[xeauto2010]

2 days ago I refinished the headlights on my 98 passat with 213K miles, and have the result listed below

I went with sanding off the old finish, buffing it out a bit, and putting on a new clear protective finish

I can share the tactics and what I used if there is any interest :wrench:

They came out great and look new, car looks much better now with them refinished

 

[1.8twagen]

what did you use? i used a kit from mothers i think it was, worked for the most part, not super happy with it though

 

[xeauto2010]

Its called crystal view, its a kit sold on and off locally here at walmart and advance auto.

it only re appeared here after several months, not sure why.

what the kit contains is 1000 and 2500 grit sandpapers, some small cloths, a buffing compound, and a clear finish glaze.

all these things can be had on their own, I just wonder what is in the clear finish that comes with it

ive done a few cars with this kit, and have always gotten good results. the key with refinishing (whether its a headlight or a painted surface on your car) is it must be ready for the new surface/paint.

the headlight will only look good if ALL the old finish is sanded off and removed, often times it takes a good deal of sanding depending on what was originally used to coat the headlights

 

[dschwarz]

Make sure that clear finish glaze has UV protectant in it, or you'll be redoing this in a year's time.

 

[DaOneEnOnly]

Its called crystal view, its a kit sold on and off locally here at walmart and advance auto.

Thanks for the tip. I'll have to try this as my headlights look horrible. I have tried the Meguiars or Mothers and it was okay... but they got just as bad again. Was thinking about replacing them, but sinking large amounts of money into them isn't an ideal solution for me. Maybe this will save me, from your results it looks like it is at least worth a try.

 

[Star Sunder]

I have the Turtle wax one as it was on sale at the Local Autozone, I'll be doing this probably tomorrow. I'll snap some pics during it.

Make sure to get some masking tape and mask off EVERYTHING around the lights if you get that on your paint it will destroy it.

 

[xeauto2010]

Id be interested in seeing how yours come out, im about to refinish the lights on my LHS in the next few days.

Ive used many other kits and compounds, they seem to be a short term fix. This is the only kit ive used that involved putting a new finish on the lights.

I have no clue on the UV protection i will look over the package and see what is listed about that.

Used this kit on a stratus about 2 years ago and its held up well. I also keep my cars clean ect, i could only imagine dirt and road salts really deteriorate the lens surface when left out in the sun

 

[18t papa]

I used this kit EZ4U2 Headlight Restoration Kit Used By Professionals
my headlights look brand new :thumbup:

 

[xeauto2010]

looks to be a similar process, both sand and refinish to get rid of the fog

sweet deal, its cheaper haah

 

[8v fury]

A couple of my friends who are detailers have been using this.Diamondite® Clear Plastic System Kit cleans, polishes, restores headlight lenses. Diamondite plastic polish scratch remover for headlights. They said it is quick and easy and the results are great. I am ordering mine in the next couple days.

 

[DaOneEnOnly]

I did the Crystal View restoration yesterday. Worked great. I'll probably create a DIY thread sometime since I took plenty of pictures during the process. ~$20 from my Walmart hard to beat that since it actually works. It will be interesting to see how they look in a year.

side note: My Walmart didn't have it near any of the other headlight restoration kits.... the CV was hanging over by itself next to the fuses....

 

[mikefl]

Darn, now I have to clean my headlights next.

 

[Lasserudn]

Mothers Headlight kit

i just buffed out the headlights on my b5.5 and they made an amazing comeback!! I'm very happy with the difference check it out

sorry i don't have a better before picture

it is like night and day if you as me!:thumbup:

 

[b5n925]

Thanks for the recommendations! I need to do this BADLY!! :/

 

[mcseforsale]

These "refinishing" kits are only creating a haze to allow wax/chemicals to sit in the minute scratches. That's why they turn cloudy after a few washes. I treated mine like paint and wet-sanded them down to 3000 grit, then used low-cut rubbing compound, then finish wax. Seemed to work pretty well and after a year, I've not had to do anything to them.

AJ

 

[tcn115]

I have also had this problem. I purchased a 3M headlight restore kit from autozone, I was very happy with it.

 

[vee dubber]

my 2 cents:
don't waste your money. go buy a nice projector set off ebay. I've gotten several compliments, the pair cost around $200. I spent close to $100.00 trying to restore my old stock lights.

 

[dragmop]

I have used Novus #2 and a cotton wheel chucked in my drill (mostly because I had these things in the garage already)
Cloudy to clear in <20 minutes per side and lasts about two years between polishings