5th Generation Maxima (2000-2003) Learn more about the 5th Generation Maxima, including the VQ30DE-K and VQ35DE engines.

Restoring faded headlight lenses on 5.5 gen

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Old Apr 8, 2019 | 03:01 AM
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Restoring faded headlight lenses on 5.5 gen

Has anyone tried the "chrisfix" method on YouTube with clearcoat spray for getting clearer headlamp visibility? Without dismantling anything, to remove the housings off the car, it seems like a chore with the HID ballasts connected. New headlamp fixtures are totally out of the question ($$$$)
Old Apr 8, 2019 | 01:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Jagalag
Has anyone tried the "chrisfix" method on YouTube with clearcoat spray for getting clearer headlamp visibility? Without dismantling anything, to remove the housings off the car, it seems like a chore with the HID ballasts connected. New headlamp fixtures are totally out of the question ($$$$)
Yes I did that to the 2003 I had. I'll see if i can find the photos of the difference
Old Apr 8, 2019 | 02:04 PM
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Having a difficult time finding the car from before, but I did find a pictrue of one of the headlights I took just before i cleaned them up. It's the bottom one https://imgur.com/a/FWDroBr .

I had high quality photos of the lights taken when I sold them https://imgur.com/a/XUmzBv2

Be sure to do it when the humidity not too high. If you see on the passenger headlight near the grill there are marks, I found that was due to the humidity being too high when spraying the clear coat. Also, after a couple days I took some 3000 grit and wet sanded the lights, used some compound, then put some wax on them, to reduce the orange peel. I think this process is great and much preferrable to buying a new headlight
Old Apr 8, 2019 | 06:57 PM
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For the love of god DO NOT SPRAY PAINT YOUR HEADLIGHTS.

Unless you're literally a wizard with spray paint, you will eff your headlights up. Speaking from personal experience.
Old Apr 8, 2019 | 07:56 PM
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Chrisfix? Really? Come on man, you're better than that Chrisfix videos are for entertainment only. Clear coating headlights is for the birds. Ceramic coating is where it's at. Follow this procedure:

Old Apr 8, 2019 | 07:58 PM
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Lolz..."for entertainment only"...so true.

Wish I had realized that before I tried, and failed, at half the **** I thought I could do from watching his videos...
Old Apr 8, 2019 | 09:17 PM
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So this is a waste of time?
Old Apr 9, 2019 | 03:41 AM
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Originally Posted by User1
Chrisfix? Really? Come on man, you're better than that Chrisfix videos are for entertainment only. Clear coating headlights is for the birds. Ceramic coating is where it's at. Follow this procedure:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhzrNrGQ41M
Never head of this procedure before, price is steep compared to chris fix method, but i'd like to try it someday.

Originally Posted by CMax03
So this is a waste of time?
I don't think so. I'm a supporter of this formula. I've now done the 2003 i had with this method as well as a G35, Ford Taurus, and actually just this weekend my honda accord. Maybe it's not as good as the ceramic thing in the video above, but it's a lot cheaper. Before I found chris fix's video, I tried other methods but it wouldn't be as clear as this and at most it'd last a month before it started to yellow, i haven't seen any sort of yellowing with this process.
Old Apr 9, 2019 | 11:59 AM
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it all comes down to the wet sanding or preventative maintence with plasti-x
Old Apr 18, 2019 | 08:02 PM
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I sanded and clear coated the headlights on my 370Z while I was having the front bumper painted. My maxima will be getting the same treatment. May also ceramic coat the lenses for further protection.



Before

After

Before

After 800

After 1000, taped up for paint

Clear coated
Old Apr 19, 2019 | 05:56 AM
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nice work man !! theres no shortcuts for faded headlights!
Old Apr 19, 2019 | 06:06 AM
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I have used this kit in the past and it lasted a few years with good results. I need to do them again. https://www.ryderfleetproducts.com/s...tomotive/s-sat
Old Apr 19, 2019 | 06:35 AM
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roger that, i saw that at an oil change shop, and its legit cuz it has sand paper =) again no magic shortcuts
Old Apr 19, 2019 | 07:46 AM
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Looks very nice. Good work.

Also a couple days ago I saw a headlight video where they went through the methods, and settled on a film to protect it, rather than clear coat. I'll try to find the video again, but the benefits he said were that it's uv resistant and also resistant to rock chips. Application process though looks a bit more difficult than clear coating.
Old Apr 19, 2019 | 07:32 PM
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Since we're on the subject, here's another presentation of seemingly quality options:

Old Apr 20, 2019 | 03:49 PM
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Originally Posted by User1
Since we're on the subject, here's another presentation of seemingly quality options:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG54xt56uZo
ah yes, this is the video i was talking about above.
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