jdm headlight lense recondition?

[cb7-tcakes]

the clear coating on the lens is starting to flake off is there like kit i could buy to reapply the coating? The lenses are plastic if i remember correctly.

[ikayto]

to do it right, sand it all down and get a paint shop to reapply a clear coat for you

temporary fix?

sand it all down and polish with plastic-x, it'll look ok for a week or so and it'll be super hazy.

[xkjnboix]

sand it depending how badly start at 320, 400 , 600 then mothers metal, aluminum polish, and plastex it. no clear coat needed. u can repolish them on the car in about 3-4 months with just aluminum and plastex polish to keep them looking brand new out the box. this method lasts MUCH longer than a WEEK my friend ^^^^^

[zack_odom]

Im confused as to what the hell you are talking about.
JDM headlights are plastic. Y would they have a clearcoat on them?
kjnboi is right, if you go up in sand grades, you wont have to do it again for a while.

[Warudakumi]

Im confused as to what the hell you are talking about.
JDM headlights are plastic. Y would they have a clearcoat on them?
kjnboi is right, if you go up in sand grades, you wont have to do it again for a while.

They came like that from factory. Most JDM and even USDM plastic headlights from different car makers not only honda come with a thin clearcoat on them to protect the lens. If you were fortunate to grab a set of used JDM lamps in prestine condition, you wouldn't even notice the clearcoat unless the lamps already had pitting from rocks or scratches or either got sunbaked causing it to reveal itself more.

[zack_odom]

Huh/ Well then I guess my headlights are pristine then.

[GearBangnAccord]

Huh/ Well then I guess my headlights are pristine then.

me too

[TypeG]

i think it's more of a thin plastic film. it doesn't seem like a paint. later.

[zack_odom]

exactly

[fatboy1185]

Who has polished their plastic lenses, and exactly how long does it look fresh before it starts to haze up?

[zack_odom]

If polished properly the haze will not return

[cb7-tcakes]

i dunno if its a plastic film or paint or what but its flaking and im trying to get it looking like new, ill probably have a paint shop do it for me so i wont mess it up. you can kind of see it in the pic but its more noticable in person, the top part of the head light you can make out the line.

[zack_odom]

Polish them. with a buffer. Or an electric drill with a buffing ball on it.
And some MEg's Headlight lense restorer.

[cb7-tcakes]

alright thanks ill give it a try.

[mj213]

It's not a clearcoat. It's a UV film to help protect from the sun (as well as minor scratch resistance). After a bit of searching, it appears some shops may offer a UV coating that can be sprayed on. There are also film applications available (seen a porsche with yellow or blue lenses? Same thing).

Depending on the condition of the lenses you want to start out around with a rather coarse (not so course it leaves permanent scratches and grooves in the lens though) sandpaper. I'd start out with 320 (wet/dry is best, wet paper is a little less coarse than when dry) then move up through the numbers to as high as 2000. Keep in mind to go different directions so you dont wear grooves in the lens. After each coating make sure you rinse the lenses off. When you get to around 2000 then you can use aluminum polish. Don't use a dremel as they spin to fast and cover too small of an area. Small tools like that WILL do damage. Keep to the bigger stuff (I used a powerball on my drill press at low rpms).