Ragnarok2
Senior member
I've known about wetsanding for a while now, but this morning I just finally got around to trying it on my car. I was so happy with my final result, I thought I would share it with my fellow ATOT'ers. There are a few wetsanding guides out there on the net, but I decided to make my own to share my own experience. So, here is my first guide on how to restore your headlights and give them that new look.
Here are Before and After pics of my cars headlights
BEFORE
AFTER
What is wetsanding?: You basically use wet automotive sandpaper to scrape off the top layer of the headlight lens and remove all that gunk thats been building up all these years. There obviously more steps involved but I will get around to that in this guide.
How long does it take and how much does it cost?:It takes about 1 hour per headlight and about $35 for supplies.
Supplies:
1 pack of 600Grit automotive WetorDry sandpaper $3.50 @Advance Auto Parts
1 pack of 1500Grit automotive WetorDry sandpaper $3.50 @Advance Auto Parts
1 pack of 2000Grit automotive WetorDry sandpaper $3.50 @Advance Auto Parts
2 applicator pads $4 for both @Ace Hardware
1 buffing cloth (for use with drill or buffer) $6 @Ace Hardware
1 carton of Turtle Wax Polish Compound and Scratch Remover $2 @Advance Auto Parts
1 bottle of Meguiars Plastic-X $6.50 @Advance Auto Parts
Masking Tape
Water
Shop Towels
STEP 1: First thing you want to do is tape off the area around the headlight. Sandpaper+You cars paint=Bad. Masking Tape gets the job done really well. PIC
STEP 2: Next you're gonna start sanding. Get some water and pull out that 600 Grit sandpaper. What I did was use a bucket filled with water and just dip the sandpaper in there. It's really important that you always have the SANDPAPER WET AT ALL TIMES. Ripoff some 600 grit sandpaper and start sanding side to side. You don't want to do circles like you're waxing a car, you want to go side to side. Also don't apply too much pressure, light pressure is all you need.Sand side to side for about 10 minutes and make sure you get the whole headlight, while making sure the sandpaper is wet. You'll see the water turn milky and chalky and thats alright, thats how it's supposed to be. After 10 mins dry off the headlight. This PIC shows the headlight after STEP 2.
STEP 3: Easy enough step. Basically repeat STEP 2 with 1500 Grit sandpaper. Spend 10 mins here and get the whole headlight.
STEP 4: OK This is a very important step. Clean off the headlight with a wet clean towel and then dry it. Now this is the last sanding your headlight gets so do an extremely good job if you want good results. Whip out the 2000 Grit sandpaper, get it wet, and sand the headlight for 20 minutes. Side to side, keeping the sandpaper wet. You'll see that the headlight gets a little less chalky after this step than it was after STEP 2 but it's still chalky and thats OK. After you're done and you're satisfied(or tired) clean up the headlight and dry it. Make sure there is no dirt on it at this point as in the next step it could get scratched. PIC
STEP 5: Now this is where all that work and cussing pays off. This is where you start to see the rebirth of your headlights. First, using one of the applicator pads, rub on some Turtle Wax Polish Compound and Scratch Remover on the headlight. Use a circular motion. When thats done, get your buffer ready. I personally used a regular drill with a buffing pad attachment. If you have a real buffer go ahead and use it. Using your arms doesn't get the job done, so some sort of buffing device is recommended. Go ahead and buff out the headlight and VOILA! You can actually see through your headlight now( I hope). I myself did 3 applications of the polish compound and buffed it out each time. The headlight now looks pretty good but you can still see some imperfections. PIC
STEP 6: Oh yes the finishing touch. Using the other applicator pad, apply some Meguiars Plastic-X and rub it in a circular motion on the headlight. Do not use a buffer for this, as Plastic-X wasn't meant to be used with a buffer. Just rub it in by hand until dry and you will see the wonders a couple dubs of Plastic-X can do. Looks a lot better than it did after just the Turtle Wax polishing compound. PIC
So we got one headlight down and one to go. I was personally extremely happy with my results and now after getting some SilverStar bulbs to replace some old crappy bulbs I had in my car before the lights look wonderful. It's 2 hours well spent. I cannot guarantee that this will work for you, but it worked wonders for me, so I don't see why it wouldn't on your old headlights. Please, if you have any questions, just PM me and I will get back to you in most likely a few hours. I hope this works as well for you as it did for me!
Here are Before and After pics of my cars headlights
BEFORE
AFTER
What is wetsanding?: You basically use wet automotive sandpaper to scrape off the top layer of the headlight lens and remove all that gunk thats been building up all these years. There obviously more steps involved but I will get around to that in this guide.
How long does it take and how much does it cost?:It takes about 1 hour per headlight and about $35 for supplies.
Supplies:
1 pack of 600Grit automotive WetorDry sandpaper $3.50 @Advance Auto Parts
1 pack of 1500Grit automotive WetorDry sandpaper $3.50 @Advance Auto Parts
1 pack of 2000Grit automotive WetorDry sandpaper $3.50 @Advance Auto Parts
2 applicator pads $4 for both @Ace Hardware
1 buffing cloth (for use with drill or buffer) $6 @Ace Hardware
1 carton of Turtle Wax Polish Compound and Scratch Remover $2 @Advance Auto Parts
1 bottle of Meguiars Plastic-X $6.50 @Advance Auto Parts
Masking Tape
Water
Shop Towels
STEP 1: First thing you want to do is tape off the area around the headlight. Sandpaper+You cars paint=Bad. Masking Tape gets the job done really well. PIC
STEP 2: Next you're gonna start sanding. Get some water and pull out that 600 Grit sandpaper. What I did was use a bucket filled with water and just dip the sandpaper in there. It's really important that you always have the SANDPAPER WET AT ALL TIMES. Ripoff some 600 grit sandpaper and start sanding side to side. You don't want to do circles like you're waxing a car, you want to go side to side. Also don't apply too much pressure, light pressure is all you need.Sand side to side for about 10 minutes and make sure you get the whole headlight, while making sure the sandpaper is wet. You'll see the water turn milky and chalky and thats alright, thats how it's supposed to be. After 10 mins dry off the headlight. This PIC shows the headlight after STEP 2.
STEP 3: Easy enough step. Basically repeat STEP 2 with 1500 Grit sandpaper. Spend 10 mins here and get the whole headlight.
STEP 4: OK This is a very important step. Clean off the headlight with a wet clean towel and then dry it. Now this is the last sanding your headlight gets so do an extremely good job if you want good results. Whip out the 2000 Grit sandpaper, get it wet, and sand the headlight for 20 minutes. Side to side, keeping the sandpaper wet. You'll see that the headlight gets a little less chalky after this step than it was after STEP 2 but it's still chalky and thats OK. After you're done and you're satisfied(or tired) clean up the headlight and dry it. Make sure there is no dirt on it at this point as in the next step it could get scratched. PIC
STEP 5: Now this is where all that work and cussing pays off. This is where you start to see the rebirth of your headlights. First, using one of the applicator pads, rub on some Turtle Wax Polish Compound and Scratch Remover on the headlight. Use a circular motion. When thats done, get your buffer ready. I personally used a regular drill with a buffing pad attachment. If you have a real buffer go ahead and use it. Using your arms doesn't get the job done, so some sort of buffing device is recommended. Go ahead and buff out the headlight and VOILA! You can actually see through your headlight now( I hope). I myself did 3 applications of the polish compound and buffed it out each time. The headlight now looks pretty good but you can still see some imperfections. PIC
STEP 6: Oh yes the finishing touch. Using the other applicator pad, apply some Meguiars Plastic-X and rub it in a circular motion on the headlight. Do not use a buffer for this, as Plastic-X wasn't meant to be used with a buffer. Just rub it in by hand until dry and you will see the wonders a couple dubs of Plastic-X can do. Looks a lot better than it did after just the Turtle Wax polishing compound. PIC
So we got one headlight down and one to go. I was personally extremely happy with my results and now after getting some SilverStar bulbs to replace some old crappy bulbs I had in my car before the lights look wonderful. It's 2 hours well spent. I cannot guarantee that this will work for you, but it worked wonders for me, so I don't see why it wouldn't on your old headlights. Please, if you have any questions, just PM me and I will get back to you in most likely a few hours. I hope this works as well for you as it did for me!
