Headlight Restoration

[Erci]

I remember seeing a thread on here a while ago about restoring faded/yellow headlights. There are several kits to choose from ranging from $20 to $30 and I've used one myself with excellent results, but I decided to try something different and FREE

Non-stick cooking spray! :thumbup:

Already had polishing attachment for my drill. Just sprayed the stuff on and went to town. Took about 15 minutes per light (including masking off the area around lights to prevent paint damage, in case the drill slipped).
It totally works! Here's the side-by-side:

Obviously, this can be used on cars and bikes. Hopefully this will save someone a few bucks.

 

[jsw4178]

That is a major difference!

 

[reiobard]

awesome results! I have used the $20 kits that wet sand then use a "Sealer" and got similar results, they are starting to yellow again, so I will definately try this first. how long does it last? is there a way to seal it so that it can last longer? I would like them to just stay clear instead of having to go through a process every year...

PS: on the car, never any problems with the bike headlights.

 

[Norbert]

I need this for my freakin' car...........

 

[Erci]

awesome results! I have used the $20 kits that wet sand then use a "Sealer" and got similar results, they are starting to yellow again, so I will definately try this first. how long does it last? is there a way to seal it so that it can last longer? I would like them to just stay clear instead of having to go through a process every year...

PS: on the car, never any problems with the bike headlights.

I've no idea how long this will last. This is the first time I've tried the cooking spray approach. I cleaned and waxed them to finish the job. If I get a year before I have to do this again, I'll be happy. This really wasn't that time or labor intensive.

 

[sxty8goats]

I've always used a mild abraisive like rubbing compound and a buffer. Never heard of the Cooking oil trick. I have seen toothpaste and a buffer used and it has worked. Tougher to clean up than rubbing compound.

 

[Erci]

I've always used a mild abraisive like rubbing compound and a buffer. Never heard of the Cooking oil trick. I have seen toothpaste and a buffer used and it has worked. Tougher to clean up than rubbing compound.

Yup! I was about to try toothpaste and figured I'd google it. Found several places that mentioned cooking spray works better than toothpaste and figured it was worth a shot.

 

[wolfe1down]

Already had polishing attachment for my drill. Just sprayed the stuff on and went to town. Took about 15 minutes per light (including masking off the area around lights to prevent paint damage, in case the drill slipped).

What attachment on the drill did you use? A Mothers Power Ball attachment for rims? Or did you buy one of the 'mop-head-on-a-drill-bit' buffing tools?

Results look awesome! :thumbup:

 

[Erci]

What attachment on the drill did you use? A Mothers Power Ball attachment for rims? Or did you buy one of the 'mop-head-on-a-drill-bit' buffing tools?

Results look awesome! :thumbup:

It's the attachment that came with 3M headlight restoration kit I used few years ago

 

[reiobard]

off to VIP auto tomorrow to see if they have something like this, i will try it tomorrow if i can find a polishing thing like that.