Aftermarket lights never fit right.

I was in pepboys tonight looking for McGuire's Scratch X20 and saw that some company is now selling a UV protector that you spray on after you restore your lights. It was in a clear bottle and looked as runny as water so I'm not sure how long it would last.

 

This is a must for me, since yesterday I got into a car accident and my passenger headlight is completely gone, so I need to match the other one to the new one I'm getting

 

I was under the impression that aftermarket lights for the 5.5 gen are of poor quality. But that's hearsay based solely from what I've read here over the last few years. What I do know is that the OEM headlamps cost $650/each. So that's why I was thinking it was cost-effective to pay a professional.

What, my car? No way man. Although it's a 9-year old DD, my car is so clean I'm almost self conscious about it.

Almost.

 

I think your car is making everybody here so jealous .......And one trillion % with you about the factory and aftermarket headlights......So is there anybody who think eBay garbage is on par with OEM 5.5 gen lights ? WOW

 

Rain x glass restoration, wipe on, buff by hand for a minute or so and dry, wash off, noticeable difference. The cleaner you want them the more you buff, or powerball them for about ten seconds and they are perfect. Took me ten minutes by hand and no special skills were required

 

My Suggestion:

Wet Sanding with 1000 grit sandpaper in one direction (side to side) followed by wet sanding the opposite direction (up and down) with 2000 grit. I use Megulars quick detail spray for moisture instead of water (personal preference). I finish with the small Mothers ball on a high speed drill and a "small" amount of PlastX.

Do this in the shade so the liquid won't evaporate too fast. Make sure to keep the surface wet. Don't apply excessive pressure when sanding. I am not a fan at this point of sealants or adding clear coats. My headlights look almost new and feel smooth (03 Altima). I have been using this process to polish headlights for cash lately. It takes me around 20-30 minutes if I take my time to polish both headlights.

 

It's all just web-photos and Org BS, mahanddeem. Of course it's not actually perfect. No car is.

Shh-h-h. Don't tell anybody.

 

OK...If you decide to sell , let me be the first to know ...

 

I used the 3m kit on my AE about 2 years ago after I installed the 5.5 hids (see sig pic). It lasted maybe a year, and they've slowly progressed towards hazing up again. I was contemplating using the 3m kit again (this time try to keep up the maintenance on them), but if this promises a lifetime warranty, it might be worth the money. TallTom, do you have any pictures of your headlights before/after using lightrite? I'm having a tough time finding any reviews online for this kit. Has anyone else used it?

 

Money Taker this will require more work in less than 6 months!

Bought brands are band-aids and don't fix the actual problem!

POS kit!

They don't fix thhe problem it's just a kit that you keep buying and it will always be required!

What long to you maybe short to someone else!

"LIGHTRITE" this is the real deal guys!


I did mine as well my passenger headlight was newer and the Driverside was original....I've tried a few restoration kits and they suck and will require you to continuously use their product....This LIGHTRITE used by truckers who may put 1,000,000 miles on their vehicles per year! The Driverside came out so good that the passenger side had to be done as well....I also bought some UV lamps also so I came grow some plants indoors......hahahaha

POS money kit

I'll be contacting the owners about a fleet package!

 

Sorry, I don't have before and after pics for the Literite. I only did that when doing the 3m kit. For what its worth, I am still very happy with the outcome of the literite kit.

 

I use Meguiar's Ultimate Compound. It's for paint, but it cuts like crazy and doesn't scratch. I didn't even use an electric buffer/polisher either. Did it using old fashoned elbow grease. I usually go over them once a month to keep them maintained as they do get a slight yellowish haze to them. The strong UV rays here in Florida are no joke during the summer months.

 

Follow it up with some Ultimate Polish or ColorX and really let those headlights shine.

 

Anyone try that "FASTBRITE" stuff they have been advertising on the TV lately?

 

You only washed your car twice in 2 months?? :matt93se:

I did the ghetto way to clear my headlights after i took it to someone who claimed they knew how to wetsand and fu%#d them up...DOT3 brake fluid followed by Scratch off rubbing compound [Thanks Bishnu]...worked perfect and 4 months later they are still clear just DO NOT get that stuff on your paint...remove the headlights or mask the area around them if youre lazy like me

*From when i actually did the job

 

I'll be doing this myself pretty soon. Does the type of sandpaper matter when you're wet-sanding? And do you do it by hand or do you use a block?

 

That's looking pretty good!

 

So...This LiteRite stuff...It's just a UV spray for applying after you've sanded? Is that all that comes in the box? A $30 can of UV protectant spray? Nothing for performing the actual restoration?

 

Sandpaper and alchol wipes.

 

I'd tap that.

Sorry..It had to be said.

 

You should see it in person!

 

60 grit sandpaper and alcohol wipes in addition to the spray.

 

Just wanted to throw out a quick thank you for the info posted in this thread. My headlights have been hazy since I bought the car and I've previously tried using just a Mothers plastic polish (just elbow grease, no buffer or anything else electric) which worked somewhat but never for very long. Anyways, I just gave it another go over the weekend, and followed the recommendation of doing some wet sanding. I went with 1000 and 2000 grit sand sponges and then followed it up with the Mothers PowerBall 4Lights kit which comes with a drill attachment. Didn't take more than a half hour and the difference is night and day!

Very Very Pleased!

BEFORE



AFTER

 

AFTER



That looks great!!! I might have to follow your procedure this weekend. My headlights might be a little hazier than yours.

 

That does look very nice.
Are you going to seal them with something, so they don't fog back over quickly? Like that Literite stuff?

My daughter has a Sentra with very cloudy lenses and I want to buff them back to clear, but I also know that sanding/buffing is just introducing micro-scratches that will hold dirt and re-cloud the lenses. Seems to me a constant program of re-sanding/buffing is, ultimately, a losing game without somehow sealing the cleared lenses.

Other than that Litebrite stuff, what do the rest of you use to seal the lenses? Wax? Nothing? $30 for a can of sealant seems a bit steep, though.

 

Does anyone know if you can buy the literite in canada? It looks to be the stuff to use and mine have bothered me since I bought it

 

I definitely recommend the wet sanding. It was the difference maker for me and if your headlights are hazier than mine were you'll need it. I was a little hesitant in the beginning to do any sanding to the headlight since the sanding causes the headlight to become completely foggy but that's actually exactly what you want, a nice uniform white fog over the entire headlight. With the sand sponges I used the 1000 grit made a nice fog and the 2000 grit cleared it up a little. Once I started using the powerball attachment with the polish it cleared right up.

Just make sure to tape around your headlight with some painters tape.

I didn't buy any sealant but my plan is to wait and see what happens. If they start to haze again in a few months I'll probably get some sealant and redo the process with 1000, 2000, and 3000 grit sponges.

 

Where did you get the grit sponges?

 

Pepboys. They were around $4 a piece. The one gripe I have with the sponges is there's no markings on them whatsoever that tells you what the grit is. They're double sided so there's no non-grit side to print markings. As soon as you take the packaging off you're left to feeling the grit to determine which is which. I didn't realize this and threw them both in a bucket to soak. Doh!

Luckily, the difference between 1000 and 2000 was noticeable by touch, but just barely. May have been a little easier if they were dry but 1000 and 1,500 would be more difficult. I recommend either using two buckets or only soaking one at a time.

 

I just use Meguiars and it worked wonderfully. Here are some pics.

Before. I forgot to take a pic of the driver side headlight before sanding it but it was worse than this one.


After



Definitely worth the money in my opinion. I didn't take much time on these either so its a good product. Curious to see how long it lasts.
Also, I used the 2 step kit. I say this because Meguiars has a one step and 2 step *complete* kit.

 

My lenses were hazy/yellowing....I only used Turtle Wax rubbing compound and buffed it. Worked great for me....lights are starting to yellow again though so I may try something else this time.

 

Yeah I used the turtle wax kit that comes with the sand paper and the compound and it did wonders (only $10 at pep boys). Use PlastX every month or two to keep my headlights clear.

 

found some new replacement headlights with bulbs at rockauto.com for $35 each. watched a youtube video of a guy changing them out. did it myself in about ten minutes. dramatic improvement in the cars appearance. best and most economical use of my time too.

 

Does that mothers kit have an attachment for the dremel?? I would have to go buy a drill to use that ball attachment?

 

The Mothers kit does not come with a dremel attachment. I don't have a dremel so I'm not familiar with the bit size it accepts, but the ball that does come with the kit fits any standard size electric drill.

 

Finally got a chance to do my lights yesterday!!

BEFORE:





AFTER:





I used the Meguiar's kit from Autozone!

 

Inside.

 

3m I did on an nycmaxima member's car

 

I don't know how I missed this thread, but I'm about to send my one headlight to one of you guys to do because I don't know how you're getting the results you did. I wetsanded with 1200 and 2000 grit and polished it after and they came out looking worse than before. I did it all by hand, maybe that's why.

I am highly interested in more details about this method.

 

well, the Mequiar's kit has 1000 grit and 3000 grit paper. You are supposed to wetsand with the 1000 grit in a side to side motion until light is foggy, then dry lense, then attach 3000 grit and dry sand in an up and down motion. After that apply this polish to an attachment and use a drill to buff.....comes out super clear....wipe excess off with the microtowel then apply this midnight coating by hand...thats it. Worked fine......maybe you should by the Mequiar kit....it works.

There are some wierd methods out there; brake fluid, oil, gasoline, rubbing alcohol, kool aid, astroglide, pepto bismol, cod liver oil, etc.....just use the kit man.