Headlight Restoration
Regularly cleaning and detailing your car is a great way to keep the exterior looking fresh. For your headlights, however, a simple car wash may not be enough. If your headlights are starting to get hazy or have been for a while, it may be time to restore them back to new condition.
If you have glass headlights, you may be out of luck with simple restoration techniques. Look into getting complete replacements for your headlights. If your vehicle has plastic headlights your ability to restore them is dependent upon how serious the damage is and how long it’s been there for.
The first step in restoring your headlights is to pick up a headlight restoration kit. Here is the good news: unlike entirely new headlights, restoration kits are extremely cost efficient Most kits will only cost you around $25 and are available from most improvement stores.
You will also need a variable speed drill. Don’t have one or are looking to upgrade? Check out Craftsman’s selection of drills. You’ll find the drill you need at a price for any budget. Make sure you also have masking tape, a microfiber towel, protective gloves and eyewear. Although this may not seem like a job requiring eye protection, headlight cleaners can be pretty abrasive. As the old adage goes, it certainly is better to be safe.
Once you have all of your tools together, it’s time to get started with the restoration. Remove the restoration pads from the kit. Before they are able to be used they need to be soaked in water. This is a great time to use the masking tape to mask around the headlights. This is a key step to avoid damaging the vehicle’s surface.
For the restoration pads to be as effective as possible, the headlight needs to be as clean as possible. Attach the powerball to your drill and add a nickel-sized amount of polish to the powerball. While keeping your drill RPMs between 1,500-2,ooo per minute, use a slow pace to clean the headlights. Overlap each pass for the best results.
Once you have finished cleaning the headlight, it is time to move back to the restoration pads. The grit of the restoration pads in our restoration kit varried from pad one to four, with four being the finest grit. While keeping the headlight well lubricated (keep a water bottle handy) gently move the first restoration pad in either a vertical or horizontal motion. Vary this motion with every pad. For example, if you moved side to side on pad one, then move up and down with pad two. Using gentle pressure and keeping the pad as flat as possible will help to avoid deep scratches.
Use the least amount of time on pad one, with more time used on each pad following. Use the most time on pad four.
Once you have finished with the restoration pads, use a microfiber towel to clean the headlight. Don’t be alarmed if you see that your much smoother headlight is still hazy, This will be fixed by heading back to the powerball. Just like before, apply a nickel-sized amount of polish and go over the headlight. Once completed, simply clean again with the microfiber towel and remove the masking tape. Repeat this entire process on the other headlight.
This is a pretty quick process overall, taking only 30-60 minutes per headlight. The key in headlight restoration is to take your time and follow the instructions.
For more information head to the eHow Auto Center: Headlight Restoration video.
Want to more about detailing your entire vehicle both inside and out? Watch the video here and below to see Chris walk you through the entire process!
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2012-12-18 18:11:40
Source: http://www.motorz.tv/blog/6094/vehicle-headlight-restoration/
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