Easy Car Headlight Refurbish 

Nope. Clear won't stick to headlight plastic properly is polycarbonate, it will vaguely stick so would be using a weak screenwash mix and not hot jetwashing them in winter. There are 2 exceptions I know of (4 decade painter, coachbuilder & now boatbuilder) you need to go on super light then sand back repeatedly and I mean sand right back repeatedly so there is barely any clear each time the same way you would do a PE panel refurb on an old dirt bike. Or you can find put by trial which adhesion promoter works, its usually only the strict Plastic Adhesion promoters that work. I found the best to be lechler the stuff they sell in the UK for motorcycle fairings. RS bike paints stock it if you're in the UK. It has a lovely lay it barely mists the panel then flashes off like ISO. Do one light but full coat, then fire your clear on within 15mins. I have personally fixed boat windows and sunroof hatches with these methods believe it or not and they last a decade or more at sea nevermind on the road. I fixed a 1976 14ft mayland fishing boat up for my mate in 2004 with these methods and on the cuddy window rubbers I saturated them in rubber softener before moving them back to natural position and resealing, I filled them with some Captain Tolleys Creeping Crack Cure to aid in sealing and they are still immaculate today. That's a fishing boat off the coast and my methods survived no problems.

@@bigduphusaj162 It works well with just sanding, cleaning, water prep and clear over it. The trick is a mist first coat, then follow with medium wet coats after that. The same technique works well for avoiding delamination on new clear over old clear.

@@bigduphusaj162 Adhesion promoter is not needed for hard rigid plastic like poly-carbonate. It is needed for soft, flexible plastic like ABS. Your thin layer technique works because it reduces the severity of material shrinkage. When the paint is heavy and thick, it shrinks and de-laminates from the stress. Using the light first coat creates small stipple spots that dry and act as little anchors for the following layers to hold on to. Your technique works well but is not necessary for headlights. Maintenance is the same as the car paint. If they start looking bad, use some compound on a buffer to clean them up. A ceramic coating on top adds more longevity to them as well.

@@davidparker9676 you are confused. Lechler Plastic adhesion promoter is especially for PE/ABS & Pollycarbonate and that's not how any adhesion promoter works, that's how a primer works. Acid etch and proper Adhesion promoter work on the principle they change the surface chemically, rust convertors work on a similar principal in that it chemicaly changes the surface to an inert layer that can then be manipulated to suit whatever the next stage is. It doesn't matter if its rigid or flexible as the adhesion promoter doesn't have flex agents in it or any modifier that creates a flexible skin. I'm not wishing to insult you but what you said is a generalisation even when talking about sealer primers and such as there are plenty of paint systems were the primer isn't anything like that and it bonds to itself etc. Pollycarbonate the problem is you sand the release agents into itself with anything bellow 800 grit and really needs to be done in the same fashion as older PE panels on dirt bikes and farm quads where you need to fill the poures and never seal it off, it needs built up in layers and this can be seen on the art designs on Pollycarbonate. The artist/painter will do light colour coats then sand them back almost flush, clear coat it then another light coat then rice and repeat. A similar method used in alloy motorcycle tank painting where its constantly been sanded back. It's to do with filling at a molecular level in the hope that the next coat will adhere better as its got more and more of the previous coat acting as a filler. When you talked about "shrinkage" I'm confused as that's not how plastic adhesion promoter works it doesn't skin over it doesn't have the ability to shrink mate. No idea who taught you what you just wrote but it's 100% wrong it's confusing for a start as it looks like someone has learned about HB primer and is quoting that as how adhesion promoter works. The epoxy resin bit i mentioned West Sysyems clear epoxy works as a filler and crack repair on headlights and its the only one that does these days as its genuine Epoxy and not Polly or Vinyl epoxy. Polly epoxy is inferior bond and needs a matting or filler for strength and hardness. Vinyl epoxy is the same it is an inferior bond and is annoying too as it needs to be used straight away as soon as you get it. Proper epoxy has a "tenacious" bond to Pollycarbonate but like I said you need to spend a pretty penny just to get it as west systems ain't cheap. You need to acetone the headlight then wash it with water then a water/iso mix before filling with epoxy otherwise it can lead to misting off. You cannot mix the epoxy fast or introduce airbubbles at any point so the best way is a syringe then a wipe flat. The epoxy will be stronger than the rest of the headlight when it cures and the bond will last 25-50yr even in the sea or under heavy vibrations and chemical environments. Again, I build, fix and maintain rather expensive boats mate and they NEED to be seaworthy and not fail so I'm well versed I spent 7yr learning plastics alone.

@@davidparker9676 a cut and buff I agree with on headlights. A "ceramic coating" hahahaha No mate, no such thing its nail varnish and it seals contaminants in which is any clear materials biggest NO NO. I don't listen to "detailers" they are glorified car washers and it's me who has to fix their burn throughs and hollogramming because they don't fully understand what they are doing. I've forgot more than any detailer will ever learn. Delamination over old clear is because you don't ever go on heavy first coat for any blend or lay over. That's to do with solvent reactivation and not bonding ability or filling ability. You could have the best or worst bond in recorded history.... but then it blisters out 3 days later because you reignited the solvents or got solvent entrapment.

I use both methods,the end results are great with both,I would advise using some flex agent in the clear if doing it with clear as that will help prevent stone chips 👍

Hahaha knew I'd find your comment. Pulling a sticky tomoz mate.. 👋

1k won't work long as its not chemical resistant and hasn't got any bounce it's brittle AF. 2pack via a can works to an extent but you need to do one mega thin coat then a slightly thicker coat then a full coat to get it to stick to Polycarbonate for a while. The bast way is a sand and polish but as long as you don't cut too far in as the UV protection is in the release agent so only saturates in about 2mm

If using plastic primer it needs to be strictly plastic primer not a "hard stuff to prime primer in a can" as that's basically 5mm burn through fix In a can and nothing more. If you use a motorbike plastic primer from a motorbike paint supplier, here in UK even in the boat building which I'm involved in, we use lechler plastic primer it's formulated for Kawasaki, suzuki and Yamaha motorbikes if you go on RS bike paints or the likes and spec an R1 3pack paint then it's the plastic adhesion promoter they sell that comes with that paint system. It can be used even for getting an etch on PE and we've used it to do hugely expensive repairs on huge boats that need their search lights to stay good for at least 5-7yr in the North Sea.

Your headlights will start cracking without clear

@@bunglebro Not sure what your talking about, Ive been using this technique for years on multiple cars including brake lights without any issues. I think a bad clear job would have a much better chance of cracking honestly

@@bunglebro why would headlights start cracking lol... There is nothing on them and that is how they came out of factory.

@@bluewanderer9903 they have a clear coat on them from factory. When you wetsand and buff them you remove the aged clear, they look good for a couple of weeks and then start to deteriorate!

@@matthewhannon2509 you clearly aren't a tradesman

Yeah I love mine as a primer gun and I lay epoxy paint with it with the 2.0mm. They always need sized up though so if you detect a paint is thicker and you don't want to overdoo the thinners you always size up. I'll use the 1.4 on most clears and waterbased and everything else I'm on the 1.8mm with it wound down a bit. I've seen it struggle to lay primer unless on the 1.8mm

I'm 39

Master painter? Mate I paint boats and lorries in the UK I not only do that but I've won freehand trophies and am one of the last true freehand pin stripers in Scotland. My boss is on this vid he sent me the link as he has skills that are alien hes at laminated glass repair levels. "Master painter" whats that? Why are you a master and yet I've got trophies and my boss does yachts?

Mate take it from me a red scuff pad and 800 grit is all you need to go near any Polycarbonate with. The problem is you ain't using an abrasive liquid like scuff stuff with it. If you are using 120 and it's your 20th time you really need to listen to me as you are doing it all wrong. I could sand through a full headlight with red mirka mirlon and scuff stuff in about 15mins so to use 120 is just ridiculous

@@bigduphusaj162 Seems you didn't even read properly. Have you seen some badly pitted headlights with stone chips? Stone chips cannot be bogged on headlights and nor can be the bad sanding scratches by the owners with their DIY attempts to fix the headlights. Wish I could post the photos here. If scuff stuff works for its completely fine but not every formula works everywhere.

@@TruthHurtLiars you will never sand stone marks out, you will end up having to sand off 2mm mate, that's off the entire thing because if you sand just one spot the lights will look terrible and warped. There is no fix for stone chips other than clear epoxy resin and even at that you need the expensive West System clear stuff to do it as its the only one that will hold out on Polycarbonate. YOU CANNOT SAND Polycarbonate with less than 800 as it burns into itelf and you trap in all the contaminants and even the burnt up release agent, which in turn causes rapid yellowing. Even 800 needs kept wet and clean or you risk a burn in seal. Its you who is confused pal I do this for a living on Boats and you should try what I said as its not just easier it's the correct way. See boat nav lights and deck hatch windows etc they all need sanded back after 5-7yr at sea, they sure ain't chucking away stuff at that price because its yellowed off and pitted. Granted Marine grade stuff is always much thicker than automotive stuff, it's still the same or simmilar material with some extra biocides and more UV protection in the release agent. Don't pull me up because I'm telling you the correct way. You need to fill stonechips then sand back.

Tyquil "I got Rick Flaired by a kid" Wooden-ley sorry mate, I give up and accept that you are the best. Please post some videos of your perfect work for us to learn.

@@TruthHurtLiars since this is a car/automotive channel I can do a vid of a set of RX8 headlights and MK5 golf headlights that I have here now? The RX8 had the HiD lights from new as its the UK GT model, its power supply crapped out and it lost the indicator on the nearside. I opened the shell (nightmare of a job) sorted and redone the inside and outside of the lens as it was in bad condition both sides. The golf Mk5 is an estate boat ramp tow mule, it's been sank twice in its lifetime and this time its lights filled as it was submerged for 4 days. So you want a vid of the two of them that's no problem but I'll be slagging you in the vid for getting prickly when told the correct way to do things. Let me know mouche

I've cleared a set of headlights over 1500 grit sanding, holding up nicely a year later.

Lot of tripe. I'd lose my business if I listened to anyone who thinks a can of clear can cover 400 sanded Polycarbonate. Mate clear will stick to a turd... for a while. The key word being WHILE and I'm sorry but no amount of clear over 400 will hide 400 scratches. Utterly ridiculous claim.

​@@bigduphusaj162 I was thinking like you when my painter friend did it in front of me, and I couldn't believe my eyes, crystal clear WITHOUT scratches!!! Difficult to explain without having experienced it for yourself!

@@CosmicMindSense nah mate, see I've been doing this 4 decades and I'm doing it on boats now. You cannot get rid of 400 surface scratches with clear especially not on a headlight. When you fill scratches with clear coats you are effectively doing a filler job with an acrylic material. It may look OK from the front or the angle it's been sprayed from, from the side the scratches will be visible and to be honest mate as I work in the trade I can see what grit has been used prior to ANY clear coat even if you hit a base coat with 3000 (yeah the base coat not the clear) I would still be able to tell you if it was 3000 or 6000 and that would even count for the best clear I know for scratch filling. Cheers anyway.

@@CosmicMindSense btw I don't mean to sound nasty I'm just not interested in fluff and DIYer claims. I'm at the point I can fix old boat windows and escape hatches mate and because its done properly I get paid very handsomely for it. For instance I got a recent boat in a smaller fishing boat from the 70s called a Mayland. The owner bought it as a tender for his 56ft princess as it was the boat him and his dad used as a kid. He specified he wanted as much of it kept original as possible and he would pay accordingly. We discussed the cuddy window condition they were warped, UV damage, gouges etc but he insisted if they could be kept then he would pay the labour costs. It took me 50hr per window to get them absolutely as new and they were sent to Italy to be tested before refitment. It took £500 in trizact pads, scuff stuff, ISO, Acetone, cutting paste, finish compound and £370 for the special light and heater i used to take the warpage out. Now, I know the best way, the ultimate way. I also know a bodge job or a half decent job. Hosing clear over 400 Polycarbonate is a complete bodge it's ridiculous and if I even tried that in the marine world I would be more than likely thrown overboard someone boat. I'll leave it at that.

Correct but you mustn't go through more than about 2mm thickness or the UV protection is done. They are all chucking clear on rather than mechanically taking it to 6000+grit then a glaze polish. People need to realise how the plastic is made and how the UV protection works, its basically like gelcoat on a boats GRP. It's part of the mold release too so you have plenty saturation. It's when you leave it at say 1000 grit or if you sand the old junk in because you don't frequently clean between grits that you get the yellow back 3yr later. I work on boats and the lights restores and windows on hatches etc are ridiculously hard compared to cars and to make matters worse they are plopped straight back in the sea the next day. I do not have holes in my game or it would cost me 100s of thousands not just £150 for new headlight clusters

With all the shit clear coat on headlights nowadays, that buffing method isn’t very effective. Literally 2014-2022 headlights are super thin, Toyota, Honda, and Chevy mainly that I’ve seen.

@@dukeduke3599 they don't have clear coat on them mate the UV is in the mould release agent so it saturates in the face of the headlight. It usually gets a few mm in. Imagine it like gelcoat for GRP boats if you know how that works.

From what everyone says it doesn't last long.

@@TheGunmanChannel You know what gunny that's true... they clean up quick but yeah! Yer right it doesn't last....,.👍

@@TheGunmanChannel mate 1500 trizact. Wash off completely so no sludge. Chuck a 3000 trizact on then keep it wet at speed but if it starts grabbing slow it down and build up a slight sludge then release pressure till it speeds up and the rest is in the feel. Wash the sludge off (critical that all sludge gets washed off mate) if it's all lush as F'ck at this point move onto a quick spin with 3m Extrafine on an apropriate sponge pad on the wee 3" air sander/polisher and then a quick spin with finishing pad (i use the marine sold 3M stuff now but it's the same as the automotive perfect-it 3 Finishing glaze in the black bottle with code 09377. If you want it show car or show boat levels of overkill then go from the 3000 trizact stage to the Ultrafine then clean thoroughly before 6000 trizact then UltrafineSe keeping the sponge wet and fast for the final pass. Glaze it then you are done you won't ever need to do it again for at least a decade. Cheers.

That works fine but its not permanent if not polished regularly

Hi, just so you know if you can avoid digging in further than 2mm of the original surface you won't need UV protection. The aim with headlights or any Polycarbonate clear or indeed PE or Thin ABS is to barely sand off what you need to get rid of. Stick to 800 to get the bad bits off then when you start getting through to the good bits you want to move to a red scuff pad (mirka red 380ish grit claimed is safe to use as a scuff all the way up to 800 grit surfaces) use scuff stuff or fairy platinum equivalent making sure it's the ordinary fairy liquid not scented as contamination is mission critical on clear Polycarbonates. Scuff up and decontamination with the red pad before washing clean then moving up to 1000. Preferably you want a 3" air sander or simmilar at this point or if your on a bigger than 3" pad use an interface pad. Wash off again thoroughly before moving onto a 1500 trizact keep it wet enough that you can see it making a song and dance if it's going over a rough area. Be wary of taking off too much off good bits and concentrate on the remaining areas that are pulling at the Trizact on a pass. Once there is no pull and you've done the full height, wash thouroughly and move up to Trizact 3000. The 3000 should glide over it and get the headlight basically as good as new. What you want to do then to rid the surface of any poures is hit it with 3m Ultrafine then 3m perfect it glaze from the big black bottle. This method you keep at least a portion of the original UV and you practically seal the Polycarbonate up mechanically rather than spraying on a clear or a protectant that basically is just doing what WD40 does and leveling off the porous parts only more permanent than wd40. That's still a chemical answer to a problem that can be solved with mechanical attention. I'm a boat builder now my lights and even my windscreen fixes have lasted decades.... at sea. Cheers

@@bigduphusaj162 Thank you for your detailed response. Not going to lie, I had to read that many times and lots of googling of products to fully understand it, but I get it now, and really appreciate that you took the time to share your knowledge with us.

@@cityend yeah it's pretty hard to understand but things like "pull on the pad" is when a sanding pad goes over an abnormally rough area it has a tendancy to pull the sander in. You can practically feel when you have sanded flat. Scuff pad wise they are amazing for sanding edges and general cleaning up. If you combine a red mirlon pad with scuff stuff paste it has amazing cutting and cleaning abilities and the scuff stuff is well worth it as it works on other stuff around the house and comes in a big bottle that lasts years. Like I said it is mission critical that you keep it clean throught, especially when you move up a grit you need to get all the old lower grit abrasive off or all you will get is the newer grit sanding some of the older more course grit in. Another thing to watch for is of you use a sander try not to touch the edges of pad as it will kink the edge up and you will get what looks like millions of small letter "Z" next to each other in a daisy chain. This can also happen if you have perferated pads and you start the sander on an edge that catches one of the extraction holes. See if you use trizact you will be laughing at how good it works. Use Trizact 1500 then 3000 after the initial 800 and that alone they will look as good as new, no joke.

They are dirt nibs, to be expected when painting in a garage. It is actually a fairly clean job considering the spray environment. Gunny used a pressure washer and put plastic sheeting all over the garage to minimize the dust.

You need to do that if its via a spray can mate. No way are you getting the required thickness without it being like an acne clear coat job with a can. With a gun? Yeah sort your gun settings out if you can't lay flat

Makes sense, I'm not surprised now I think about it.

2k does come out cleaner. 1k looks fine too. I use both with good results. Could be a lot of reasons why it didn’t come out great.

@@dukeduke3599 most likely because it was a spray can. To be honest I could have just left it raw plastic after the polish. There will be time for a do-over.

@@aaronhogan2371 That is true. I have noticed when spraying 1k clear can on raw headlights, it can start cracking. Doesn’t do that with 2k though. They have the 2k spraymax on Amazon for about $22. That’s what I use when I do headlight restorations. It is enough for 3 cars which I charge $80 a pair. I do portable services with all 3m protective products.

It's a garage paint job mate 😉