3M Headlight Restoration Kit

[octriathlete]

First post here. Thought I would check in after attempting my headlight restoration with the 3M kit.

My headlights were slightly foggy. No yellowing, just an annoying fog that made the headlamps look dull and old. I saw the 3M kit at Pep Boys and thought I would give it a try. You need a drill to attach a mounting pad on which 4 sanding disks of different grits attach. Masking tape comes with the kit so you don't scratch your paint.

Since my headlights were only slightly foggy, I decided to skip to the second-to-finest grit which is a gray pad that feels pretty smooth. I gave my headlights a good once over with this which gave them a bit of a milky haze. I probably made about 5-7 passes in total. The final stage uses a buffing pad with rubbing compound. This took the majority of the time and elbow grease. I probably went over each headlight 10 times, reversing the direction of the drill each time, and using fairly firm pressure.

The end result is fabulous! They look brand new! It's only about $10 more than the chemical kits that require more time and work, and the finished product is better, in my opinion. I'd definitely recommend it, but would stay away from the coarser grits that come with the kit.

Next time I'll take pictures...

[335xray]

I used this on my mother-in-laws 10 yo Jeep Grand Cherokee and needed one kit per headlight since they were so bad. It did a great job once I figured out I need to use more of the coarsest paper which caused me two use the entire kit on one light. I used 2 entire rechargeable Dewalt 18V batteries on one side just as an FYI...

X

[m5james]

These sanding kits can be a life (and elbow) saver vs using straight chemical versions. I've seen some TERRIBLE headlights, I'm surprised how people even see at night. $20 is cheap compared to the cost and labor of replacing lenses. Since you're work is so fresh, it may be time to hop onto eBay and get some $10 3M lens film to protect them before it happens again.

[AZX54.4]

Does that 3M kit from pep boys come with any type of sealant that you put on the lenses after you clear the haze from them to prevent them from re-hazing over time??

[m5james]

No, that's why they make 3M film.