1+G2? No idea. I'll experiment with something else next time...
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