Headlight polishing

Looking for something that a relative nervous novice could use, as I’d be worried about scuffing the surrounding paintwork?

Top tips or detailed instructions very welcome!

TVM :sunglasses:

This kit is good and has good instructions/videos showing the process Autoglym | Headlight Restoration Kit can be found on amazon for around £20

Worth investing in some decent protective tape like this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007WK9QEM/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_g_GZY992EW5XJ37DEZXQ79

Take your time and you should get a good result!

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I would agree on the tape, I get mine from Viking at under £6 a roll delivered.

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I did the headlights on my brother in laws Jag with farecla G3 compound.
They were really bad but they cleaned up great.

I’ve seen lots of references to uv protection sealant to stop them from going milky again, but this doesn’t seem to have any? Would I need to get this separately?

From what I understand, and I could be wrong, that the final step of polishing with the restoring compound does this. If you wanted to be doubly sure perhaps this Autoglym | Extra Gloss Protection or ceramic (At this point I’ve personally applied ceramic to most parts of the car) might work, especially if you’re going to use them for the rest of the car.

Alternatively Turtle wax do a kit: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Turtle-Wax-51768-Headlight-Brightness/dp/B004XZQF8O so do meguiars: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Meguiars-G1900UK-One-Step-Headlight-Restoration/dp/B07FCJHQ9D which both seem to come explicitly with a sealant

Mask off the surrounding paint work and it’s no issue.

I did my spare headlights first as a test as they were in storage and then used the same 3M kit on my car, it’s a nice quality kit and is £20.


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Do it by hand!

I used ‘Meguiar’s G10307EU ScratchX 2.0’ and a micro cloth on my NC lights, I simply rubbed by hand until I had a near perfect finish.

If done by hand no need to mask up etc. because it’s very controllable, just remove the dullness/ scratches.

Make sure you wash it off well with shampoo/water then polish with a good quality UV protective car polish.

Far cheaper, easy and just works.

Roy

PS just found this video: Headlights restoration with scratch X 2.0 - YouTube

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If you want a cheaper solution, try colgate (with a wet cloth) followed by Silky caravan cleaner. lasts up to 12 months on mine.

Agree on the Meguiar’s G10307EU ScratchX 2.0. I always keep some in my garage, its also excellent at removing light scratches from paintwork.

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I found the slightly cloudy headlight lenses on my NC came up OK with regular vinegar(?) based window cleaner,seems to be holding up after three months.

I used the Quixx kit on my daily. Worked well.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/372493721321?epid=5027212554&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item56ba5b1ee9:g:LVsAAOSwaPpb4Zn3&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAACsPYe5NmHp%252B2JMhMi7yxGiTJkPrKr5t53CooMSQt2orsSafTQYbq3L7RBVAMi0K9cw6ZDhauc1lLMIRJLa1Dac5bEdpntw3denP9xM87dx9O%252Bk4oXHwyKEqfN%252BHJSWd%252BXnG9xddDHNrVBpawvXkv1nqOFgGBZKstSr%252BaZESUqR7r3%252F0tzsJSQregFmp85WOjrl7gY7xyn9z1HZS3aDz24WfsWZRBV6FULQp%252BVX8nzHIgQLwevKj4lD7lXYgrMYgs%252BnWWDdXl5PPBQ09SMsYL794UJromaHy7kl9F4WLxJrCNYUwdtMEazMiv1RrJa4XuKJzNTPXqHmYMQeUZ47AD2rVEw8pVtRyzMNPP1NXJxbayCRbH3YqU%252BJNqVxagbPIORa97FIc7bgYiZLKOWIL%252B4Z2dJiiheMchvgB87xBqiSCGFRuxl2xtZ31BUy5sNd%252B7FOymcrasToTlvopQKJ8xk6QhXWSCaWSv4axa4Ibw2bbS1JgatF8i3HnntN4D4tdrkcfMiB5b4wh4xK%252FAmb%252BrxABTCFqBODZwVOZyzR%252FgP7Qp1FnkOsTlyRrkCbFN1qameMg9ol%252FABC7EyA%252FoFpX7VKEXFSJEkciIkwAOid1VZKG53Px96540T3B26kZ0iqShq4JdFutM6gxTrnRnQkjcn97ZtzJe1UCJnd1O0pJLFIO6TaNvGyQE9nDs9Wo8hI4AwLxpMt0D1kfngk%252F7dNWsj59Lb0lU5iruQvQ2JwwWQYmyOaLiDXr0t3Yz0AVFdhNF%252Big%252Fu9jdhILKFZ7J2koswOBs6U56LV3o4XT5Xhdzs%252FOWzOucBPt%252F%252FAK4OAi789PIj4EtqZMBJW7oRp3QVmgQozKF41E5n0ozIdipot4mEyeHpqNETaVzONzs3qhPAIVes0APl3pRbOgLDUL7qHqTVius%253D%7Cclp%3A2334524%7Ctkp%3ABFBMlqjSiNNf