Headlight Restoration DIY
 

Did a DIY for the Meguiar's headlight restoration kit on my RX-8. Hope you all enjoy and Subscribe to my channel if you enjoy!

Nope, you’re an epic fail. Overspray on the paint is a GIGANTIC NO NO!!! The freakin instructions even say to cover the paint to avoid overspray. :dunno: :icon_tdow :bottom:

I did mask the surrounding area and still got a bit of spray on.

Not a big deal. You can use some diluted alcohol to clean it off without harming the paint.

That was an oversight on my part and im currently making corrections and will resubmit the video. I'm guessing you were the one that commented on the video as well. I do appreciate you noticing and commenting so i can remedy this mistake immediately! I appreciate it! I'll also give a special thanks to you for mentioning this to me!

After having the coating cure since last week, i was able to remove the overspray with the all mighty handy dandy denature alcohol. Haha.Like you said, not a big deal, no damage to the paint and was easy to remove even after fully curing.

Made a quick fix due to something i missed. Thanks Fiji!bluefg2 for pointing out the flaw on my video!

I used this same kit about a year ago, headlights looked good for a couple of months. After ~6 months every little imperfection started showing, now it's looking hazy again. But I did have to drive in shitty winter conditions, all the gravel and road grime being flung at me probably didn't help.

I suspect that to happen. Due to how easy it was to apply, it did say it would work for about a year. Denature alcohol does remove it relatively easily. I'm guessing to help prolong it, you can layer it was some UV protector or possibly use the "severe" kit that uses an actual drill. But overall, the amount of time it took to apply and the price, i can't be happier. lol

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...c8be749d0d.jpg

Meguiar's PlastX on a drill-mounted polishing pad..

Thats just beautiful right there. Its crazy how a quick restoration of your headlights could dramatically change its appearance.

Close up of the before on the drivers side and after on the passenger side..
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...2655dd3ebb.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...749fce7856.jpg

Not sure why you let them get that bad in the first place. Yuck!!!

Everyone's situation is different, mine got bad after it was non op for like a couple of years. Lol. Now its getting a little love.

That was some great work Xero!!! It looks brand spanking new!

I'm kind of wondering about using the acetone vapor method.
Remove the factory protective layer (ultra-fine grit sandpaper?).
Put some acetone in a 12v heated mug with a funnel cap.
Let the vapor smooth out the plastic.
Then put a protective film (like this) over the headlight.

Just make sure the mug liner and funnel are acetone compatible (no ABS, polycarbonate, acrylic, etc https://www.plasticsintl.com/chemical-resistance-chart)

Ohhh, that's very interesting right there, first time i've heard of this method.

Has anyone tried this?

Ehh I don't know how I feel about that. I'll stick to either a drill mounted polishing pad with the compound I mentioned like I have been using now for a considerable amount of time, or the same compound but using a 3" air powered polisher to do the work and probably get significantly better results.

Having acetone near any painted surface? Nope, I don't trust myself doing that. I tend to have butter fingers...

If you take the headlight assemblies off the car, that could work.

I remove front bumper and fenders when I want to do any wet sanding. it really makes life and the job SO much easier since the car body is holding the headlights. Then I can easily go nuts wet sanding and then polishing to get an extremely smooth and clean finish.

Mind you my example was a polish all by hand... The last time I went all out with a good wet sand and polish (followed with sealing and UV protecting), it lasted years without deterioration or fading.

i guess for a quick fix that solution can work.
But nothing beats polish and ceramic coating.
I had my rx8 headlights removed and gave them to a friend who polished them thoroughly.
Finally added two layers of ceramic coating.
Before they were yellow as a lemon and foggy as a bus window in winter.
Now they look like new (apart from spider-web like cracks that cannot be fixed (they are still sealed thought, so no condensation yet))

Ceramic coating should last a year or two, right? Well i guess it depends on the ceramic coating you get. I may do that when i get my new headlights in.

Well i don't know for sure. Maybe Meguar. But yeah, a year or two should be if i take care of the headlights. Like making sure there are no bugs or accumulated dirt on them

The issue is you cannot reverse the increasing auto oxidation of polycarbonate as it ages. You can treat the surface to remove the exposed crystalline surface but it will continue to occur.

That's why adding a protective film to the headlight after restoration is necessary, as it will prevent the oxidation and the lights will stay clear for years.

So has anyone had the restored lights last more than 12-16 months?

5 months and counting right now :P

Yep! Even Mazda's in-shop repair procedure/product uses a clearcoat afterward to prevent UV-related polycarbonate failure. I didn't clear mine last time and they are well on their way to dingy again -- going to use the clear and do a more thorough job on the polishing before hand, next time.