Wetsanding your chipped headlights
07-07-2008, 11:26 PM
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Hi folks,
As some of your requests, i decided to wetsand my dull looking headlights and to demonstrate how to reconditioning your chipped headlights and how to get rid of those crappy looking stone chips
)
Tools required:
1)Sand Papers:
2 x 1500 grit
2 x 2500 grit
2 x 3000 grit
2)Bucket
3)Car wash shampoo
4)Detailing clay (Used clay will be fine)
5)Sanding backing pad
6)Microfibre Clothes
7)Menzerna
Power Gloss
3.02 RD
106 FF
8)Polisher (Rotary or DA)
9) 4" backing plate, polishing and finishing pads
10) Quick detailer (As lub)
prepare 2 x 1500 grit, 2 x 2500 grit and 2 x 3000 grit sandpapers
Then soak in a bucket of water or Soap water (2hours +)
And few BEFORE pics, as you can see the headlights has picked up quite of few stone chips from the road
Headlights was washed and clayed with detailing clay
Then it was dried with MF cloth and ready to tape up all edges (To reduce the chance of sanding the painted area, which is you dont want to see
)
sanding papers were soaked in the water for 6 hours, as to soften the sanding paper to reduce the chances of leaving deep scratching marks on your headlights and ensure even sanding.
A firm foam backing pad was used today (I lost my Meg sanding pad
) for the wetsanding
1500grit wet sanding
Tips:
1)Spray plently of QD (Quick detailer) while you wetsanding to lubrcate the surface to reduce the chance of scratching
2)make sure you are applying with an even pressure, and work until the chips are level (some deep chips may not able to remove though)
Here is the picture after 1500grit, the headlight looks cloudy and full of sanding marks
Right headlight: 2 x passes 1500grit, 2 x passess 2500grits, 2 x 3000 passess 3000grits (The headlight looks much clear after 3000grit)
Left headlight: 1 x 1500 grit
Both headlights were completed with 2 x passes 1500grit, 2 x passess 2500grits, 2 x passess 3000grits
After 2hrs washing claying and wetsanding, is time to polish Finally
rotary was used this time as it has much greater correction ability than the DA, but DA will still can do a great job.
4" Sonus polishing pad with Menz power gloss to remove the sanding marks
Following are based on Makita polsiher
Speed 1 or 600rpm: to spread the polish evenly on the surface (1 pass) ----> Speed 2 or 900rpm: start to work the polsih (2-3 passes) -----> Speed 3 or 1500rpm (7-10 passes) to break down the polish until it looks clear (See pic below)
This is how it looks after power gloss 
After 2 passes of power gloss, both headlights was polished with 2 passes of Menz 3.02 and finshed with 2 passes of Menz 106 FF via 4" sonus finishing pad
And it turned out like this, as you might able to see, few deep chips were still remaining but most light chips were removed and the headlights are now more clear to see
BEFORE:
2 coats of Jetseal 109 were applied to protect the freshly polished headlights
As some of your requests, i decided to wetsand my dull looking headlights and to demonstrate how to reconditioning your chipped headlights and how to get rid of those crappy looking stone chips
)Tools required:
1)Sand Papers:
2 x 1500 grit
2 x 2500 grit
2 x 3000 grit
2)Bucket
3)Car wash shampoo
4)Detailing clay (Used clay will be fine)
5)Sanding backing pad
6)Microfibre Clothes
7)Menzerna
Power Gloss
3.02 RD
106 FF
8)Polisher (Rotary or DA)
9) 4" backing plate, polishing and finishing pads
10) Quick detailer (As lub)
prepare 2 x 1500 grit, 2 x 2500 grit and 2 x 3000 grit sandpapers
Then soak in a bucket of water or Soap water (2hours +)
And few BEFORE pics, as you can see the headlights has picked up quite of few stone chips from the road
Headlights was washed and clayed with detailing clay
Then it was dried with MF cloth and ready to tape up all edges (To reduce the chance of sanding the painted area, which is you dont want to see
) 
sanding papers were soaked in the water for 6 hours, as to soften the sanding paper to reduce the chances of leaving deep scratching marks on your headlights and ensure even sanding.
A firm foam backing pad was used today (I lost my Meg sanding pad
) for the wetsanding
1500grit wet sanding
Tips:
1)Spray plently of QD (Quick detailer) while you wetsanding to lubrcate the surface to reduce the chance of scratching
2)make sure you are applying with an even pressure, and work until the chips are level (some deep chips may not able to remove though)
Here is the picture after 1500grit, the headlight looks cloudy and full of sanding marks
Right headlight: 2 x passes 1500grit, 2 x passess 2500grits, 2 x 3000 passess 3000grits (The headlight looks much clear after 3000grit)
Left headlight: 1 x 1500 grit
Both headlights were completed with 2 x passes 1500grit, 2 x passess 2500grits, 2 x passess 3000grits
After 2hrs washing claying and wetsanding, is time to polish Finally
rotary was used this time as it has much greater correction ability than the DA, but DA will still can do a great job.
4" Sonus polishing pad with Menz power gloss to remove the sanding marks
Following are based on Makita polsiher
Speed 1 or 600rpm: to spread the polish evenly on the surface (1 pass) ----> Speed 2 or 900rpm: start to work the polsih (2-3 passes) -----> Speed 3 or 1500rpm (7-10 passes) to break down the polish until it looks clear (See pic below)
This is how it looks after power gloss
After 2 passes of power gloss, both headlights was polished with 2 passes of Menz 3.02 and finshed with 2 passes of Menz 106 FF via 4" sonus finishing pad
And it turned out like this, as you might able to see, few deep chips were still remaining but most light chips were removed and the headlights are now more clear to see
BEFORE:
2 coats of Jetseal 109 were applied to protect the freshly polished headlights
07-07-2008, 11:38 PM
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My Ride: 2007 E60 530i
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Awesome work! 
Superb write-up! Thanks!
07-08-2008, 07:28 AM
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Ugh!
Now go get them ClearBra'd before they get messed up again!!!
Now go get them ClearBra'd before they get messed up again!!!
07-08-2008, 10:20 AM
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07-08-2008, 01:35 PM
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Nice DIY!!! and great results too! 
and great results too!
07-08-2008, 01:37 PM
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My Ride: 2006 530i Sport
Silver Gray - Black Leather - Anthracite Maple
Manual Transmission
Premium Audio
Cold Weather Package
Rear sunshade
Sirius Radio
Autobahnd Roadblock (3M) film kit
Seriously, go get some 3M film put on them. I bet it wouldn't be more than $100. When I had my front-end done, I had them do the headlights too. Not a mark.
07-08-2008, 04:06 PM
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Originally Posted by UUronL' post='619009' date='Jul 8 2008, 05:37 PM
Seriously, go get some 3M film put on them. I bet it wouldn't be more than $100. When I had my front-end done, I had them do the headlights too. Not a mark.
I can help set up a group buy for less than 60$ shipped.
RJ