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Headlight Restoration Kits?

You can get a kit with loads of various foam and wool polishing mops for a cordless drill for about a tenner, then just use some T-Cut or something.

I've also read that WD40 works for some reason, as per below, probably best to mute the OTT commentary though.

 
WD40 will near certainly work short-term as it is essentially a blend of volatile and of non-volatile oils. The non-volatile will fill the scratches and pits that constitute the haze. Very sort term, the same is achieved with water
 
From what I've read.. the ideal is to clean and polish..and then to seal with something which prevents UV damage.

FWIW, I tried a small patch on both cars just using Brasso and kitchen paper. That made very noticeable difference, but not quite the brilliant shine that should be there.
So do this to the rest of it, get it through the test for loose change, and be prepared to do it in a year or two, if the thing is still rolling. It won't go for ever, even Mrs Mull will one day admit defeat. Say when the heater packs up.
 
You can get a kit with loads of various foam and wool polishing mops for a cordless drill for about a tenner, then just use some T-Cut or something.

I've also read that WD40 works for some reason, as per below, probably best to mute the OTT commentary though.


Hopefully his next video will be how to deal with bonnet dents and chips made from slamming a WD40 can down on it. Pillock.
 
I considered all of it for my MR2. In the end I got new ones because all that polishing really is a short term fix. however my goal was to make the car look as new. I gave the old ones away and they probably had another five years before troubling the MOT. So I would get some second hand ones.
 
3M kit or get your own wet & dry and do it that way.

Key to this is protecting the headlight once you've restored it, so sort a decent UV protective lacquer as well
 
All this talk of filling the cracks with oil and protecting from UV - just use sunscreen!

Wet &dry followed by brasso followed by toothpaste works very well - it's just a case of reducing the grit.
 
Autosol metal polish or T-cut works well. Start with fine Wet & Dry paper if they're really bad.

Rather than let mine get bad in the first place I just make and effort to give mine a quick routine polish once in a while.

OK, so I'm lazy... :) But also can only conclude that you are young.. have too much time on your hands..or are quite mad. I used to engage in similar insanity but these days I just drive to the local Eastern European Car Wash.. where they work hard and do a good job. Almost in less time than it takes me to get the hose out.. these guys have my car spotless for six quid. I give them a tenner and think myself lucky...;)
 
So do this to the rest of it, get it through the test for loose change, and be prepared to do it in a year or two, if the thing is still rolling. It won't go for ever, even Mrs Mull will one day admit defeat. Say when the heater packs up.

Has anyone ever told you you are an incurable cynic? :D I'm trying desperately to give the impression I'm a responsible but impoverished motorist..
 
...and anyway.. this afternoon I ordered the Holts Kit...from Amazon. It's already been dispatched. Only 20 quid and I'm anything for an easy life these days.

I'm expecting it will do both cars. I doubt Mrs Mull's will last much longer, but mine has a few years in it yet.. Possibly more than I have...

16 year old 2 litre old shape Civic iVTEC with only 70k on the clock. Brilliant 'project' for some Boy Racer.

Which brings me onto 'underbody protection' According to my MOT guy.. the floor is solid, but the various sub assemblies are starting to show signs of corrosion.. though nothing serious.. yet. I'm wondering if it's worth getting somebody to do a 'Waxoyl' or similar type job on it?
 
Had an MOT fail for this a couple of years ago, the bodyshop next to the garage I use for servicing had the lens shining like new for about £35. For that kind of money I certainly wasn't about to try bodging it myself. Still looked just as good when the car was sold last year.
 
...and anyway.. this afternoon I ordered the Holts Kit...from Amazon. It's already been dispatched. Only 20 quid and I'm anything for an easy life these days.

I'm expecting it will do both cars. I doubt Mrs Mull's will last much longer, but mine has a few years in it yet.. Possibly more than I have...

16 year old 2 litre old shape Civic iVTEC with only 70k on the clock. Brilliant 'project' for some Boy Racer.

Which brings me onto 'underbody protection' According to my MOT guy.. the floor is solid, but the various sub assemblies are starting to show signs of corrosion.. though nothing serious.. yet. I'm wondering if it's worth getting somebody to do a 'Waxoyl' or similar type job on it?

It probably is worth it if you want the car to last and a Honda Civic of that vintage is well worth keeping running as they were and are very good cars. However, do not try and do it yourself as it's difficult to do without a ramp and you'll likely only do half a job and struggle like a whatever to achieve it. Ring round a few garages and bodyshops and get some quotes, £350-400 would be around the right price. They will do a much better job as they have access to a full ramp, will remove any loose flaky stuff prior to treatment and will take all the bungs out of the hollow members and treat the insides as well as the outsides (remember a lot of structural members rot from the inside as well as the outside due to condensation build up etc.). You should then get many more years out of it which for a few hundred quid has got to be worth it.
 
...and anyway.. this afternoon I ordered the Holts Kit...from Amazon. It's already been dispatched. Only 20 quid and I'm anything for an easy life these days.

I'm expecting it will do both cars. I doubt Mrs Mull's will last much longer, but mine has a few years in it yet.. Possibly more than I have...

16 year old 2 litre old shape Civic iVTEC with only 70k on the clock. Brilliant 'project' for some Boy Racer.

Which brings me onto 'underbody protection' According to my MOT guy.. the floor is solid, but the various sub assemblies are starting to show signs of corrosion.. though nothing serious.. yet. I'm wondering if it's worth getting somebody to do a 'Waxoyl' or similar type job on it?
Waxoyl works well. If you were near me I'd say " bring it round " as I have the spray gear and do this for my old sheds. In contrast with other posters here I wouldn't spend large amounts of money or time. On the standard drive on ramps, reach under, spray what you can get to, good enough. It will slow it down for a couple of years in exchange for £20 and an hour's work.
 
Right, this afternoon I tried the Holts Headlamp Restoration Kit on Mrs Mull's car.

Contents:
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I decided to run through the full range of 'grits' from 800 to 3000. In retrosprect I could probably have got away with the last 2 but whatever... There asre 2 discs of eachgrit. I only used one of each.

I masked the surrounding paintwork. Masking tape is not included in the kit, but I have plenty lying around.

I also equipped myself with a sprayer full of plain water.

Next up.. I used the 800 grit on the velcro faced rubber buffing attachment , in my Ryobi drill. You need to keep the speed low to avoid overheating and it is imperative to keep the pad and the lamp surface wet. Even so, keeping the buffer from wandering about is a bit of a skill, but soon picked up. Also, especially since a recent lower back problem, bending to do the polishing was getting a bit painful.. so I got a folding chair out of the garage and did the job from a sitting position.

I soon developed a routine of buffing, rinsing, wetting and buffing again, repeated three times with each grit. I rinsed everything thoroughly between grits and noted that all four discs still had life in them for future use if needed.

Next up, I used the plastic foam buffing pad and the 'Headlight Abrasive Polish'. At first I was a little concerned that the polish wasn't making much impact on the 'fog' from the sanding. But, I found that the polish can be used on higher speed and with more pressure.
Three small applications of polish... much less than about 1/2 teaspoon, each used at speed, with a good rinse in between, brought things up to almost a high gloss.

So.. I decided to try the 'sealant'. Not sure what this is.. but I'd guess it's some sort of silicone compound. As per instructions.. a very light spray then an immediate buffing with a polyester cloth supplied. This produced a super bright shine and very clear lens. Job done.

Sadly, as I removed the foam buffer from the backing disc it parted company with its Velcro fixing... but that's hardly the end of the world.

Also, I and much of the surrounding area ended up covered in white spots of polish, but they wash away.

So.. overall a success and I still have much more than half of the materials left for future use if needed.

For £20.. I'd say very good value, and a clear success.

The 'fog' on the lights on my Civic is minor in comparison. I suspect that the foam buffer and the polish, used manually, will do the job, followed by an application of the sealant.
 
Excellent.
NB Mise en garde: that kit might equally result in a period-yellow headlight tint and a strange urge to céder priorité à droite
Reminds me of my youth. After a holiday in France the family car came back with yellow lights, my Dad couldn't be bothered cleaning off the tint. For the next year or so the car was instantly recognisable at night as the only Fiesta outside the school disco, cinema, etc with yellow lights.
 


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