[JASonic]

can someone explain the safe way to wet sand headlights? All the chemicals Ive bought suck. I was told wet sanding will work. How do you do it without making things worse??????????

Thank you for advice in advance!

[slightly stoopid]

are u trying to clear them up

[JASonic]

yes. one is new and the other is older so the wear is uneven. I want to bring the older one back to clear again...

[Ninjawafers!]

wet sanding is nothing more that getting very very fine grit sandpaper and using water to wet the paper... im not sure about using certain chemicals while doing it to remove any type of discoloration in the headlights... but that is the way wet sanding is done

[yelsir06]

just goto autozone, oreilly, or maybe wal-mart & get a light cleaner kit. $10-20 & comes with some compound, sandpapers, other stuff & instructions.

..the stuff that 97cobra talks about here
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums...adlights+clean

[HMUSN]

Originally Posted by 3.8Coastie wet sanding is nothing more that getting very very fine grit sandpaper and using water to wet the paper... im not sure about using certain chemicals while doing it to remove any type of discoloration in the headlights... but that is the way wet sanding is done

+1..

just use a fine grit sand paper and keep steady water on it(use a spray bottle)

AFTER the wet sanding is finished is when all the chemicals come in handy.

such as sealers and polishes.

[JASonic]

do you use the sandpaper by hand? I have a "wood" sander ( like the $15 one from Lowes) I wasnt sure if that is too strong and it might wear threw or something.

[HMUSN]

by hand

[yelsir06]

the "kit" i got recommended to sand by hand left to right with the first grit, then up to down with the next. then keep alternating (while going with finer and finer papers)

i haven't done it myself, but i definitely wouldn't sand it circles.

[YellowTorque18]

Or you could just buy my old stock headlights and call it a day!! haha

no seriously.

[JASonic]

Originally Posted by YellowTorque18 Or you could just buy my old stock headlights and call it a day!! haha no seriously.

Dude, I would have 6 months ago. I had to buy one new one because of the drunk ass driver thing. I have one thats new and is crystal clear and another that is just a bit cloudy. Not too bad but bad enough for me to want to give it a shot with the wet sanding thing.

[yelsir06]

i tried the wet sanding today.
i advise NOT doing it unless your headlights are in really bad shape.

i spent ~2 hours sanding (1000-2000 grit) then use some special automotive polishing compound....made it look soo much worse. at first you'll be deceived by how much better they look. but then they dry...

i ended up sanding for another hour then using an electric buffer & turtle wax comp. to get them back where they were (maybe a little better).

ill post some pics sometime this week.

[JASonic]

Originally Posted by yelsir06 i tried the wet sanding today. i advise NOT doing it unless your headlights are in really bad shape. i spent ~2 hours sanding (1000-2000 grit) then use some special automotive polishing compound....made it look soo much worse. at first you'll be deceived by how much better they look. but then they dry... i ended up sanding for another hour then using an electric buffer & turtle wax comp. to get them back where they were (maybe a little better). ill post some pics sometime this week.

This type of post is why I check this site regularly. thanks for the heads up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[HMUSN]

Originally Posted by yelsir06 i spent ~2 hours sanding (1000-2000 grit) t.

no offence but you spent 2 hours because you did it wrong.
:wink

Steps:

1. Begin every project like this by cleaning the item...just use dish soap and a soft cloth, no abrasives yet.

2. Before we begin sanding here is some helpful tips to ensure a proper finish:

Tips/Rules for Sanding:
-sand face of entire surface, not just the scratched area...this creates a smoother finish that is free from depressions.
-it is preferable to wet sand under a light stream of water which is better than simply wetting the surface and the sandpaper.
-When going up in grit number (finer grit) wash surface, preferably with dish soap to make sure the surface is free of lower grit particles.
-When switching from one grit to the other...sand in a different direction (up and down, now left and right)...this way you can easily gauge your progress in removing the lower grit's sand lines. To view these lines while wet simply hold surface at an angle to the light.
-Use room temperature to cold water temps for wet sanding.
-on flat surfaces it is easier to wrap the sandpaper around a smooth wooden or hard plastic block...this gives you more leverage and can give a more uniform surface in the end on flat/square pieces.
-with plastics, BEWARE of the cutting power of sandpaper...you will be amazed how easy it is to sanddown plastics (well I guess for me coming from metals it seems amazing :p)
-Wet sanding will cut less efficiently than dry sanding but produces a better finish and is all but required on 600 grit or higher sanding work.
-If dry sanding...remember to fully dry the surface to sand for the best results.

3. With Medium to deep scratches start with 400 grit paper, wet sandpaper and surface and begin sanding in whatever way feels comfortable. After only 15 seconds or so look at the scratch(es). If they are starting to soften or are even completely gone...keep sanding until they are gone. If no progress was made at all go to step 3a.

3a. Major scratches or plastics/resins that are exceptionally hard will require more time/effort and so starting at a lower grit sandpaper will reduce that time/effort. Jump down to 220, scratch for a few seconds, check, scratch some more, check. When the scratches are gone...IMMEDIATELY clean the surface and move up to 320 grit...different direction until the 220 scratches are gone. Then move back to 400 wet and use until 320 scratches are gone.

4. Work your way up slowly...from 400 to 600 to 800 to 1000 to 1500 and then to 2000 if you choose. Make sure to complete sanding the scratches left at a specific grit before going to a higher number!!!! otherwise you'll have to go back down and resand all over.

5. Now that you have a smooth finish that has a very light matte look...you are almost done ...make sure to wash THOROUGHLY before the next step and wipe dry with a very soft cloth and give it a couple of minutes to let it air dry.

6. Take out the rubbing/polishing cloth and Rubbing Compound. Squirt a bit on the surface and a bit on the cloth. Begin to vigorously rub the compound on the surface as if you are sanding...rub until product completely dissapears or drys out...apply some more and rub some more until there is a PERFECTLY clear surface or Mirror shine, flawless finish on a colored plastic.

7. Lightly dampen the other end of the polishing cloth and wipe off excess rubbing compound from surface...again dry with soft towel and let dry for several minutes.

8. (Optional) Apply a layer of Meguiars NXT wax to really shine things up...let haze...and polish off, then let wax coat harden by letting the surface dry for a couple of hours.

That's It

[yelsir06]

thats just about what i did. didnt want to bore you with the details.
i actually went over 2000 grit to try to get them finer.

the reason it took 2 hours is because after i finished one cycle of sanding & buffing & polishing, they did not look better at all. so i started all over. it still didnt looking that good when i got done (a few cycles later). the buffing is the part that really fixes them up.

it may be possible to make them look much better by wet sanding, but my little $25 'kit' didnt help & neither did the wet sanding. just letting you guys know.

ill put some pics up this weekend. maybe it did make a diff, maybe not.

[04bamagt]

Not about headlights but I do have a question about wetsanding.... On my rear spoiler/wing there is a spot about the size of a quarter or a little bigger, that looks like the guy who owned the car b4 me let some bird shit stay and bake in the sun onto the paint. It has actually made my paint look like it is starting to break up and feels like sandpaper to the touch. I can wash the hell out of it , wax it and stuff but nothing works at all. what the hell can I do? I've got a couple more spots on my front bumper just like it but they are not as big. You can't see them unless you are right up on the car. but I know they are there and it bugs the shit out of me

[yelsir06]

k, sorry it took me forever to get pics up

actually, today is the first ive looked at my pics, & it turns out, the wet sanding made a significant difference with the haze

Before:



After:



And these pics were after i was done sanding, before buffing & stuff:

[WeCircleTheProblem]

my friends '00 gt has terrible foggy headlights they looked very bad...we tryed alot of stuff except wet sanding to fix it...well one day we were painting his interior and i took the bottle of clear coat and sprayed the light after that the light looked like it was suppost to be like that so we did both light completely with clear coat and it looks alot better still foggy but doesnt look like crap and it improved the light quality alittle at night...

[weems]

Originally Posted by 04bamagt Not about headlights but I do have a question about wetsanding.... On my rear spoiler/wing there is a spot about the size of a quarter or a little bigger, that looks like the guy who owned the car b4 me let some bird shit stay and bake in the sun onto the paint. It has actually made my paint look like it is starting to break up and feels like sandpaper to the touch. I can wash the hell out of it , wax it and stuff but nothing works at all. what the hell can I do? I've got a couple more spots on my front bumper just like it but they are not as big. You can't see them unless you are right up on the car. but I know they are there and it bugs the shit out of me

try using a claybar