DIY: Scratched / Delaminating Headlighs Fix

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Bennoz
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Post by Bennoz »

8O

For those of you that butchered it, what grade sandpaper were you using? 40 grit?

To do this right takes hours & about 3 different grades of paper. Start with 800, then 1000, then 1200 - then use the polish. You have to completely remove the film on top of the light.
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Grue
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Post by Grue »

.......... and keep the paper and headlight very wet while you're sanding it with the wet&dry paper! Don't start with the polish till it's totally milky smooth.
If you can't dazzle them with dexterity, baffle them with bull...
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Grue
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Post by Grue »

Just did mine again... buy hand. Don't feel you need to go out and buy an electric buffer for this!

During Sanding:
Image

After Cut and Polish:
Image

Half&Half:
Image
If you can't dazzle them with dexterity, baffle them with bull...
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Sinalot
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Post by Sinalot »

Nice ! 8)

Did my RHS headlight last weekend, taking me about 2 hrs. Came up perfect !
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Richy
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Post by Richy »

man...u lost your headlight cover.... :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Post by Sugar »

just did mine yay
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cloud reflection wooo
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Post by Sugar »

i also did a write up with pictures
if you want me to post it i can.

bought the film.. 40 bucks from super cheap
i f*cked up .. then got the sh*ts and got it stuck in my hair
that annoyed me even more...

i would have taken my lights out to make it easyer.. but they wont come out untill i repair my front bar.


anyway let me know if you want the diy with about 15 piccies (front page has none)
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Post by maggsy »

dB wrote:i f*cked up .. then got the sh*ts and got it stuck in my hair
BAHAHAHA

DIY: how to get film stuck in your hair :lol:
Last edited by maggsy on Fri Mar 14, 2008 4:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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I8A4RE
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Post by I8A4RE »

Oh video footage of that would have been priceless
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brimstone
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Post by brimstone »

did mine over the weekend and im dam happy with the results. i convinced a friend to do his lights too (guess which one is his lol) so tell your fto impaired friends with jap imports :D

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By brimstone103, shot with N91 at 2008-03-26

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By brimstone103, shot with N91 at 2008-03-26
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cassio
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Post by cassio »

Hay guys, i did this last night using 1200 grit wet dry sand paper and an angle grinder with wool thing attached and at first it didnt work so i had to take my front bumper off and take the lights out, and after i did that it took me about 1hour and a half for each light, probably 20 mins sanding and then the rest buffing little bits at a time until shiny, so about 3 hours all up, and then it turned out good not absoultly perfect but a lot beter than what it was.
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I8A4RE
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Post by I8A4RE »

mine took like 20mins a light, using a perspex cut and polish
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Post by Valandis91 »

i did this on one light last night but from some angles in the light you can still see the scratches although it looks clear from front on but i want them to be perfect... and when i shone a torch on them the scratches were a bit more obvious so i imagine on a sunny day it wouldnt look to flash...
i used 1200 grit and kitten cut and polish ($10.95)
is there something im doing wrong or should i go over it with 2000 grit?
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Post by Tippin »

Valandis91 wrote:i did this on one light last night but from some angles in the light you can still see the scratches although it looks clear from front on but i want them to be perfect... and when i shone a torch on them the scratches were a bit more obvious so i imagine on a sunny day it wouldnt look to flash...
i used 1200 grit and kitten cut and polish ($10.95)
is there something im doing wrong or should i go over it with 2000 grit?
yea it would probably make sense to go over the process again with 2000 grit if the scratches are relatively small

I didn't do any sanding on mine though since my dad was worried about sanding perspex, so i just simply rubbed cut polish into em. Got them close 2 perfect anyway :D
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aza013
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Post by aza013 »

Polishing Product, use “Scratch Xâ€
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Valandis91
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Post by Valandis91 »

oh ok cool well i did the other light with 2000 grit to see what the difference would be and it was ony slight but the 2000 did look better so when i get that scratch x stuff ill sand the other one and then do both of them! thanks guys
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Post by Gholdwayne »

Grue wrote:Just did mine again... buy hand. Don't feel you need to go out and buy an electric buffer for this!

During Sanding:
Image

After Cut and Polish:
Image

Half&Half:
Image
What the hell polish did you use for that ?!! i want that clarity!
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Grue
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Post by Grue »

^ for that I used a product called T-Cut. It's a very light cutting paste/scratch remover/paint restorer.

Get the sanding perfect though - that's the important step.
If you can't dazzle them with dexterity, baffle them with bull...
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Gholdwayne
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Post by Gholdwayne »

Sanded mine too, but i did not realize i had 400grit, when i was buying the sand papers i only looked at the price with the grit and took the paper next to the label assuming it was the corresponding one... little did i know the grits are written in the back which i thought were random numbers.

Anyway, i had 400, 800, 2000... >Fail, it turned out good but i wasnt satisfied, maybe coz J picked up that i had 400 and no 1200.. so did it again, this time, with 1200 then 2000, mother's liquid metal polish.. cant say its like brand new, but im really happy with the results, smooth with similar swirls to the body which is ok...

Image


Its a bit wierd as i can see the rainbow in my headlights

Image


Image

credits to J, when i was sanding my lights at his house, he sanded a bit of my weds wheels and the metal stick that holds the bonnet up.. and for letting me use his mothers metal polish and buffer..( you happy man ? shii! )
97 GPX Icelle Blue

I cant stop driving her!
...and when im not, im looking at her!
... ...and when im not, im freakin thinking about her!

FTO[For The Orgasm]
like For The Win!, but more hardcore...
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aza013
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Post by aza013 »

The car and lights are looking great well done.
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