Headlight Restoration...great product!!
03-14-2009, 04:12 PM
#1
The RX-8 is missed
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Headlight Restoration...great product!!
Hey, just thought i'd share this...
mods - if this needs to be in "show and shine" please move it; i thought it'd get more exposure here.
sorry if this is a repost, but i didn't see anything posted about it before. i found this product in the mazda 3 forum. my girlfriend picked up a nice used mazda 3 a month or so ago. the car is in great shape; the only obvious sign of wear was the headlights! they were flat out disgusting. i was just about to do the wetsand/polish/wax method but kept reading that some people said it would lead to quicker oxidation next time by sanding down the outer layer of the plastic. anyway, i eventually found this in a thread over there and ordered it.
while it's not 100%, it is damn near close, and damn easy to do! i recommend it for anyone; i used it on my 8 and it restored a little shine, although it wasn't bad to begin with.
it's hard to tell in the pics, but the difference is night-and-day with minimal effort. i taped off to be safe, but in their videos on their site they don't. oh, that is oxidation crap, not just dirt/grime on the headlight. cleaning and polish alone did absolutely nothing, this was a well spent $35.
http://www.ibc34.com/Before-and-After.html
BEFORE is below; AFTER is in 2nd post
mods - if this needs to be in "show and shine" please move it; i thought it'd get more exposure here.
sorry if this is a repost, but i didn't see anything posted about it before. i found this product in the mazda 3 forum. my girlfriend picked up a nice used mazda 3 a month or so ago. the car is in great shape; the only obvious sign of wear was the headlights! they were flat out disgusting. i was just about to do the wetsand/polish/wax method but kept reading that some people said it would lead to quicker oxidation next time by sanding down the outer layer of the plastic. anyway, i eventually found this in a thread over there and ordered it.
while it's not 100%, it is damn near close, and damn easy to do! i recommend it for anyone; i used it on my 8 and it restored a little shine, although it wasn't bad to begin with.
it's hard to tell in the pics, but the difference is night-and-day with minimal effort. i taped off to be safe, but in their videos on their site they don't. oh, that is oxidation crap, not just dirt/grime on the headlight. cleaning and polish alone did absolutely nothing, this was a well spent $35.
http://www.ibc34.com/Before-and-After.html
BEFORE is below; AFTER is in 2nd post
Last edited by 2tone; 03-14-2009 at 05:54 PM.
03-14-2009, 07:44 PM
#3
Thanks for the post. My headlights are getting a couple of spots. I've been using Meguiars clear plastic polish which will make it go away for a few months, but it slowly creeps back. Might have to pick up some of this.
BTW, my girlfriend just picked up a Ti Gray 3 too. His and hers Mazdas! How cute!
BTW, my girlfriend just picked up a Ti Gray 3 too. His and hers Mazdas! How cute!
03-14-2009, 08:52 PM
#4
The RX-8 is missed
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ha ha, it's a nice car; i like not having to drive the 8 for every little errand, and for it's class it drives really nice. yours match though, i have a black 8, so not QUITE as cute...
if you were in the area i'd give you some, it really only takes a drop or two...i guess it's nice to have extra for in the future.
if you were in the area i'd give you some, it really only takes a drop or two...i guess it's nice to have extra for in the future.
06-10-2009, 05:32 PM
#11
06-10-2009, 05:48 PM
#14
RX8 & RX7 owner
I use a single coat. It works real good and is worth the $2 instead of having yellow foggy lights and sure beats paying $2k for new ones or paying a lot of money for professional cleaning
06-10-2009, 06:47 PM
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The RX-8 is missed
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9k...i forget which one, it was like $25 or $28 i think, for one tube.
FYI - the haze on the headlights DID come back!! So this product certainly doesn't correct the issue. i guess like others said, once the oxidation starts, it will keep coming back!! but for how easy it is to use, and how little amount it takes, i still think it's worth it...just reapply and 2 minutes later you're good to go!
FYI - the haze on the headlights DID come back!! So this product certainly doesn't correct the issue. i guess like others said, once the oxidation starts, it will keep coming back!! but for how easy it is to use, and how little amount it takes, i still think it's worth it...just reapply and 2 minutes later you're good to go!
06-10-2009, 07:26 PM
#17
The whole reason OEM headlights take a long time to oxidize is because they have a UV hardener that eventually wears out. Nothing will prevent oxidation unless you put it back on.
I really like this product: http://tourenn.amazonwebstore.com/Gl...B001CYC2ZY.htm
GlassyLite. It polishes your headlights, and then re hardens them so oxidation doesn't come back. It works really well
I really like this product: http://tourenn.amazonwebstore.com/Gl...B001CYC2ZY.htm
GlassyLite. It polishes your headlights, and then re hardens them so oxidation doesn't come back. It works really well
06-10-2009, 07:36 PM
#18
Hi guys! My name is Tony.
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06-10-2009, 09:39 PM
#19
a.k.a. WhITeRE8
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I did mine long time ago with the mequiars plastX... lol I give it a quick polish everytime I wash my car to prevent it from oxidizing. Thanks for the offer though Tony!
06-11-2009, 12:55 AM
#21
Hi guys! My name is Tony.
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Reason I picked 3M is the kit comes with everything including pad holder that connect to drill.
It's make job whole lot easier. Especially, during buffing.
Beside, a kit is just around $20 that could do couple cars.
Actually, I only used half of the system.
My head light is not that bad, just some light scratches and barely visible oxidation.
I tried Plastic X, but it won't remove scratches
So I used 3000 grit + foam buffer + Plastic X.
(3M kit comes with their paste too, but it is in one-time-use package.
I don't need that much, so I just use Plastic X that I had already open)
Result is awesome!
[EMBED]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_t1RBw0IGXA&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_t1RBw0IGXA&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/EMBED]
It's make job whole lot easier. Especially, during buffing.
Beside, a kit is just around $20 that could do couple cars.
Actually, I only used half of the system.
My head light is not that bad, just some light scratches and barely visible oxidation.
I tried Plastic X, but it won't remove scratches
So I used 3000 grit + foam buffer + Plastic X.
(3M kit comes with their paste too, but it is in one-time-use package.
I don't need that much, so I just use Plastic X that I had already open)
Result is awesome!
[EMBED]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_t1RBw0IGXA&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_t1RBw0IGXA&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/EMBED]
06-11-2009, 11:10 PM
#25
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The whole reason OEM headlights take a long time to oxidize is because they have a UV hardener that eventually wears out. Nothing will prevent oxidation unless you put it back on.
I really like this product: http://tourenn.amazonwebstore.com/Gl...B001CYC2ZY.htm
GlassyLite. It polishes your headlights, and then re hardens them so oxidation doesn't come back. It works really well
I really like this product: http://tourenn.amazonwebstore.com/Gl...B001CYC2ZY.htm
GlassyLite. It polishes your headlights, and then re hardens them so oxidation doesn't come back. It works really well