How to polish headlights | Headlight restoration kit
2018 ж. 13 Шіл.
133 316 Рет қаралды
You can now polish the headlights on your vehicle easily and quickly. In this video I restore these badly dulled headlights on my van, you can just as easily restore the headlights on your car or any other vehicle as long as the headlights are plastic. I restored the headlights on this van with one kit costing just £8 from Banggood fave.co/2IG2Rcw
Damaged or dull headlights can now easily be restored using one of these kits.
I can't thank you enough for posting this, the link to the kit, and showing how EASY it is to perform the ONLY way to restore headlights... I've tried WD40 and a few other temporary solutions, which got me through some roadtrips, but after some rain or a wash, the lights were yellow and faded. So I saw this video a few months ago, and finally decided to pull the trigger and order the kit. As soon as it arrived this past thursday I started, and within a few hours (old cordless drill batteries kept dying..!) the entire process was complete!!! What a relief! Even before the wet sanding steps were complete I could see things were going perfectly... so again, thank you so much for all the info! Hello from Denver, CO, USA!
I’m glad you found the video useful. From a very rainy Darwen, Lancs, UK Thanks for the comment 👍
Nice one. Love the way you keep your videos simple and your attention to detail is brilliant.👍👏
Thanks for the comment
Gotta be happy with that outcome, especially for the money. Thanks for the video. Brilliant kit.
Absolutely. Thanks for the comment
Thanks just done mine! Happened to be the same vehicle. Looks so much better now. Definitely essential to have watched your video first as I wouldn’t have done it the same way just by following the instructions so thanks for being so clear and including all the steps thoroughly. I prefer the way you speed up the video and keep the footage rather than editing and skipping. 👍👍 I thought it hadn’t worked so well after I had finished with the 2000 grit paper…but I carried on with the next step of polishing with the paste and it suddenly all came together, leaving a great finish. Keep on it and it’ll shine! Thank you
I’m glad you found the video useful Thanks for the comment 👍
Bang! So good!! Thanks for sharing and happy Sunday sir! 🤝
You are welcome. I hope you have a great Sunday ;-) Thanks for the comment
Good results, just got the same kit myself so will tackle this when it's not raining. Thank you for the upload. 👍👍
Glad it helped. Thanks for the comment 👍
What a fantastic job, thanks for sharing this system.
You are welcome Thanks for the comment
What a fantastic job, thanks for sharing this
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That turned out great. Nice job
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Brilliant video....very big thank you. Great pace and explanation. Really helped me out a lot. Thank you
I’m glad you found the video useful Thanks for the comment 👍
Great job , Always good to know you can sort this out yourself .....
Thanks for the comment
Thanks for sharing most excellent video. Great to see process all the way through. Some good tips seen on other videos.... 1. Fill a 4 pint milk jug with water and pierce small hole in top. lift bonnet. Lay milk jug on side by headlight so it dribbles onto headlight surface. Less stopping sanding then to reapply water. 2. If velcro on pad pokes out from under sanding disc the trim the velcro with scissors to avoid scratches. 3. lift the bonnet so less masking and easier sanding that way. 4. Check if you can easily slide your headlight forward by 4 or 5 mm and then re-tighten the fixing screws to hold it secure. May need to use a screwdriver to help wedge it solid. On my audi tt mk2 (2010) this meant no need to mask paintwork and easier to sand. In my Holt kit The polish pad is difficult to remove from the velcro and self destructs so best to leave polishing until finished sanding both headlights. When polishing and getting near the finish then add water spray before final polish attempts and gradually reduce amount of polish used. Can then get a nearly perfect finish. No cloudiness like many people report.
Done this method to my vectra lights last year, by hand though. Didn't last long until there were oxidising again so I'll do it again with the drill pads. Great video
Thanks for the comment
Did you seal it?
justgivemethetruth probably not tbh. I was told to use car wax to seal it. So that's probably why. I'm going to do it again using this method and kit
Excellent video mate Thanks
I did this by hand because I couldn’t get the drill to sand evenly but I love how my headlights turned out. I was ready ti just go out and get new headlights because my visibility was HORRIBLE!! They look brand new now. Changing out lightbulbs today.
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Thanks for the video, going to try my kit today. 🤞
Best of luck with it ;-)
@@ultimatehandyman thanks boss
Did it work 😃
I did this a few years ago in an Astras headlight which are huge! Took forever and I ended up having to go to a mains power drill because I was going through batteries so quickly! Worth it in the end but quite a bit of work involved
Thanks for the comment
A few years ago you were probably using old school ni-cd battery powered tools which were frankly, shite lol
Thanks mate for guide, just doing mine in Sydney Australia
You are welcome. Best of luck with doing yours Thanks for the comment 👍
Just subscribed thanks man I got the same kit well similar but the same steps and you helped I’m better at seeing it down then reading the instructions so thank you awesome video
Thanks for the comment and sub 👍
Very good results !
Thanks for the comment 👍🏻
Thanks U.H.M perfect 👍 your a professional. Just what I need. I Will save money, this guy quoted £25 per headlight but no thanks now after watching your vlog.
Thanks for the comment
Just used the same kit, tip get to the polishing stage and apply water to the paste after a couple of passes, it thins the paste out for a finer cut, I got my light from yellow to how he’s look after he’s uv coating as he’s still looked misty before he applied stage 3 uv coating. Also use a polish after paste for a very fine cut, your light will look brand new before stage 3 which give them the shine. But mine are shiny before the uv coating.
Thanks for the comment 👍
Hi Michael. today i was using same kit, but i am scared to see after first sandpaper p800, my headlight surface was totally frosty and ruff surface, i am scared if its will get back to shine then it will cost more, how to get back shine and clean headlight as it was before? i mean do i need any other liquid ?
Well done 👍
Thanks for the comment ;-)
Ed China on Wheeler Dealers did this I think on an S2000. A few years ago. Always wondered about trying it Great video as always.
I've not seen that one, but wheeler dealers is one of the few TV programs that I watch! Thanks for the comment 👍🏻
Thank you very nice result😄👍
Thank you too!
I would like to mention that for the best results this is done with a variable speed grinder (doesn't have to be bee's knees in the industry, it can be one of those tiny "pocket" sized ones that have the wheel on the back, multiple brands carry them under their name). Aside from the increase in control, you have the option of using slightly larger pads, and whilst that might seem going against the grain, it does help with how the plastic moves around. ALSO, important, a lot of water.
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Great result. Just bought the kit off eBay for £6.50
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That'll be from China then. Ok if you don't mind the wait. Unless you live in China or close to of course
Thanks for the video, the kit looks like a very professional finish. A quicker and cheaper way (less professional) finish is to use toothpaste and a good scrub with an some clean cloth. Ideally it still needs to be sealed with plastic sealer to prevent the haze coming back.
You are welcome. The final sealer that came with the kit made a massive difference to the end result, I'm not sure if you can buy that separately. Thanks for the comment
I tried toothpaste and it did nothing 🤣 Arm and hammer toothpaste is the gritty one lol
Got my kit going to try it now
Thanks for the comment 👍
nice job man 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😍😍😍
Thanks for the comment
Lovely mate.just bought the same kit was wondering what setting did you have your drill at? my drill go up to 22 if tht makes sense?
very good kit i got for £8 on ebay worked treat
Thanks for the comment 👍
Good video 😎 I've just bought this kit😃 One day delivery from Amazon £13
Bargain 👍 Best of luck with it 👍
@@ultimatehandyman It didn't have any effect on the headlights I sanded them with 800-1200-2000 I think they have clear coat on them that's why, I buffed them up with t-cut It's not made a bad job lol
I just did it with this kit on my Mazda6 2004. I'd say the kit is not bad but sanding with a drill felt uncomfortable so I continued manually with the sandpaper. As I was wetting it continuously, the sanding paper fell apart, esidues of the back layers sticked into the surface so I had to go get some sanding paper sheets. After I finished sanding manually I polished with the included sponge drill head which wasn't bad, but I'm pretty sure it isn't clear enough without the final UV protection, which - I think - contains some acetone which finishes the process. I'd say it is recommended but not fully.
Yes, once you start to sand it the surface becomes dull and only becomes clear again after applying the chemical. It worked well on my van, sadly I traded her in last year and got a pickup truck. I miss the old van! Thanks for the comment
Very good thanks.
Thank you too!
Yay first one to view this great video. Chez about time you do one on vehicles as you have only done a handful of them on the van
Yes, I don't make many videos on the van or the girlfriends car as I'm normally that busy that I just let the garage take care of the servicing etc. When I was younger I used to do all my own servicing and repairs, but one time I was replacing the brake pads on my girlfriends car at the back of the house and it was chucking it down with rain and I was like a drowned rat, from then on I decided to go to the garage! I've been planning on doing a video on inflating tyres and how to change a wheel, but I've always had something better to do ( I have two mates, who in their late 20's could not change a wheel! WTF ) Thanks for the comment 👍
Ultimate Handyman even my wife knows how to change a wheel but my nefiew doesn't. That's the price of growing up in today's times. I don't blame you for going to the garage to get work done especially when your busy I can't be bothered working on my own car but I still force myself to do it ☺
Yeah, I guess times have changed! Thanks for the comments
Try using Meguiars headlight coating. Lasts a lot longer and prevents UV rays from damaging plastic headlight assembly in the first place which is why they fade in the first place.
Thanks for the comment
Did it make a significant difference to the amount of light coming out of the units?
Nice job I was thinking of trying this on my yellow boat windows what speed was the drill? Cheers
It was only on a slow speed. A mate of mine tried a die grinder and that was a bit too fast and burnt the plastic. Thanks for the comment
I guess it's worth pointing out that not only do dulled headlight lenses look bad, they also cause additional flare for oncoming drivers, so keeping them clear is a safety issue too.
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It’s a geko product!! Very good stuff!!
Thanks for the comment 👍
Today was the day. Got the kit and must admit the light came out like new.was surpriced how good . But I found the sanding discs 800 and 1200 very fragile specially as they must be kept wet while working the plasic. Banggood if they feel could ask the suppliers to improve the quality of the discs. Anyway light done and protected lets hope it lasts for 2-3 years. Regards
Mine still look great, although it has only been a few months. I hope yours last years. Thanks for the comment
I use Yorkshire Grit abrasive paste, works awesome and all you need is a paper towel
Thanks for the comment
Nice. Do you have any videos on cleaning a really dirty car's paint and protecting it with wax or other sealers? Have you ever used RainX. It works pretty well.
No, sorry. Its years since I messed with cars properly! I use Rain X though, it is great stuff- kzhead.info/sun/nMaQZa59fJytqIE/bejne.html Thanks for the comment
Bizarre who would of thought we'd clean plastic headlights with sandpaper.👍👍👍
Absolutely. Thanks for the comment
If they’re just lightly hazed then some types of toothpaste can cut and polish the plastic as well!
I've watched videos where WD40 does the job, but yet to try it.
I've done this for ages, and IMO you can do this about 5 times before the characteristics of the plastic change and you end in either of two situations. 1. in winter, the chances of the plastic cracking from thermal shock increase 2. impact damage is easily sustained. Most aren't very thick, especially new ones. OLD Merc ones for example, pre 2010 ish, are quite thick, especially on the more utilitarian units that don't share headlights with normal vehicles.
I recently had scratches on my motorbike lcd display and used an acrylic polish kit to remove them. It had a very fine sandpaper like 1200 grit, very fine. Polished up ok with a paste after
Good video. I will try it this week but. How long need to take each stage ?
It probably took between 10 -20 minutes per headlamp for each stage (if I remember correctly) Thanks for the comment 👍
@@ultimatehandyman At least 10 minutes will tear at a time, which is very long and my headlight is already intact clear, only some traces of use, especially when the lights are on, you see a few dots So then I can probably keep it on for five minutes and outside I also have a moisture problem I have dried it seal off everything but it just keeps coming well that's another problem. Hey anyway thanks for your answer
+Ultimate Handyman love the channel. I need your advice please.I've been offered the DCD796 combi drill with 2x 4ah batteries for £140, or £185 with 2x 5ah batteries. For DIY, do you think it's worth paying the extra £45 for the slightly bigger batteries? I know you have both so thought you'd know best.
No, it's not worth the extra money. 2X 4AH batteries will be ample, even for most tradesmen as it only takes one hour for the other battery to charge. Thanks for the comment
Wow,like new. Soon as I saw the sandpaper I thought, he's buggered those. How wrong I was.
Thanks for the comment
nice vid as always. item linked is in US and not shipping to UK
If you just search Ebay or Amazon, you will find a kit ;-) Thanks for the comment 👍
Does this also work on uv damaged lenses?
I'm not sure, I'm sure it said in the instructions to test the headlight by wetting it with water, if the headlight went clear when wet, then this kit will work. Thanks for the comment
Hi. today i was using same kit, but i am scared to see after first sandpaper p800, my headlight surface was totally frosty/ruff surface, i am scared if its will not get back to shine then it will cost more, how to get back shine and clean headlight as it was before? i mean do i need any other liquid ?
Is there not a liquid in your kit?
My wife has a 14 year old Jeep Grand Cherokee with tiny, hairline cracking over most of the headlight lenses. Do you think this kit will help to reduce these before it gets to MoT failure levels? New Headlights from Jeep would probably cost more then the car is worth!!
You can test if this will work by wetting the headlights with water, if they improve/clear up when wet, there is every chance that this kit will work. Thanks for the comment
Ultimate Handyman thanks for the tip. I will try that.
Ultimate Handyman thanks for the tip. I will give it a try!
I'm more amazed looking at the thumbnail for this video at the difference polishing the headlamps made to the vans paintwork too. Truly impressive. Did you find that polishing the lights also vacuumed the interior, binned all the newspapers, crisp packets, cardboard cups and empty bakery bags from sausage rolls too? ;-) I gotta get one of these headlamp cleaning kits
The thumbnails were photographed on the exact same day, although around the headlight area was rinsed using the hose pipe. My van is normally very clean inside apart from when the kids eat crap in the back. I don't read newspapers, eat crisps or sausage rolls ;-) Thanks for the comment 👍🏻
Ultimate Handyman Was only messin buddy :-)
Do you need to limit the drill speed to avoid melting the plastic or is that just about liberal use of water?
A drill is normally fine, but a mate of mine used a die grinder and melted the plastic. Thanks for the comment
Ive never seen the results of sanding and polishing the lights last more than a year, it would be good if you could do a follow up (if you keep the van that long). Theres a mechanics channel on youtube "bodgit and leggit" his advice is just to replace them
Replacing them would be expensive, but if I still have the van I will do a follow up, or I might just post back here! I have looked for a newer van but if I spend £10,000 on a newer model van (Mercedes Vito), they all have done more miles than mine! Thanks for the comment
hi. whats the name of the last cream or sustance? thanks gracias.
The last thing I applied was the lacquer/sealer 👍
How did you cure the UV layer?
I didn’t, I just followed the instructions with the kit, the coating must cure in air 👍
can yo udo something similar but backwards for april fools? about how a man can take perfectly good headlights and bugger them up? ( i do remember your making a pallet from a table, its was pretty good)
Ha Ha, the April fools videos don't tend to get many views and seem to attract lots of trolls! I almost made an April fools in 2016 and 2017 but could not get the video ready in time, mind you I have been planning a video for valentines day for the last 2 years as well ! Thanks for the comment ;-)
What happens if it rains on the headlight when the headlight is curing about half hour after the uv coating is applied? 😥 what do I do after that?
I think you might have to start all over again!
how many hours after we can wash it and use the car?
I'd leave it a couple of days if possible- the longer the better
I dont understand… is ‘P’ number papers same as ‘grit’??? E.g is P500 paper same as 500grit paper??
Yes, as far as I am aware, they are the same 👍
Please, can you send me the link with the name of the product? Where can I buy it? Thank you.
fave.co/2IG2Rcw
@@ultimatehandyman I try to buy it, but it tells me it is not available for the UK
@@llllll794 That's weird, same here! You can get them on eBay- bit.ly/3rLbc7H (Sorry for the late reply, KZhead comments has been playing up AGAIN, So I have just seen this)
This method will remove UV protection layer on the plastic. And if not UV protected (regular clearcoat will last one year) plastic will be very dull in two years. Permanently.
UV protection used in the video is "easy to apply" and it is "easy to remove". Must be applied twice per year for protection.
Wow
Thanks for the comment
Really,I have to use a power tool just to clean the headlights?
You are not cleaning them; you are restoring the lights that have been damaged by UV light over the years 👍
@@ultimatehandyman still is there anyway to restore them without using a sander?
You can probably do it by hand, but it will take much longer 👍
@@ultimatehandyman how much longer?
Never had this problem with glass headlights! Providing they didn't get cracked they would last for the life of the vehicle. It works well but maybe not so good for where the plastic has gone yellowed.
That is correct. Thanks for the comment ;-)
Some headlight plastics seem to be worse than others. I have a 2004 Scudo van - original plastic headlights are like new. Seen other much newer vehicles with badly degraded lights.
last liquid left marks any solution?
Not sure, once the liquid dried the headlamps looked like new. Thanks for the comment 👍
@@ultimatehandyman i must clean it with water and dry it before application of the last liquid? Maybe thats my fault
@@xynstav Perhaps there was a little bit of water left over and that has mixed with the final liquid. You might have to repeat all the steps, then apply the final liquid again.
@@ultimatehandyman ok nice thank you very much i wish i had seen your video before trying it 😅 i will try it again!
@@xynstav Good luck with it 😉
Why you need sand paper the wole will do same thing
Magic and Tricky marketing video
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My 14 year old van recently had a respray, but the headlights looked 14 years old. Hopefully I’ll get a couple more years from the van now 😉 Please like, comment and share the video, as this really helps me out. I hope everyone has a great Sunday 😉 Headlight kit was bought from here- fave.co/2IG2Rcw
Nice job. £8 for the kit seems a bit of a bargain. If you run out of the polish I find Mothers metal Polish works very well and doesn't always need to be sanded.
Thanks, It was the final sealer that made a huge difference to the end result- I'm not sure if you can buy that separately. Thanks for the comment
Use Colgate toothpaste leave it on for 20mins then repeat 2 time all clear again
A Mercedes, eh? All that KZhead money :))
Yeah, a 14 year old Mercedes (which was 7 years old when I bought it) ;-) Thanks for the comment
Pop the van hood so you don't have to mask it
Thanks for the comment
He used about 4 inches of tape, it was hardly worth your comment......or his reply.......or my reply.......doh!
At the and of the tutorial with the difference the vito s aren t the same lol :))))))))
Yeah, it made it look like a new van! I miss that van, I had it for about 10 years and it never let me down once ;-) Thanks for the comment 👍
Those wheel trims look whack compared to your newly polished headlights - get some rims!
The original wheels are rusty, hence the trims ;-) I have 9 wheels that fit this van, but they are all rusty (4 wheels with summer tyres, 4 wheels with winter tyres and a spare wheel + 4 other summer tyres) I don't spend a lot of money on vehicles, which is why my van is 14 years old 😊 Thanks for the comment
BE AWARE: THIS VIDEO LACKS VERY IMPORTANT DETAIL REGARDING TECHNIQUE, otherwise OK short video. PLEASE WATCH SOME OTHER KZhead VIDEOS ON THE SUBJECT TOO. For instance detail on...alternating horizontal vs vertical polishing strokes between stages and grades, cleaning and wiping lenses between stages, adding more water during stages etc etc. Good luck.
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You done this wrong according to Scotty Kilmer
Thanks for the comment
IIGrayfoxII If that sealant doesn't contain any UV protection, then the headlights will go cloudy quickly.
Philip Scott Just throw some factor 50 on them if it's a sunny day
you can do this with non abrasive toothpaste
Thanks for the comment
Wouldn't you need the abrasion ?
I've seen people claim to do that with toothpaste and bugspray and other things, but none of those will give you anywhere the result of sanding off the old, degraded UV coating and reapplying like he's done here.
Read my comment above. If you need a good job done yes you need the abrasive discs to cut through and clean the old uv deterioration, Regards
Just came here to say the same I have a cheap air polisher and a few tubes of toothpaste lying around and they work a treat better than any kit I've ever brought
Your not cleaning with sandpaper your stripping a layer of plastic off then polishing that in stages...also you can after that buy online clear plastic vinyl wrap 3m the best and protect them forever and you will never get scratches or cracks from rocks
www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/how-to/metalworking/tap-and-die
Utterly awful kit had to te do lights again after applying uv protector , , betyer off sanding with wet and dry to 2000 then usin t cut or somthing similar then a uv clear coat
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Hard to understand his English.
Thanks for the comment