Toadster

I got the 3M headlight restoration kit

http://e55-amg.blogspot.com/2014/08/...ation-kit.html
any tips or tricks to getting it done right?

do you guys recommend a lamin-x coating afterward?

will this work on the foglamps too?

HeissRod

Lube up real good so you don't chafe

babyboigsxr

Some really basic key points based on experience from "over-polishing" the headlights on my girlfriend's car...

- don't apply too much pressure
- too much pressure will cause irreversible scratches
- try to keep the buffing pads as flat as possible on the headlights, excessive pressure on certain parts of the pads (aka... the edges) will cause deep scratches

Jawzey

Don't do it this way -- it's at best temporary and will fog up once again in a few months. Have them sanded and resurfaced with clear coat in order to have better lasting results and more clarity.

ss.dna02

^^^

You know whats funny ?

Cleaning up headlights or taillights is a new thing in Mexico. You see guys at stop lights or parking lots offering the service. They sand them and apply some liquid that looks like a clear coat. Not sure what it is. I asked but was told its a clear coat.

Toadster,

Looking forward to seeing your results. I would say take the headlights off If you can. I did this to a car and it was much easier and got a more complete clean up.

tw2

I did this on the CLK. Just take a lot of care not to touch the paint around the headlight, using the drill it is not always easy to keep it perfectly still in one place. I protected the paintwork before starting. I did mine about a year ago, still excellent, definitely doesn't need doing again. The lights were terrible beforehand, it was not 100% perfect but certainly a 97% improvement.

FinanceMike

You absolutely need to have a clear coat applied after you wet sand and or/polish. I'd personally take it to a body shop and spend the $50-75 per headlight for a wet sand/polish and clear.

Do it once the right way.

jmb614

Try this for the fogs:

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e39...hing-pics.html

BagMan

I did my wife's car a couple of months ago. Came out great.

Seal them up with this:
Here's the kit I used:

Toadster

I've done this before using a Harbor Freight Buffing pad and some Meguiars headlight polish, but it's a one-step process - pretty weak

this is a multi-step process with sanding at multiple levels, and polishing

if I didn't have to pull the whole bumper that would be my course of action

wow - those turned out awesome! I do have some opti-coat that I may use afterwards - it's not clearcoat by any means though...

Jawzey

I understand, as I've actually done the process before and have done it on many cars prior. It's not the best approach to de-oxidizing your headlights and should be avoided if possible. Once you polish after the multiple sanding, unless a clear coat is applied afterward, results won't be permanent (especially if the car is parked outside under sunlight). In order to get long lasting results and better clarity, you must first sand to get the crud off, and then instead of polishing after, have a layer of clear coat applied via a spray gun (a PreVal sprayer works too) but it is better with a HVLP gun. The clear coat bites onto the grooves of the sanded headlights, producing a nice glossy surface (very similar to factory spec).

This YouTube video shows the process.

Toadster

wow - so you can actually rattle-can with clear?

Jawzey

Absolutely. In the video below, this person uses a PreVal sprayer (similar to a rattle-can) to resurface the headlights. You will get increased clarity with a professional HVLP gun, but a PreVal sprayer should get you very similar results. Either way, it's far more effective than sanding and polishing.

jagata

Does it have to use the Preval spray gun method or can you use the clear coat rattle can instead? Seems easier for a DIYer since buying and mixing clear is somewhat harder to obtain.

Jawzey

I suppose a rattle can will work as well. The core idea stays the same whether or not you use a rattle can or PreVal sprayer. But I think it's better to use the PreVal sprayer, as its spray is more controllable than a rattle can. If you're willing to spend a bit more money, you should just take it to a body shop and ask them to clear coat the headlights for you -- the results will be better with an actual spray gun.