3M Headlight Restoration Review

"Brickman" (legomaniacman) 06/26/2016 at 13:36 • Filed to: 3M Headlight Restoration, Review, Opporeview

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My headlights weren’t as bright as they used to and look worn. So I bought a restoration kit to get them like new.

It contains a wheel that attaches to a drill, the wheel has velco on it to attach various sandpaper that is included and a polishing pad.

The contents of the package.

Before. The camera makes it look better than it actually is. Clean the headlights with soap and water to remove any dirt, sand, etc.

Put painters tape around the headlights as the sanding wheel will mess up the paint.

Im using my right angle drill for better control

You start out using the 500 grit yellow colored sandpaper. Using medium pressure evenly sand the headlights. The sanding pad is the perfect size to reach the edges.

It looks like I ruined my headlights!

Wipe the dust and sand again. Its starting to look better. I used two discs, one for each headlight.

Then move onto the 800 grit discs

Wipe and sand again. I used all four 800 grit sanding discs.

Next is the 3000 grit sanding pad. You wet sand in this step. It says to use water, but I was lazy and used the soap and water spray bottle I used to clean the headlights.

1st pass. Scrubbing the lights for about 2 minutes.

2nd pass

Then wipe the lens and apply the polishing compound to the polishing pad (forgot to take a picture). Apply a quarter sized dot to the pad and before starting the drill move the compound over the lights to prevent making a mess. Then polish the lights. I put two coats because there was a good bit in the packet. I wish they provided a bottle as the packet will dry up. Used the rest on the tail lights to make use of it.

Smooth and clear!

Remove the tape and wash the dust off the paint Looks brand new :D

Overall it took an hour from start to finish. Cant wait to drive at night to see if there’s a difference.

LongbowMkII > Brickman 06/26/2016 at 13:45

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Headlight polish makes such a difference. Takes years off the appearance of a car. I honestly can’t understand why dealers don’t do this. $10 and a hour adds hundreds in appearances alone.

Urambo Tauro > Brickman 06/26/2016 at 13:50

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Do this to ONE SIDE of someones car for free, and see how soon they come back to pay to have the other side done. :)

Brickman > Urambo Tauro 06/26/2016 at 13:52

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It pays for itself :D

XJDano > Brickman 06/26/2016 at 14:44

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I did this to one of my headlights last week, just bought 600,800,2000 sandpaper from Walmart and clear spray paint. Looks ok. Photo later because I'm not with the car. All wet sanding by hand, in a motel room while working out of town

E92M3 > LongbowMkII 06/26/2016 at 15:00

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Agreed! There’s a “buy here-pay here” dealer near me, and half of his lot has headlights so yellowed they are probably dangerous. Makes all the cars look older than they are, and not well taken care of. I’ve thought about stopping by one Sunday, and offering to do the cars for $20 each.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > Brickman 06/26/2016 at 16:01

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I gave up on headlight polishing, every time I did it, it needs to be done again a year later. I just buy new lenses every 4ish years or so. They are pretty easy to replace on my e46. Last time around I put a protective plastic film on it to see if that makes it last longer.

Brickman > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP 06/26/2016 at 16:18

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Time will tell. I keep the van in the garage, still pretty much new looking 20 years later.

SirDrivesAlot (now with hybrid powerrrr) > Brickman 06/26/2016 at 16:35

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This morning I went over my headlights with 3M’s Headlight Renewal, since the oxidation was no where near as bad as what you had, just a couple of spots starting to show up. It did a great job, cleaned up the areas where the oxidation was just starting and polished up the rest of the lens. I will have to keep an eye on it from now on, to keep the “cancer” at bay.

PWRandSPD > Brickman 06/26/2016 at 18:55

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To make it last you really need to use a UV stable clear coat. Basically what is turning yellow is the original clear coat on the lens which you are removing. It is also the protectant for the lens that keeps it clear. Use an exterior uv stable/inhibitor paint and it will last much longer than just a year.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP 06/26/2016 at 18:58

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Duplicolor clearcoat. Since it’s automotive oriented it’s UV protecting and will keep the plastic from discoloring as quick.

yitznewton > Brickman 06/26/2016 at 19:11

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I found it was worth it to drop the front bumper cover to get all the edgez. I hit my lights with sealer and/or wax whenever I wash; hopefully that will prolong the effect.