E89 headlight refresh done today (pics)

[Zed Five]

Not much to do today, so I decided to sand down and polish up my headlights. After 3 and half years and over 100k miles, they were starting to look shabby.

(and before anyone comments, I then cleaned the engine bay! :roll: ).

Before:


After:


They need a second pass really. I then did Mrs Five's Golf. They were worse to start with, but the result was much better! I need to do the Zed again now.

Really easy with some 500/800 discs and cutting compound.

 

[Dale_B]

Good results, big improvement.
It's not until you compare old/new you realise the big difference.

 

[E89_Gaz]

They look much better
Do you have any dust on the inside? In the dark with the lights on, I am sure I can see dust on the inside of the lens.

When you say 500/800 disks, did you use a DA or similar to rub them down or did you do it by hand?

 

[BrianD]

What a transformation, I think I will have a go at doing mine next weekend!

 

[andysat]

Wow 100k?-how is your front end paint doing?

 

[R.E92]

Great results. You should do a small DIY.

They look much better
Do you have any dust on the inside? In the dark with the lights on, I am sure I can see dust on the inside of the lens.

When you say 500/800 disks, did you use a DA or similar to rub them down or did you do it by hand?

I actually have a fly inside mine.

Is there any way of getting into the light to clean it?

 

[E89_Gaz]

No way to get inside enough to clean the lens but I wonder whether removing the headlight, pouring in a dose of IPA and swishing it around might do the trick? There again, it could end up being a very expensive mistake

 

[Zed Five]

Great results. You should do a small DIY.

They look much better
Do you have any dust on the inside? In the dark with the lights on, I am sure I can see dust on the inside of the lens.

When you say 500/800 disks, did you use a DA or similar to rub them down or did you do it by hand?

I actually have a fly inside mine.

Is there any way of getting into the light to clean it?

Send in a ladybird? :wink:

 

[Zed Five]

They look much better
Do you have any dust on the inside? In the dark with the lights on, I am sure I can see dust on the inside of the lens.

When you say 500/800 disks, did you use a DA or similar to rub them down or did you do it by hand?

I used a bosch electric drill on quite a low speed. It can be done by hand, but the drill makes it easy to get good results

 

[pvr]

Did you seal it with something to avoid it deteriorating quickly?

 

[pvr]

Looking very good by the way.

 

[Zed Five]

Did a last run over with the polishing pads with a little wax. It wont last, but a quick cut once a month should keep them fine.

With the mileage racking up I'm not too precious about it. The front end paint still looks good, thats why I chose grey. Very forgiving.

 

[Bushido]

Excellent job. Will keep it in mind when I need to do the same.

 

[Brasseye]

Great job takes miles off its looks.

 

[Reamesy]

I’ve used this after polishing lights in the past. It was half the price back then. It seals the light and protects it from UV. Amazing results and just wipes on and cures. Not like some which requires spraying.

CERAKOTE® Ceramic Headlight Restoration Kit – Guaranteed To Last As Long As You Own Your Vehicle – Brings Headlights back to Like New Condition - 3 Easy Steps - No Power Tools Required : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

CERAKOTE® Ceramic Headlight Restoration Kit – Guaranteed To Last As Long As You Own Your Vehicle – Brings Headlights back to Like New Condition - 3 Easy Steps - No Power Tools Required : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[Palmetto Fellow]

I've never done this with the modern kits they sell these days. I did this old-school with a tutorial I found back in the year 2000.
I had a 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX with some horrible headlights. I had to assemble the two Mother's Polishes as the sandpaper all individually sourced (no kits). The results were OK, but nothing like what you can accomplish today.

Did you use a kit, or did you piece-part the stuff needed for this end-result?