New DIY Head light Polishing.

Do It Yourself. Feeling game try some of the mods outlined in here. Some of these can be peformed by novices others require a substantial amount of knowledge before attempting them

If you are not sure about something ASK

Moderators: IMC, Club Staff

User avatar
Nacho
Oldtimer
Posts: 2087
jedwabna poszewka promocja
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2005 5:00 pm
Location: Melbourne

Re: New DIY Head light Polishing.

Post by Nacho »

So anyone had a look a little bit further to see if there is a layer of film like the original that can be applied over the plexiglass?

That should make the fix last longer if UV protected. Almost tempted to take it to a window tint place to see if they have clear tint they can apply over them.
You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
User avatar
Astron_Boy
Trolling Gen Y
Posts: 8400
Joined: Sun May 27, 2007 5:00 pm
Location: Wine Country NSW
Contact:

Re: New DIY Head light Polishing.

Post by Astron_Boy »

Nacho wrote:So anyone had a look a little bit further to see if there is a layer of film like the original that can be applied over the plexiglass?

That should make the fix last longer if UV protected. Almost tempted to take it to a window tint place to see if they have clear tint they can apply over them.
Yeah, there is a UV coating 'tint' you can apply.
Can apparently pick it up in sheets from one of the car accessory shops, which however eludes me.
Image
User avatar
aza013
NSW Coordinator
Posts: 9087
Joined: Mon Mar 26, 2007 5:00 pm
Location: The Shire
Contact:

Re: New DIY Head light Polishing.

Post by aza013 »

Yes you can and I have some :twisted: just have not got around to putting it on :( .
You can pick it up from supercheap auto.
User avatar
Storm
Veteran Mechanic
Posts: 841
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2006 6:00 pm

Re: New DIY Head light Polishing.

Post by Storm »

When I get round to doing mine I was going to laquer them to keep then good. Had anyone else tried this?
Life is short - Have an affair
User avatar
aza013
NSW Coordinator
Posts: 9087
Joined: Mon Mar 26, 2007 5:00 pm
Location: The Shire
Contact:

Re: New DIY Head light Polishing.

Post by aza013 »

You could try it, BUT I personally would not do it. Due to the diferent temps the light covers are exposed to and the fact that laquer sets hard with little play, it would more than likely crack the covers or the laquer itself.
icelus
Apprentice
Posts: 57
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2014 2:57 am
Location: Sydney - Eastern Suburbs

Re: New DIY Head light Polishing.

Post by icelus »

for the last bit of polishing, do you reckon i can do it by hand? i havent got a buffing machine :(
User avatar
Technikhaus
Oldtimer
Posts: 3656
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2011 4:45 pm
Location: Dunedin - NZ
Contact:

Re: New DIY Head light Polishing.

Post by Technikhaus »

Yup, just take a bit of effort :)
Man '96 FTO GPX
Man '89 Legacy RS Rally car
Man '90 MR2 GT
Auto '08 Fairmont Ghia
User avatar
ObsidianRadio
Oldtimer
Posts: 2050
Joined: Sat Jan 21, 2012 4:08 am
Location: Adelaide, SA
Contact:

Re: New DIY Head light Polishing.

Post by ObsidianRadio »

icelus wrote:for the last bit of polishing, do you reckon i can do it by hand? i havent got a buffing machine :(
I do it every few weeks, not hard at all :) Just keep rubbing in some scratch-X hard with a cloth until you can hear the plastic squeak :lol:
Jack

Livin' the Slow Life. 1997 GP Version-R | 1995 GS/GR Version-SparkleFairy
http://www.facebook.com/SlowLifeAU
User avatar
prageeth
Apprentice
Posts: 63
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2013 4:10 pm
Location: Warriewood NSW 2102

Re: New DIY Head light Polishing.

Post by prageeth »

When you just sand and polish, plastic headlight covers can oxidise again in a few months. I have tried polishing using different methods numerous times in last 8 years. Best is to sand, clean and spray a clear coat with UV resistance. This will last for years.
icelus
Apprentice
Posts: 57
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2014 2:57 am
Location: Sydney - Eastern Suburbs

Re: New DIY Head light Polishing.

Post by icelus »

prageeth wrote:When you just sand and polish, plastic headlight covers can oxidise again in a few months. I have tried polishing using different methods numerous times in last 8 years. Best is to sand, clean and spray a clear coat with UV resistance. This will last for years.
any idea where can i find this uv resistance solution?
User avatar
prageeth
Apprentice
Posts: 63
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2013 4:10 pm
Location: Warriewood NSW 2102

Re: New DIY Head light Polishing.

Post by prageeth »

Hi

A person called Phil Hamilton did mine. I forgot the name of the company he works for. He covers Eastern Suburbs and Northern Beaches. His mob is 0402 033 969. He probably doesn't remember me by now. He charged me $130 if I remember correctly. He sanded, cleaned and used a clear 2k sort of spray which had UV protection.
Cheers.
User avatar
Scorpionwally8
Grease Monkey
Posts: 218
Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2015 11:54 am
Location: Tasmania

Re: New DIY Head light Polishing.

Post by Scorpionwally8 »

I just redid mine and they came out great , sanded back with a 800 grit wet & dry then spayed a couple costs of a high gloss clear coat
ImageImageImage
Post Reply