This was easy and made a great difference. 3M headlight restoration kit.
Posted Aug 16, 2019, 12:58 PM UTC
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I keep telling everyone who post about headlight restore the same thing. Don't waste time sanding a headlight. Get some mother's aluminum polish and a buffer. Takes 10 minute and I've always got better results.
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The amount of material I had to take off make it seem that it would take way more than 10 minutes just using polish and a buffer.
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You would honestly be surprised. I've sanded down completely yellow and hazed headlights with both sanding and aluminum polish and I find better results with the polish. Just wanted to give you a tip for next time. It definitely came out nice regardless!
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3m really is the best for headlamp kits. The drill adapter is super handy.
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Be sure to seal them afterwards. I restored mine last year, and they started yellowing again.
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Jesus. That works really well. Where did you buy the kit?
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You can get them at most parts stores. If you have a drill, ask for the one that comes with the drill Chuck, it's so much quicker, and comes out a lot better.
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Ebay.
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Like others have said the plastic will oxidize again quickly. Get a spray can of activated 2k clear and give them a few good coats. It is not cheap as far as spray clears go. It is however the best long term solution aside from replacement. Don’t let your elbow grease go to waste, coat them.
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C5 life
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In general, headlight restoration lasts for 10 months to 3 years depending on several factors such as the type of lens, type of sealant, environmental conditions, and care or maintenance performed on the vehicle.
If possible, the car should either be parked in a garage or having the headlights face away from the sun. This prevents the damage that can be caused by ultraviolet light.
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Having 7 inch headlights on both my cars has really spoiled me. Whenever something goes wrong with one, I could either try to rebuild, oooooooor get a new one for $20
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RS6 C5?
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A6 C5 2.4 Quattro.
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Body shop did it for me. Cost $78 and was ready in about 3 hours. I previously used the 3M kit but instead of getting a spray can, I used the clear coat that came with the kit and painted it on as instructed. Didn't work that well and was visibly streaked. For me it was well worth the money. Have to shop around though. Had one shop quote me $300.
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Just recently used mothers power plastic 4Lights with the drill sander on my 95 Thunderbird, words great
800 grit 1500 grit then 3000 grit then the with the microfiber ball after. Worked amazingly
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Now clear coat it, or youll be doing it again in 6 months...
Any recommendations on what clear coat to use?
A one with UV-protection. UV-light is the biggest culprit when it comes to yellow headlights.
Probably get a paint shop to do it with proper 2k clear
You can get great 2k spray cans for quite some time now. They have an activator in the base you have to puncture before shaking and spraying. For such a small/easy project they work great.
I've had good luck with protective vinyl too. But I also went one step further and put some leftover ceramic coating on the vinyl.
I doubt it will be the same. But if it comes to that, I'll post here again.