need help. how to polish glass headlights?

[GottaBeTRD]

so as many of you know i finished my retrofit a couple weeks ago. During the process i thought id try to get rid of the pits in the headlight glass and make it look brand new etc. well i got exactly the opposite of that

i used the 3M headlight restoration kit that comes with all the sand paper and running compound and everything you supposedly need. followed the steps exactly. My buddy and i spend a good 2 hours, and used 3 drill batteries on one headlight trying to get it right but still getting a haze. the process involves wet sanding and all kinds of stuff. we both thought it may be the kit being old
so i got a new kit tried the same process got the same results

anyway ive done a search but only found stuff on plastic lights. anybody have any ideas how to get rid of this cloudiness?

here is the cloudy one

here is what it looks like without using the restoration kit

 

[awpsome]

yup it might not be outside but might have got some moisture inside.
this happened to me as well, i was pissed after it didnt go away and took that light apart and wiped it down inside had water in it and resealed it again but with much better attention to detail and made sure it was sealed tight.
even though you cant really help and its hard to seal the backing where the bulbs go and such also it needs to have a few "breathing" holes for the heat but just make sure the top of the housing it sealed shut good.
thats where most of the water gets in from flowing from the hood and sitting on the top of the light housing and finding its way in.

i dont recommend taking it apart just yet cause it might not even be the same problem as me with water inside but try to look at it closely.
ill try to think of something else to help with it but for now try to determine wheter its outside or in..
considering if your light was clear before it might be moisture inside and your just cleaning outside squeaky clean haha

 

[kball]

From what I'm reading he made the headlight glass look like that by using the kit. Those kits are for plastic only so....? I'm no glass polishing expert, maybe someone on here is. I think you might be kinda screwed...

 

[xskydivingdudex]

I know those kits are meant for plastic but i think u should just try various things to see if itll work... maybe some car polish and a buffing bit for ur power drill? just a thought since it might help and might not but totally worth a shot since im sure u dont wanna leave it as is.

 

[IanB]

There are windshield restoration kits available, so you can get products intended for use on glass, but it looks like the one you used was for plastic lenses. I'd take a look around for a glass polisher, odds are it's light scratching, and the proper compounds would make short work of this issue.

 

[GottaBeTRD]

sorry guys i prob should make my pics a little smaller or my words bigger lol! thanks to those who read the whole thing though you give me hope!

but yeah its definitely not moisture, that thing is sealed and it was clear like the other one before i so called polished it. :ybrick:
i didn't see any warnings on the lable that it cant be used for glass so we thought it would be safe.

i was browsen some youtube videos and some people have this crazy chemical they used. ill try to find some of the stuff you guys mentioned if anybody has any other ideas please send them here. this totally blows!

for future wanna polishers dont use this sh*t!

 

[TheDurk]

From the 3M website product sheet:

3M™ Headlight Lens Restoration System 39008
Plastic lenses can yellow with age, reducing headlight brightness, and new lenses can be expensive. The 3MTM Headlight Lens Restoration System lets you shine and restore plastic lenses, including headlights, taillights, fog and directional lights. Now you can produce professional results with the 3MTM Headlight Lens Restoration System and a household drill (1200-1600 rpm).

Formatting of the word plastic added. You might try the 3M 1-800 number--I doubt you are the first to make this mistake.

 

[SQ.MD]

I know walmart does restoration of headlights for like $20. They offer lifetime warranty so you can go back if it gets hazy. Might want to check your local walmart? I hate actually stating for someone to check walmart for automotive needs but I have seen really good results on some of my friend's rides (old school beamers, 1st gen preludes, n such)

 

[rjaudi]

There is a process for cleaning glass headlights. You definitely ruined that light by using a plastic kit. You can try searching around. I heard steel wool and polish might work.

 

[GottaBeTRD]

thanks guys for your advise.

From the 3M website product sheet:

Formatting of the word plastic added. You might try the 3M 1-800 number--I doubt you are the first to make this mistake.

lol yeah unfortunately when we first did it he my buddy didn't have the label and when i saw the sand paper and wet sanding that was going to be involved i was skeptical for using it for glass He's a douche and thinks everything can work for everything though sw we went with it.

You do have a point, however but it doesn't say anything for glass. you think it would put some kind of warning right?? i may call them and see what they say.

I know walmart does restoration of headlights for like $20. They offer lifetime warranty so you can go back if it gets hazy. Might want to check your local walmart? I hate actually stating for someone to check walmart for automotive needs but I have seen really good results on some of my friend's rides (old school beamers, 1st gen preludes, n such)

haha i refuse to get my oil changed there but maybe ill have to check this out. it still makes me sorta nervous

There is a process for cleaning glass headlights. You definitely ruined that light by using a plastic kit. You can try searching around. I heard steel wool and polish might work.

i heard that too, i heard metal polish may work?? kinda crazy. its barely noticable from a distance and it doesnt kill the light output, i dont want to mess it up more. i may try a small spot or something
oh man one thing nice that the headlight is now baby butt smooth!

I cant belive i did this DOH!

 

[Clemsonfan15]

Just when things were going good...

Ha. Hope you get this figured out. It doesn't look too noticeable, but it's one of those things where it sticks out like a sore thumb to the person that owns the vehicle.

 

[rickashay]

Sorry, Not trying to thread jack, but I have the same issue with a retrofit I am currently working on. Have a look below (note: they are being sold, not going on the old yota pictured)

I will be following this thread closely as I need to clean up my cutoff. I will post any updates I find as well. I need to have this set done in the next couple days and get them out the door so I can start the craziest Tacoma retrofit the world has ever seen!!:guitar3:

Below is from another thread on another site:

So, these are going to be up for sale very soon. The headlights are completely done but I wanted to re-double check the alignment before I seal them up and sell them, so I borrowed a buddies old Toyota to do a test-mount. The rotational alignment is really good, so no issues there. There is something wrong with the left headlight in the following pic. When I turned the lights on low beams for the first time on the truck this is what I got(*note: the glass headlight lenses are taped on in this picture):

I thought it was really weird because I had been working with these a TON at home and the cutoff was always clear on BOTH headlights when I was testing the cuttoff at home. So I decided to pull off the glass lens on the left headlight and the cutoff was immediately cleaned up, producing this(sorry, the veritcal alignment is off a bit....its not my truck!!)

So after realizing it was the glass lens causing the issue, I examined the lens and found this:

So obviously and manufacturing flaw in the headlight glass. Its kind of "rough" and it is totally what is f-ing up my light output. Can anyone advise me a way to fix this lens? Could I sand it down somehow to clean it up? I cant make Lexan lenses b/c the projectors are mounted into the "dish" of the lens to keep the headlights as shallow as possible in depth. I DO NOT want to have to buy another set of headlights JUST to use one glass lens!! HELP.

Oh, and for anyone who cares, here are the lights mounted on an old skool and un-modified Yota:

 

[tjaguilar]

From experience those restoration kits dont work at all and most of the time make your headlights worse. I cleaned up headlights as a side job a few years back to make some side money while in school. When I cleaned up headlights I used some plastx and some rubbing compound and in very bad situations I would you some soap and water and very fine sand paper.

Here are before and after pics of a set I did:

 

[AKABlig]

Sandpaper definitely will scratch glass. I had scratches on a pair of expensive glass sunglasses and used fine Cerium Oxide. Worked well but took some time with a dremel tool and polishing wheel.

Should work on GLASS only lights.

 

[GottaBeTRD]

wow guys this is some good stuff i hope there is an easier solution
i emailed 3M and told them my scenario. As if they will do anything but i think that its important for people like me, (wanting to fix something thats not an issue) to know that this kit should most definitely NOT be used for glass. they should put a warning or something??

sorry bout not quoting the post im lazy haha, but i started a thread on hidplanet about this same issue and it seems like the only thing people are recommending is replacement or Cerium Oxide that AKA mentioned. i guess this stuff is slightly radio active!! its gotta do something good i think im going to place an order on this stuff and try it out.

Clemson haha yeah dude thats my life story when it comes to modding my truck i think almost every time it seems something went wrong. Im actually working on something now that kinda backfired... lol it may be fixable though.

the lights aren't terribly bad and i still get a good cutoff but like you said its like a soar thumb when it comes to looks. haha

rickashay, yeah man that sucks about a brand new light like that! dang but yeah ive seen a couple things on youtube that was some sort of chemical. but im pretty sure those things are for oxidation.
but yeah man keep me posted if you find any other solutions that work

tjaguilar that looks awesome! although im sorta skeptical cause its called plasticX. is it a polish? the kit i used had some rubbing compound in it. whats the difference between plastcX and rubbing compound?

AKAblig thanks man im pretty sure im gonna order this stuff and see what kind of results i can get

 

[Singtoe]

If you're going to buy another lens, then just for giggles, on the old lens - Take a propane torch and heat the glass up (all of it, so it doesn't crack) and try to melt the glass in the sanded parts. If it doesn't crack, it should get glossy again.

 

[GottaBeTRD]

haha really? thats kinda cool. replaceing it is the last resort if even that. i really really dont even want to start taking things apart again, that sucked! but i dunno it may start bugging me so much ill keep this in mind for sure!

 

[GottaBeTRD]

got this email from 3M
Thank you for contacting 3M. We are sorry to hear of the glass lens
problems.

The lens restoration kit is specifically for plastic lens'. I have
notified marketing that a clarifying statement in the packaging may be
needed.

Polishing glass is a very challenging task. Glass scratches readily from
the harder aluminum oxide abrasive mineral but does not polish with
standard compounds. Cerium oxide is typically the final step in removing
light scratches. This mineral mechanically and chemically reacts with
glass to form a smooth surface. In order to polish glass the operator
needs to create a little heat at the interface which risks cracking and
defects or nicks in the glass. We do not recommend attempting a fix on
your lens as the time and energy would be better directed at replacing it.
If a replacement is no longer available, you might check into suppliers of
glass polishing compounds (cerium oxide) and see if it will help remove
most of the light scratches. I would not attempt to remove them all.

Regards,

Scott Femrite
3M Automotive Aftermarket Division
3M Collision Home Page

i just ordered some cerium oxide, ill post the results!

 

[SilverBullet01]

GBTRD, i might be your new savior!

im being a lazy bum and i havent finished my retrofit yet, but in the process of building one of the lights, i dropped a headlight housing and broke some mounting brackets off the back so it can never be re mounted.

on the positive note... I have a brand new glass headlight housing you can have. pm me if you want it and we can work something out.

 

[GottaBeTRD]

you just may be a savior
PM sent