Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: ABCDEFG on 15 July 2024, 13:25:21
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I have recently been trying to attempt to restore the faded headlights on my Vauxhall Corsa, as with age they have clouded and started to have a yellow hue. To my dismay, after following tutorials and even buying a kit, I have managed to make them worse. They have this even more horrible cloudiness, that just will not go. I used ( in order) 600, 1500 and 3000 grit sandpaper and then a heavy duty polishing compound applied with a cloth. I would use a drill head attachment to apply the polishing compound, however the one I have isn't up to the job and buying a new one for this small job would be a waste. I will say that the surface is not visibly smooth, and still has light scratches present, could this be an issue? Any help or suggestions would be more than welcome. I would put an image up but can't for the life of me work out how to.(http://)
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This link may be a read to you. :y
https://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=90643.0
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I use the 3M kits designed for use in a drill, and find they work well with minimal fuss and effort. You must keep it wet though.
Manually doing it with wet and dry, again keeping it wet, has been done by a few less idle than me on here with great effect.
If you are near me (Buckinghamshire/Oxfordshire/Northamptonshire border), I'd be more than happy to use one of my kits on your Corsa.
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And if you're anywhere near Sussex, likewise.
That said, given the price of Corsa headlights, it might be easier to pop some new ones in if they're that knackered :-\
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I did the headlights on my Omega last year by hand and the end result was brilliant and they came up like glass.
The initial difficulty is removing the UV coating that they come with new which basically is to prevent them becoming cloudy from the UV rays and weather, but even this breaks down over time. Once you start to get through this UV coating (which initially looks like a feathered paint edge), keep at it and eventually with progressively fine wet and dry followed by a compounding you will get the perfect end result. Remember you are working with 'plastic', not metal or glass so if you go at it with too coarse a paper then you will have visible scratches and fine marks which will be more visible with the headlights on. A very well used 3000 grit wet and dry paper with plenty of water will remove the scratches you mentioned.
A friend of mine recently had an argument with a wall in her 2019 Hyundai which left a couple of very deep scratches on one headlight lens, which I managed to remove completely with some determined elbow grease and patience using just wet and dry and then a good compounding with progressively finer paste.
Personally, on my cars, I also start with 600 grit, getting progressively finer finishing with 3000 grit. As said, keeping the wet and dry paper very wet, and avoid any 'drag', and persevere and you'll get there. It takes time and patience but will transform the car.
I then applied a UV resistant polish to the lenses, which I reapply everytime I wash the car to keep them clear and protect them from the elements.
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OOPS
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I used plain old metal polish on my Range Rover lenses as they were getting yellowish on the edges,I'd read about using it in a Practical Classics magazine they came up like new.
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Same as others, progressively finer wet and dry with in my case a G3 cutting paste, plenty of water !! and I even finished with 5000 grit or finer and again lots of water - Hose on fine spray.
Results crystal clear :y and topped off with a wax.
Not a job to rush, and elbow grease needed.
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Same as others, progressively finer wet and dry with in my case a G3 cutting paste, plenty of water !! and I even finished with 5000 grit or finer and again lots of water - Hose on fine spray.
Results crystal clear :y and topped off with a wax.
Not a job to rush, and elbow grease needed.
Hence I use the lazy bastard 3M kit and drill ;D
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I used ( in order) 600, 1500 and 3000 grit sandpaper and then a heavy duty polishing compound applied with a cloth.
I would use a drill head attachment to apply the polishing compound, however the one I have isn't up to the job and buying a new one for this small job would be a waste. I will say that the surface is not visibly smooth, and still has light scratches present, could this be an issue?
Your problem is that you missed out at least two stages after the 600 grit. 1500 is too fine to cut through the 600grit finish. And that was probably coarser than necessary, as I've never needed more than a few strokes of 1000grit to cut through the worst of the grot on really bad lamps.
So, before wasting time and polishing materials, buy a sheet each of 800, 1000 and 1200grit wet and dry paper - not sandpaper which is for woodwork.
Start with the 800, preferably on a flexible block, in a criss-cross pattern across the lens using plenty of soapy water. Once you've done a few strokes in each direction, wipe it dry and check you have an even finish across the surface. If you don't, repeat the process. Then you do the same with the 1000 and 1200 grit papers, finishing with your 1500.
That should give a smooth, dull, but nearly clear surface for you to finish with coarse(and then fine if you have it) rubbing compound. There's no need for anything fancy here, the materials used for improving paint are plenty good enough - I use old fashioned Farecla G3 and G10 because I have them. Headlights aren't big enough to really justify buying power tool attachments, when you can do the whole process, by hand, in about 10 minutes per lamp on the car.
If the lens has lots of tiny cracks, you should consider replacing it, because they are caused by UV light and can't be corrected.
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i used to polish them up every year until my car went in for paintwork. they put a coat of clear laquer on the lights and they have been like new ever since. only 3 years so far but thats still better than once a year ! i was told that the uv makes them cloudy so a uv resistant laquer needs to go on .( as when they were new)
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My method is basically similar to what has been mentioned previously. I went 320, 500, 800, 1200, 1500, 2000, 2500.
Then use either plastix polish or t-cut, followed by a coat or two of lacquer, or you'll be doing it again in pretty short order.
Before:
https://imgur.com/gallery/3NOocDr (https://imgur.com/gallery/3NOocDr)
After:
https://imgur.com/gallery/UDabJCb (https://imgur.com/gallery/UDabJCb)
Whether you do it by hand or drill really doesn't matter. ;D
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Whether you do it by hand or drill really doesn't matter. ;D
You underestimate my levels of CBA ;D
But very true :y
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This link may be a read to you. :y
https://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=90643.0
Thank you, it appears i may just need to stick at it a bit longer, and really take my time. I shall have another go at it tomorrow for a good few hours if needed and hopefully get it done.
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I use the 3M kits designed for use in a drill, and find they work well with minimal fuss and effort. You must keep it wet though.
Manually doing it with wet and dry, again keeping it wet, has been done by a few less idle than me on here with great effect.
If you are near me (Buckinghamshire/Oxfordshire/Northamptonshire border), I'd be more than happy to use one of my kits on your Corsa.
Thank you for the offer is much appreciated, but definitely would like to try this myself. If I can't even do a simple job as this, god help me if I ever decide to try something more challenging on my car.
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This link may be a read to you. :y
https://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=90643.0 (https://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=90643.0)
Thank you, it appears i may just need to stick at it a bit longer, and really take my time. I shall have another go at it tomorrow for a good few hours if needed and hopefully get it done.
A good few hours???? :o
It's a 30minute job, from start to finish, by hand, in the dark, in the street, including drinking the beer.
The important thing to remember for any polishing process is to start with a grit that's coarse enough to remove the damage, removing those marks with progressively finer abrasives. Missing out grades isn't a shortcut, especially when your desired finish is a bright, shiny, scratch-free surface on clear plastic.
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This link may be a read to you. :y
https://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=90643.0 (https://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=90643.0)
Thank you, it appears i may just need to stick at it a bit longer, and really take my time. I shall have another go at it tomorrow for a good few hours if needed and hopefully get it done.
A good few hours???? :o
It's a 30minute job, from start to finish, by hand, in the dark, in the street, including drinking the beer.
The important thing to remember for any polishing process is to start with a grit that's coarse enough to remove the damage, removing those marks with progressively finer abrasives. Missing out grades isn't a shortcut, especially when your desired finish is a bright, shiny, scratch-free surface on clear plastic.
Tell me your secret mate, while I am definitely not in a rush, it takes me about 30 minutes to gather everything I need, fanny around, tape everything up as needed and then actually start. Although I will admit half of that is down my extreme disorganisation. :D
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A decent chunk of that 30minutes is getting everything ready. I don't have much storage space, so I try and keep everything organised - all my abrasives and the sanding blocks are in an old ammo box, and the rubbing compound is kept on the paint shelf.
Headlamps aren't a large surface, so the time spent actually working on them is very short.
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Does it really matter how long it takes? As long as he is happy with the end result, it can take as long as it needs to. The super human people that can do this headlight restoration job, or strip down and renew a full suspension job in only 'x' mins / hours, including having brew, getting it on with the missus (or boyfriend or whoever floats your boat) are not sending the right messages out to OOF members that may not be handy with the spanners or tools etc and working on their own cars as others like to think they are.
Encouragement to do their own jobs and advice when it goes wrong should surely be what it's all about - not 'it only takes me 'x' minutes to do this job', which generally is a load of bo##ocks anyway).
Take your time and long as you need to to do the job right and to your own satisfaction....:y
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Does it really matter how long it takes? As long as he is happy with the end result, it can take as long as it needs to. The super human people that can do this headlight restoration job, or strip down and renew a full suspension job in only 'x' mins / hours, including having brew, getting it on with the missus (or boyfriend or whoever floats your boat) are not sending the right messages out to OOF members that may not be handy with the spanners or tools etc and working on their own cars as others like to think they are.
Encouragement to do their own jobs and advice when it goes wrong should surely be what it's all about - not 'it only takes me 'x' minutes to do this job', which generally is a load of bo##ocks anyway).
Take your time and long as you need to to do the job right and to your own satisfaction....:y
Thank you, I am a complete novice and have a LOT to learn but really willing to get stuck in and work on my car. It ended up taking me around an hour and half just on one side, but the result was absolutely fantastic and everyone who offered advice really helped me. When I get round to it, it will definitely take me half as much time to finish everything off. This forum is full of people willing to help others out, and that's what makes OOF great for those trying to learn and work on their cars. ;D
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No problem! I'm just glad you managed to greatly improve them irrespective how long it took - the satisfaction in getting them sorted yourself is worth the effort! Well done :y