Supplies needed:
600 Grit Wet/Dry Sandpaper
1000 Grit Wet/Dry Sandpaper
2000 Grit Wet/Dry Sandpaper
Spray bottle
Clear Spray Paint (Preferably High Temperature Engine Enamel)
Masking Tape
Terry cotton towels or rags

Introduction

Headlight assemblies made today are far different than those of long ago. Gone are the days of the round or square headlights in which the whole headlight was replaced with one from the local parts store when the bulb burned out. Todays lights are much brighter, significantly larger in some cases and are made with a polycarbonate type plastic. If you bought your car brand new then you will remember that your headlights were super clear, bright and smooth. After a few years though they tend to become very pitted from bug remains eating into the plastic over time and most seem to turn a hazy yellowish color. You can run you fingers along the surface and feel the roughness. What appears to happen is that over time the air blowing over the headlight creates some friction. Very minute but enough to wear on the plastic. Couple this with dirt and debris blowing into the plastic along with the reaction of bug remains, UV damage and you get something that can dramatically reduce the amount of light from the headlights. It is, in reality, a safety issue. Most who get annoyed by it enough will look to purchase new headlights, until they discover the cost of replacements. Most run a couple hundred dollars a piece. For a customer that I recently restored headlights for, he was quoted over $400 each from the dealership. Even after market replacements can cost two to three hundred dollars for the pair. However, there is a cheaper solution. If you are willing to invest a little time and work, you can restore your own headlights to near factory new condition. This How To describes this process.

Step 1
Remove the headlight assembly from the vehicle. Usually there are only two or three bolts that hold the assembly to the car accessible once you open the hood. In some cases even after removing these bolts the headlight will not come out. In these cases, unless you have easy access to the bottom of the headlight assembly to undo any clips or remove any additional bolts, you will have to mask off the area surrounding the headlight to prevent any damage to the paint or other surfaces.

Figure 1

Step 2
Using the 600 Grit wet/dry sandpaper, sand down the headlight. Even though the restoration process will use three to four sanding steps using progressively finer sandpaper, it cannot be stressed enough that the first stage of 600 grit determines how the rest of the process goes. It is imperative the the headlight be sanded evenly. Failure to do this will produce an uneven look to the finishing step.

Figure 2

In Figure 2 above, you can see a difference between the top third and lower two thirds of the headlight. The top third looks more cloudy than the rest of the headlight. This is due to the fact the lower two thirds has not been sanded as well as the top third and less material has been removed. In order for this process to achieve maximum results the bottom two thirds should look like the top third. Your hands, fingers and arms will get fatigued and it is far better to stop and recover than to short cut the process. The 600 grit sandpaper is going to remove more material than any of the following steps. Failure here to sand the headlight evenly cannot be made up in the remaining steps and will show throw in the final product. Take your time and sand the entire surface of the eadlight. The final product is well worth the time and effort.

Step 3
Use the 1000 Grit sandpaper and repeat the process of Step 2. Again, paying attention to the entire surface of the headlight being sanded evenly.

Figure 3

In Figure 3 you can see that all but the bottom edge of the headlight looks the same. The bottom edge needed more attention in this step. You will also notice that as you progress through the finer grit sandpaper that the headlight becomes more clear. You will be able to see through it better. This is exactly how it should progress.

Step 4
Using the 2000 Grit sandpaper, sand the headlight down once more until it is evenly sanded. At the conclusion of this step you should be able to see fairly well through the headlight. It still will have a somewhat cloudy look, but greatly reduced from that of Step 2. Now is the time to inspect your work closely. The cloudy look of the headlight should be even over the entire surface of the headlight. You should not see any circular patterns from the sanding process. Again, it must be stressed, any issues here will show up in the final product.

Step 5
Using the clear spray paint, it is time to paint the headlights. I use high temperature engine enamel (rated at 500 degrees) simply because it seems to go on a bit easier, coats a tad thicker and has been less prone to runs. Since we will be applying potentially several coats its resistance to runs is a good thing. You will want to spray a light coat on the headlight, again paying attention to evenness. With this first coat you will see a fairly good representation of how the final product will come out. Any imperfections in the sanding process will stand out here. With the first coating, the surface may have a 'rough' look to it while still being clear, this is okay. It will smooth out as successive coats will be applied slightly thicker and that will 'level' things out if you will. As well, if you get a run in the clear, don't fret. Let the coat dry and simply go over it with the 2000 grit sandpaper. If this needs to be done, at this point you will not be removing any more material from the headlight itself you will just be leveling out the clear coat. As well you can do this if any debris, lint, etc. gets on the clear while it is still wet or tacky. Just clean it off by wet sanding with the 2000 grit sandpaper and apply a clear coat again. Once the first coat of clear has set up well (typically within about 10 – 15 minutes) apply another coat of clear. This time a little thicker than the first coat. I even hold the can a little closer to the surface of the headlight to promote the clear going on thicker. If, with this coat, you feel the appearance looks smooth enough, then let everything dry. If not, then after this coat sets up well, apply another coat. If after the third coat the surface does not look smooth, it would be best to go over everything with the 2000 grit sandpaper and level the surface out.

Figure 4

In Figure 4 you can see what the finished headlight looks like after three coats of clear. Be sure to let the clear set up well before driving anywhere. If during the application of the clear you see a milky look, that is normal and will go away as the clear coat dries. This tends to happen only in temperatures that may be a little on the cool side for painting anyway. Ideally, don't drive anywhere until the following day, but absent from that you can drive the car after about an hour of drying time. If you can get the headlights in direct sunlight, all the better. Also, DO NOT power wash the headlights for at least 2 – 3 days to give the clear plenty of time to cure. After that time you can safely wash the headlights and I would even go as far as to put a coat of wax on them. Enjoy your refurbished headlights and hold your head high knowing that you just saved a ton of money by doing it yourself.

Notes:
Be sure, prior to clear coating the headlight, that you remove all lint and dust and debris. Wipe the headlight down and clean off any residue from the sanding process. Spray the headlight down with the sprayer you used during the sanding process and then wipe clean. Repeat until all the white chalky sanding residue has been removed. Allow to dry completely then make sure there is not lint or dust on the headlight. I used a Swifer duster to remove the lint and dust from the towel I used to wipe down the headlight. Below are several before and after pictures so you can see the effectiveness of the process.

Figure 5 (Before Refurbishing)

Figure 6a (After Refurbishing)

Figure 6b (After Refurbishing)

Figure 6c (After Refurbishing)

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