[jbnery6465]

More than just being pitted, scratched, and starting to fade yellow...but it's those thousands of little 'worm-like' scratches/fissures. Could've been there when I bought the car used but noticing it even more now since it's starting to yellow.

I'm leaning towards wet-sanding then polishing out with my PC7424 and Meguiars 105/205 combo. I've done the search and it's a 50/50 toss up between doing a manual wet-sand vs drill assisted wet-sand (like 3M Restoration Kit)

Question is...if I were to use the 3M kit with proper techniques, will I be able to restore these? By technique, I mean: medium pressure with 50% overlapping passes, start with coarse grit horizontally, then medium grit vertically, then fine grit horizontally. Compound, polish, then protect with sealant or film.

I would assume yes just from reviews but wanted to get feedback from anyone who's ever had headlights this bad. Or are those little fissures indicative of something totally different? Like the lens cover getting ready to shatter, lol.

TIA?

[dbworld4k]

That's going to require a LOT of cutting and polishing and then clear coat

[Supra2k6]

sand them down on grits and clear coat them should look good as new.

[LuxAngelEyes]

Originally Posted by Supra2k6

sand them down on grits and clear coat them should look good as new.

+1 most likely you can save them its just going to take a lot of effort to get them clean. If you want to make sure they stay nice afterwards i'd recommend Xpel also which is a clear headlight film. I have it on my lights and its awesome stuff

[e90_Nick]

avoid the 3m hand operated kit, go with the 3m drill operated kit. Much better for the job, especially in your case.

[ferocity02]

Depending on the depth of the scratches and chips, you may need to go with a coarser sand paper than what comes in the 3M kit which is only good for removing a very thin layer. I tried using their kit on my fog lights to remove the rock chips and it did nothing. I need to start with something like 200 or 150 grit.

[///Mposter]

This is going to require a sanding and a clear coat for the best long term results. Don't go any lower in grit than 400 as you may cause too deep of scratches you will see with the lights on. Start at 400, then 600, then 800, then 1200. You will know you are on the right track when you pour water over them and they look clear through. An ultraviolet protected clear coat should be used as can sprayed acrylic will yellow when the sun starts to beat on it .

[jbnery6465]

Originally Posted by ferocity02

Depending on the depth of the scratches and chips, you may need to go with a coarser sand paper than what comes in the 3M kit which is only good for removing a very thin layer. I tried using their kit on my fog lights to remove the rock chips and it did nothing. I need to start with something like 200 or 150 grit.

Fortunately the depth of scratches on the headlights are not bad, I'm thinking 400 or 500 grit should be sufficient. My fog lights are the ones with more pits in them as I can very slightly feel them with my fingertips.

Originally Posted by ///Mposter

This is going to require a sanding and a clear coat for the best long term results. Don't go any lower in grit than 400 as you may cause too deep of scratches you will see with the lights on. Start at 400, then 600, then 800, then 1200. You will know you are on the right track when you pour water over them and they look clear through. An ultraviolet protected clear coat should be used as can sprayed acrylic will yellow when the sun starts to beat on it .

Film or permanent coating like Opti-lens may be out of budget this time around. Is there a specific UV clear coat you would recommend?

Thanks for all the feedback. I think I may go with the 3M kit since it has 500, 800, and 3000 grit and use proper wet sanding techniques. Unless there's something specific that sanding by hand can accomplish where machine sanding cannot? Do you guys think the backing plate included in the 3M kit is too flimsy?

[jbnery6465]

Originally Posted by ///Mposter

This is going to require a sanding and a clear coat for the best long term results. Don't go any lower in grit than 400 as you may cause too deep of scratches you will see with the lights on. Start at 400, then 600, then 800, then 1200. You will know you are on the right track when you pour water over them and they look clear through. An ultraviolet protected clear coat should be used as can sprayed acrylic will yellow when the sun starts to beat on it .

Any specific brand of UV clear you would recommend?

[e90_Nick]

Originally Posted by ///Mposter

This is going to require a sanding and a clear coat for the best long term results. Don't go any lower in grit than 400 as you may cause too deep of scratches you will see with the lights on. Start at 400, then 600, then 800, then 1200. You will know you are on the right track when you pour water over them and they look clear through. An ultraviolet protected clear coat should be used as can sprayed acrylic will yellow when the sun starts to beat on it .

What kind of clear coat do you recommend?

[///Mposter]

Sorry I was not getting any notification . I would recommend going to a paint supply store like napa auto or orielys paint department and asking them if they can mix you their brand of clear in an aerosol can for touch- ups ( one time use only) or any gun sprayable clear coat brand such as master pro clear and activator ( if you have a spray gun).
The brand I think at orielys is Transtar. Napa is masterpro.