as with most , if not all of the X-types around the headlights suffer from UV degradation and discolouration of the lenses

this can be a problem come MOT time, but it also looks terrible on an otherwise decent car

my headlights were this bad, drivers side

IMG_2409 by MyPix on Talk Photography

passenger side , i had already tried hand polishing the outer headlight some months back but it was too labour intensive and the right amount of force and pressure couldn't be maintained

IMG_2410 by MyPix on Talk Photography

so i bought this kit on ebay for £13 to be used in a drill

IMG_2413 by MyPix on Talk Photography

the polishing bit fits like this , with a removable soft pad to apply the polishing agent

IMG_2414 by MyPix on Talk Photography

but first, you have to remove as much as the crusty surface as you can with some 2000 wet and dry paper using some water to help things along , a hand spray bottle is perfect for this

IMG_2416 by MyPix on Talk Photography

once finished with the 2000 paper the headlight will look like this, but feel smooth
IMG_2417 by MyPix on Talk Photography

then mask up the surrounding paint to stop any damage , and use the drill with the polishing agent and some spray water,

IMG_2418 by MyPix on Talk Photography

take your time, and make sure the headlight stays cool, as this process will warm it up rapidly and could damage the lense if not careful

this is the one side compared to the other side shot......

IMG_2420 by MyPix on Talk Photography

so , onto the drivers side, these were worse condition wise , and the one headlight had a double ' scar ' from a PO ( probably some idiot in a carpark :roll: )

IMG_2421 by MyPix on Talk Photography


IMG_2422 by MyPix on Talk Photography

same process all over again , and with some patience you can improve the look of the car immensely

IMG_2423 by MyPix on Talk Photography


IMG_2425 by MyPix on Talk Photography

once finished, there is some UV protection paste ( like sun cream ) to add , let it dry then buff it off with the supplied cloths

took me about two hours in total , a full job would involve removing the bumper and headlights and strip them down and polish the lenses , but i am more than happy with this process and happy to do it once a year if required to maintain the healthy look of the car

BB

 

Good job! I did that recently using the Mother's kit. It took about 1.5 hours to do all 4, but the results were well worth the time. I can't stand looking at a pretty car only to see the yellowy headlights, not to mention the degradation of the light hitting the road surface.

 

BB, do you have the eBay link as I can't see the same kit that you have?

 

Great result.

How long did you sit down and think about using Wet & Dry Paper on the headlights before starting?

Graham

 

Good job, looks so much better

 

What a result, was just talking to the other half yesterday about needing to do this.

 

lol, cool

two gloucester boys with better looking headlights then

BB

 

Ha never even noticed you were Gloucester, I'm over in Minsterworth