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      05-03-2014, 05:11 PM   #1
SDCoupe
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Headlight lens

Does anybody have advice for the best way to restore the fogged headlight lenses? Is some kind of polishing kit the way to go? Can the lens themselves be replaced? I did this for my e46 once and it was the best way to get crystal clear results. The polishing kit was less than perfect.

Thanks!
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      05-03-2014, 05:42 PM   #2
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Unfortunately our lenses are not replaceable like the e46's (one thing I really miss about my e46's was how easy that was).

I had the dealership do their "restoration" on them when my GF worked there. I'm pretty sure they just wet sanded and buffed them. It came out pretty good but if you don't keep up on hand polishing them and waxing them they'll start to haze up pretty quick. I use plastic polish on them and a buffing pad then wax afterwards and it keeps them in good shape.

A replacement lens would be a god send though.
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      05-03-2014, 06:32 PM   #3
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Thanks for the advice. I guess I'm stuck with the buff and polish job. Too bad you can't just replace the lenses. Bummer. If anybody has a favorite kit/method that would be great to share. I've tried the Mequire's kit paired with a drill. It was OK.
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      05-04-2014, 12:22 AM   #4
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I had a lot of luck with 3M kit #39008 from Wal-Mart.
Then I put Headlight Armor over them and hit 'em with a good dose of 303 after every wash.
And I now back into my parking space at work so I'm pointing North.
Almost 2 years and still nice and clear.
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      05-04-2014, 02:05 PM   #5
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Thanks for the advice! I'll check that 3M product out.
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      05-31-2014, 10:25 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by StickMon
I had a lot of luck with 3M kit #39008 from Wal-Mart.
Then I put Headlight Armor over them and hit 'em with a good dose of 303 after every wash.
And I now back into my parking space at work so I'm pointing North.
Almost 2 years and still nice and clear.
Worked great. Easy to use. I used a damp cloth to wipe the lens and also to unclog the sanding disks. I have enough product left over to do it again if I need to. Thanks for the recommendation!
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      05-31-2014, 11:30 PM   #7
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Thanks to ZPost. I picked it up on the recommendation of another forumite.
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      06-01-2014, 07:22 AM   #8
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Any before and afters?
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      06-02-2014, 12:01 AM   #9
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Mine was pretty much like the TV commercials.
Cloudy ---> Clear
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      06-06-2014, 10:00 PM   #10
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the key to restoring headlights is in the sealer you put on them afterwords. The meguiars kit comes with a nice wool buffer to use as the final step, but it has no sand paper and no sealer.

i've done half a dozen pairs of headlights by using the sealer and method detailed here:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...lant-idea.html

You can get everything you need for less than $30, it will look like it was professionally done, and it will hold up for years.
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      06-21-2014, 09:48 AM   #11
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Here's a before and after. Sorry not the best photos. In the sun it looked much more apparent, but you get the gist.
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      06-21-2014, 11:06 AM   #12
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I did the same thing (3M in a drill) to mine and was laughing at how well it worked. Laughing because it was perfect, and how often does something work better than expected!!

Would I be hijacking this thread if I asked if anyone has put the clear film over the lenses? Considering how hard it was to remove the small amount of factory hard coat/top coat remaining on that plastic, I can only imagine how vulnerable the new layer of plastic is that I just exposed. After I polished mine I read a pretty convincing article that claimed "sandpaper is the kiss of death" for these lenses. It's probably true but mine were way beyond ANY sealer type restorer. I know my clear bra works because I've seen rocks bounce off of it but I've never had it on my headlights.
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      06-22-2014, 08:12 AM   #13
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Having restored a bunch with sandpaper, I can tell you that you will get 10x better results that the pic above. Of course, its also a lot more work.

I would stay away from clear film over headlights, because some Z4 owners have experienced cracking in the headlight lenses due to excessive heat build up.

If you want to seal them (and you should after polishing like that or they'll go back to being crap), use a 50/50 mix of spar urethane and mineral spirits. I know it sounds crazy, but it works awesome. Read the link I posted above for more info.
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      06-22-2014, 12:08 PM   #14
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Here's a sunshine shot. Nice and clear. Plenty of product left over to do it again in a few years. For $20 and 20 minutes of time, it's well worth it.
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      07-08-2014, 03:11 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by StickMon View Post
I had a lot of luck with 3M kit #39008 from Wal-Mart.
Then I put Headlight Armor over them and hit 'em with a good dose of 303 after every wash.
And I now back into my parking space at work so I'm pointing North.
Almost 2 years and still nice and clear.
"Headlight Armor" - is that an ArmorAll product?

Thanks!!
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      07-08-2014, 04:55 PM   #16
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I've had the headlights covered with expel (the whole front end of the car) for several months now and nothing has happened to the headlights yet.
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      07-09-2014, 11:44 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Huz-Z View Post
"Headlight Armor" - is that an ArmorAll product?

Thanks!!
It's film.
I got the blue, which looked better than you would expect with the Interlagos paint. Not too ricey.
But after a year they're clear. Blue faded away, but they're nice and clean.
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      07-10-2014, 12:55 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dalecan View Post
I've had the headlights covered with expel (the whole front end of the car) for several months now and nothing has happened to the headlights yet.
Me too...I've had Lamin-X on my coupe for over 4 years now. Other than the blue tint faded a bit, the lenses still looked perfect...none of the issues that everyone appeared to be complaining about

As a matter of fact, I was so impressed with the film on the coupe that I also put a set on my recently restored headlights (using the 3M kit) of my almost 11-years old X5.
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      07-10-2014, 07:31 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by XMetal View Post
Me too...I've had Lamin-X on my coupe for over 4 years now. Other than the blue tint faded a bit, the lenses still looked perfect...none of the issues that everyone appeared to be complaining about

As a matter of fact, I was so impressed with the film on the coupe that I also put a set on my recently restored headlights (using the 3M kit) of my almost 11-years old X5.


Thanks guys!

Had a look for the 3M stuff last night but all I could see was the Meguiars headlight kit. Its got a polishing wheel that you attach to a drill - I don't know if its as good as the 3M product.
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      07-27-2014, 10:25 PM   #20
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I put my car through a harsh winter here with salt and rocks being shot up on the fogs and head lights. I restored the headlights and fogs with sand paper going from 1000, 1500 and 2500 then a compound and polish (megs 105/205).

Once they were clear and pretty much like new I wrapped them with laminx yellow for the fogs and clear for the headlights. Its been two years now, the whole thing is holding up great. I can polish the film to rid some scratches and I've recently noticed some oxidization on the edges that are not wrapped (precut left a few mm of gap). So the wrap has been very effective. I'll be doing it on all future cars.
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      05-25-2015, 11:33 AM   #21
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I found one of the 3M kits a while back.

Any additional tips before I have a go at this later in the week?

Cheers!!
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      05-26-2015, 02:50 AM   #22
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yeah mate, take your time, and as shown in the previous pics, make sure you mask off the paint areas. one thing though.. the liquid stuff your supposed to put on afterwards, never dried on mine. take some before and after pics Huz, then show us
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