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Finished headlight after restoration
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DIY Headlight Restoration

Use a headlight restoration kit to turn your head lights from drab to sparkly! Here's how to do it, plus extra tips and tricks.
Course Cleaning Tips
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings 2 clean headlights
Cost $15

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 3M Headlight Restoration Kit includes all the sanding discs referred to below
  • Painter’s tape it comes in the kit but we used our own
  • sandpaper 2500 - 3000 grit wet, extra step which we'll explain
  • Cleaning solution/rubbing alcohol

Instructions

  • Clean the headlight. I used a solvent and thinner solution, but rubbing alcohol would work as well.
    Cleaning a headlight with Bestine solvent and thinner
  • Tape off the both lights using painter's tape.
    Headlight-taped-off-with-blue-painters-tape
  • Put the foam velcro buffing pad from the kit in the drill, then place the 500-grit sanding disc on the pad.
    Putting a velcro buffing pad on a drill
  • Then spray water on the headlight and on your sanding disc. This will keep everything lubricated so it can flow and prevent scratching.
    Spraying-water-on-a-taped-off-headlight-with-a-spray-bottle
  • Using a slow to medium speed on your drill, apply medium pressure and keep the pad flat on the headlight. Begin sanding, moving back and forth over the surface until you see the yellow UV damage and oxidation start to come off the surface. Reapply water as needed so that you are always sanding on a wet surface.
    Sanding-a-headlight-with-a-drill-and-sanding-pad
  • Make three or four complete passes with your drill and sanding pad, adding water as needed.
    Headlight-in-the-process-of-removing-the-oxidation
  • Spray water on the light and wipe off with a clean rag and this is how the headlight will appear. It will look worse before it gets better!
    Headlight-sprayed-with-water-after-initial-dirt-removal
  • Apply the 800-grit sanding disc from the kit and repeat the steps used with the 500-grit disc. Spray and wipe off the light again.
    800-grit sanding disc
  • Use the 2500 grit wet sanding paper - spray water on the headlight and directly on the sandpaper, then start sanding the light by hand. Use circular motion.
    2500 grit wet sanding paper sanding the headlight
  • When finished hand sanding, wipe the light dry and you will see that you are getting closer to the desired effect.
    Sanded headlight with painter's tape around the edge
  • Add on the 3M 3000 grit Trizact foam sanding disc. Use this disc as you did the other discs: keep the surface wet as you make 3 to 5 passes over the headlight.
    3M 3000 grit Trizact foam sanding disc
  • Keep applying water and passing over the headlight until you get the desired amount of clearing. Wipe off the light with a clean rag until dry.
    Clean headlight after restoration
  • Using the foam polishing disc provided in the kit, apply a quarter sized dab of the Synthetic Wax Protectant (also provided in the kit) to the pad and smear on the light without the drill on. Begin polishing by turning the drill on. As you make more passes the light will become completely clear.
    Foam polishing disc with synthetic wax protectant
  • When you are happy with the result, wipe clean with a clean rag. Remove the tape to finish.
    Removing painter's tape from the DIY headlight restoration

Video

Notes

Step 2: The kit comes with tape - however, we needed a wider tape due to the chrome rim around these particular headlights. So we used a wider painter's tape that we already had.
Step 5: The sanding disc may occasionally load up with material; use your spray bottle to clean off the disc. It will look like you're applying paste but that is just headlight grunge!! :0
Sanding-disc-with-dirt-on-the-pad
Step 6: If you damage the tape while sanding, repair the tape before continuing so you don’t sand the trim around the light.
Torn painter's tape on the edge of the light
Step 9: We added this step outside of the kit to increase the crystal-clearity (yes I made that up) even further.