Forum CEO HispanicSlammer Posted December 22, 2008 Forum CEO Share Posted December 22, 2008 The Headlight on my 98 vfr is sadly lost its luster. Actually it never had luster to begin with since I bought it used and it always had a film of somthing on it - from a protective cover I would guess. I want to sand it down and restore it using the sanding/polishing kits I have seen. Some use a polymer coating to fill in cracks some use an ever increasing set of grit sandpaper and then polish. Me I am not sure whats best. 3m actually has a kit that uses your drill to do the work - I like it but at $300 a kit I might look at a brand new headlight first! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer AKVFRGUY Posted December 22, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted December 22, 2008 Man HS I would think a new lens would be cheaper then 300 bones.... I know Pledge on Plastic works awesome on scratches and cleaning.... never tried it on glass though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Daniel Paul Posted December 22, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted December 22, 2008 3M Finesse-It II When it comes to shining up paint, bringing back the lust of your headlight housing, or getting scratches out of your windscreen... It's all you'll need! I usually buy it from NAPA, but I'm sure you could find it almost abnywhere. Why buy a headlight restoration kit when Finesse-It II will work for the rest of your bike as well.... at a lower price too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soichiro Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 We have a kit for renewing headlight covers at work. You basically wet sand the discolored portion off the cover. It is a matco tools brand. Flitz is another. Iy works rather well with a lot of elbow grease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N8sVFR Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 I just saw a segment on headlight restoration on Two Guys Garage on SPEED Channel this weekend. They were showing the use of the new 3M Headlight Restoration System - looks like it retails for under $30. You can get it direct from 3M here. http://storeapps.net/search/3MeStore/?keyword=headlight Seemed to do a great job on the truck headlights that they used it on. Just need a drill at home to use the product. Also, if you go to the Two Guys Garage website here http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_U...w.3Mcarcare.com there is a $2 rebate. Hope this helps you out HS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Foe from Buffalo Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Group purchase discount? :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer CitizenOfDreams Posted December 22, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted December 22, 2008 I tried THIS "snake oil" off eBay on my old Lincoln. It's not a polishing compound, you just apply it to the plastic, wait a few minutes, then rub it with a paper towel. No drills, no buffing wheels. It did not make my headlights "new" (they were extremely hazy), but it improved them a lot. Certainly a better "bang for the buck" than the $300 kit you mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 There are detailers that normally work the car lots that can do that stuff, fairly cheap I'd say, less than $50 i seem to remember their price break was 25 or 30 dollar per car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer VFRcr8zy Posted December 22, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted December 22, 2008 I think I would check out Griot's Garage for items such as restoring plastic as I'm sure he is less expensive than 3M. I've never had any problem with his stuff and I believe it has a good guarantee..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer gmtech94 Posted December 22, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted December 22, 2008 I do a lot of these for safety checks and restoration in my job ,I just use some 1500 grit wet sand paper and then some polishing compound followed by a good coating of wax .It works on a lot of cars that are dull and sandblasted from the road stuff we get up here in the Great White North ,really inexpensive to do . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer HiDesertMLB Posted December 22, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted December 22, 2008 I have had good results wet sanding with 1000 sandpaper and finishing off with 1500 sandpaper on composite automotive headlight lenses. A good polish with Meguairs Plast-X plastic polish brings out the luster. Once you do this, UV coating is gone, so it is important to follow up with Plast-X to keep headlights from hazing up again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 I'll show my ignorance and ask if the 5th gen VFRs had plastic lens headlight units? Regardless, if I had a plastic unit, I would go to Ebay and purchase headlight protection film. It's optically insignificant and will not adhere permanently, so you can replace it if the surface deteriorates. Actually, if I had as nice a bike as most of you have, I'd consider applying paint protection film to all of the forward facing surfaces of your bodywork. I have sizeable experience in this area and can offer help/advice. In terms of restoring your lens, I'd go with the 3M kit. Give it a shot before going through an elaborate sanding routine. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 I'll show my ignorance and ask if the 5th gen VFRs had plastic lens headlight units? Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrrider17 Posted January 3, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted January 3, 2009 Meguairs Plast-X plastic polish Used this product, works well. Plus, its only about 5 bucks so if it doesn't, you wouldn't break the bank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer dutchinterceptor Posted January 3, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted January 3, 2009 Eastwood has a kit also $44.99. Can you tell if some of the hazing is on the inside? My buddies Bandit builds up some sort of film on the inside of his lenses that he has to clean off periodically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Foe from Buffalo Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 My 97 has a film of some sort on the inside of the lens and debated many times to try to clean it...some rainy day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Slammer, you got a compressor? I'll send you the stuff you need and how to use it, but you'll need an air compressor to run the tool, and, uh, I'll need the tool back when you're done... send me a pm if interested. It involves a light scuff & clean, then a buff with the tool I have and some 3M buffing compound. Metal polish like Autosol or Simichrome, (probably any liquid paste type polish) also does a nice job, but works best on light damage or discoloration. To fix scratches and rock nicks/chips, without buying a new headlight, your best bet is to sand everything down level and buff to get the clarity back. I know you hate ebay, but you might score one there in nice shape for less than the cost of supplies for a quality resto job. Someone here might have a cracked unit with a good lens, and maybe you could swap the lenses out? Also easier than sanding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Ranger77 Posted January 4, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted January 4, 2009 Here's a review on those wipe kinds. Actually worked. http://bbs.zuwharrie.com/content/topic,83936.0.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Daniel Paul Posted January 4, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted January 4, 2009 3M Finesse-It IIWhen it comes to shining up paint, bringing back the lust of your headlight housing, or getting scratches out of your windscreen... It's all you'll need! I usually buy it from NAPA, but I'm sure you could find it almost abnywhere. Why buy a headlight restoration kit when Finesse-It II will work for the rest of your bike as well.... at a lower price too! I still can't believe I'm the only one here who recommended this stuff..... :blush: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 3M Finesse-It IIWhen it comes to shining up paint, bringing back the lust of your headlight housing, or getting scratches out of your windscreen... It's all you'll need! I usually buy it from NAPA, but I'm sure you could find it almost abnywhere. Why buy a headlight restoration kit when Finesse-It II will work for the rest of your bike as well.... at a lower price too! I still can't believe I'm the only one here who recommended this stuff..... :blush: I didn't mention product details, but yeah, I'm with ya on the buffing compound. It takes a little more patience and a finer hand to do it right, but it seems to me that if HS has the patience for fork cartridge work, then he can handle some buffing. I usually use 3M's Imperial Hand Glaze, I prefer to let the sandpaper do the work and then lightly buff, I feel that doing so reduces the chance that I'll burn paint or distort the plastic. Others prefer to let a more abrasive compound do all the work, and it works for them. It's like metal polishing, more than one way to skin a cat but you end up with the same result(hopefully!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum CEO HispanicSlammer Posted January 4, 2009 Author Forum CEO Share Posted January 4, 2009 I dont know where I saw it priced at $300, but at $30 I went with the 3M kit! I am going to get some acetone from work to get the baked on adhesive off as much as I can, it will discoulor a bit but I am gonna sand it off anyway. That $300 quote must have been for a large 3M shop kit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Maybe for a kit that also included an air polisher of some sort. I've got autobody supply catalogs here that have kits like that. I would really try some goo gone before putting acetone on your light, the acetone doesn't just discolor the plastic, it robs the oils from the plastic too and will cause it to haze and get spiderweb cracks, you don't want that!! Believe it or not, but WD-40 or PB Blaster(penetrating oil) lightly sprayed on a rag will take that goop right off. Follow up with rubbing alcohol to rinse the oily film off, then get into your restoration! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 This is similar to what I have, but my buffer is longer, looks more like an air ratchet or a die grinder with a 90deg head. http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/pc-11645-7...r-kit-3055.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Q-Dawg Posted January 22, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted January 22, 2009 Work it over with 600-800 grit (for thick layer of removal, depends how ugly they look. I started with 400 grit on my trucks parking / tail lights.) Go progressively finer until you are in the 1500-2000 grit range. Each time, make sure you sand down all the previous grit sanding marks. I go perpendicular each time I start a new grit and sand until I cant see any of the previous layer. Then finish off with a good polish / wax / luster glaze. I use Novus #1, #2, and #3 for some jobs. Meguiars Scratch-X works well too. I finish it off with some synthetic spray wax (I cant remember what it is, theres lots of them out there.) They will look almost as good as new when you are done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blainerides Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Has anyone ever tried a preemptive strike again premature UV light degradation by installing a headlight cover or "skin", proactively; i.e. before the headlight plastic gets "old"? Seems like a fair price if it would do anything. Of course, I'm sure you'd want to start with your plastic in good condition, because these wouldn't "fix" anything, but curious if anyone has experience with these or similar branded product. It's already supposedly a perfect, exact fit: http://www.lamin-x.com/VFR800-nterceptor-02-Headlight-Covers-p/hn018.htm#ReviewHeader Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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