Not too many people on here have Radioflyer's flush headlights but I figure this should apply to any hazing headlight that a person may want to clear up.
I completed this repair last year but didn't know that once the lenses were polished it is very important to put a UV blocking coating back on the lenses as the haze will return (for me, it was a matter of months).
So, I removed the haze with the Mother's headlight kit I purchased last year and then used Wipe New to provide the UV inhibiting properties (Shockingly, it actually had good reviews!)
Now, onto the cleaning!
The headlights were one of the first things people would comment on when looking at the car......I thought about leaving them like this as they were taking the focus off the GS stripe, but I was almost starting to throw up every time I looked at the headlights so I figured a cleaning was in need. (Sorry about the large pics, I'll downsize in the future).
This is the before picture showing the state of the lenses prior to doing any work. The passenger side was definitely worse but both basically looked like crap.
I was amazed at how much material was removed in the sanding process. I was much less nice to the lights this time than the last as I wanted them sparkling! The kit comes with 4 sanding grits I think they are 800, 1200, 1500, and 2000 but can't quite remember. If anyone wants to know I can find out for sure. The below pic is half way through sanding with 800. Be sure to sand in only one direction, and when changing grits, sand at 90 degrees to the last pattern.
The result after stage one of sanding.
Stage 2 completed.
Stage 3 completed
Stage 4 completed. While completing stage 3 and stage 4, hardly any material was being removed which I don't know why this surprised me?
Finally, the polished lens
The before and after photo.
Finally I used the Wipe New. Opening the package almost knocked me on my ass with how strong the fumes were! Definitely do this in a well ventilated area and don't let it get on your paint! The Wipe New added a really nice gloss to the lenses and although I can see some streaks, I'm very happy with it. Here is a pic of the final results.
I completed this repair last year but didn't know that once the lenses were polished it is very important to put a UV blocking coating back on the lenses as the haze will return (for me, it was a matter of months).
So, I removed the haze with the Mother's headlight kit I purchased last year and then used Wipe New to provide the UV inhibiting properties (Shockingly, it actually had good reviews!)
Now, onto the cleaning!
The headlights were one of the first things people would comment on when looking at the car......I thought about leaving them like this as they were taking the focus off the GS stripe, but I was almost starting to throw up every time I looked at the headlights so I figured a cleaning was in need. (Sorry about the large pics, I'll downsize in the future).
This is the before picture showing the state of the lenses prior to doing any work. The passenger side was definitely worse but both basically looked like crap.
I was amazed at how much material was removed in the sanding process. I was much less nice to the lights this time than the last as I wanted them sparkling! The kit comes with 4 sanding grits I think they are 800, 1200, 1500, and 2000 but can't quite remember. If anyone wants to know I can find out for sure. The below pic is half way through sanding with 800. Be sure to sand in only one direction, and when changing grits, sand at 90 degrees to the last pattern.
The result after stage one of sanding.
Stage 2 completed.
Stage 3 completed
Stage 4 completed. While completing stage 3 and stage 4, hardly any material was being removed which I don't know why this surprised me?
Finally, the polished lens
The before and after photo.
Finally I used the Wipe New. Opening the package almost knocked me on my ass with how strong the fumes were! Definitely do this in a well ventilated area and don't let it get on your paint! The Wipe New added a really nice gloss to the lenses and although I can see some streaks, I'm very happy with it. Here is a pic of the final results.