5 minute Headlight polish

[Plays_with_Toys]

So, I was at autozone, picking up oil changing supplies, and was talking about how I wanted to refinish my headlights and was planning to sand them down/wetsand. The salesman recommended this product that he had used on his truck, so I went for it. Here's how everything broke down.

The product is Nicsand 5 minute optical polish. It is a kit with 6 mineral imbedded foam pads that you adhere to a drill chuck (included) and polish away your headlights.

Here's all the tools for the job:
http://img275.imageshack.us/img275/7184/img19480ks.jpg

Here's whats in the kit:
http://img275.imageshack.us/img275/4025/img19544gt.jpg

My headlights before:
http://img275.imageshack.us/img275/4205/img19508dt.jpg
http://img275.imageshack.us/img275/9586/img19515fh.jpg

I prepped the area around the lights (I felt removing the lights would not be necessary).
http://img275.imageshack.us/img275/4393/img19539mg.jpg

Here is a picture to show the difference (or lack there of) after polishing for some time:

before:
http://img275.imageshack.us/img275/5301/img19606dm.jpg
after (notice it is only slightly clearer, and less haze along the top):
http://img275.imageshack.us/img275/7451/img19625bq.jpg

And my lights after both sides were done:
http://img275.imageshack.us/img275/8255/img19633vm.jpg
http://img275.imageshack.us/img275/7823/img19669gr.jpg
http://img275.imageshack.us/img275/3420/img19645oh.jpg
http://img275.imageshack.us/img275/3691/img19656ep.jpg

As you can see, the product didn't deliver significant results (this after an hour of polishing time). I tried both slightly wet, very wet, and dry polishing with the compounds. The dry seemed to deliver better results more quickly; however the improvement in the appearance of the headlights do not, in my opinion, validate the purchasing of said product. It only cost me $5 (normal retail is $10, but it was on sale). I imagine sanding with 400 and 100 grit sand paper would deliver better results. The product did give the headlights a slightly clearer, and deeper shine, and so the product may be a nice finishing step after sanding everything down, but I didn't feel it delivered on the level it advertised on the box.

Having not seen the results of a sand down as close in detail as the pictures above, maybe my results are typical of this project. Anyway, I thought I'd inform you all of my results with this product in case you see it on the shelves yourself.

[Oliver97GT]

Damn, I was hoping for better results. My headlights look like crap.

Thanks for the report though - at least I will know not to buy this product.

[Huffer]

I'd probably spend the $200 or so on new lights...only needed every 5-10 years, and apply some rockblocker to them to protect them further.

I've done the wetsand thing on my foglights, it cleaned up their appearance, but it didn't do anything about the light clarity.

[Oliver97GT]

True - it's a good excuse to pick up a pair of nice JDM headlights!

[ooberdoob]

yeah, i know why it was on sale, we can give them away at advance auto.

[gil_ong81]

yeah. these bad boys are definitely going on any news light from now on. talk about cheap insurance.

http://www.rockblocker.net/store/34583.htm

[Plays_with_Toys]

I intend to get some yellow rockblocker for the lights since I can't find a yellow bulb, and wanted to clean up the lights. From a distance the lights look a little better, its up close that you notice the imperfections still. Also, the really really light scuffs between the deep nicks are gone, you can see that in the pic, which probably accounts for their nicer appearance from afar.

[Huffer]

I wonder...

You know how they do windscreen repairs with that gel that is injected into the cracks?

I wonder if that kind of stuff would work on plastics...

[Plays_with_Toys]

Thats a good question. I'll have to ask the windshield repair guy near my work.

Also, I think the lights are just a hair brighter/crisper. The edge of light on a wall is a little more defined, and the white has a visible white spot where its concentrated on the ground (where my lights before were a general yellowish white cloud on the ground.

[Oliver97GT]

Are the headlights on our Legacys plastic or glass?

I just read this (http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?t=322) thread over on the scoobymods site and am wondering if I can use the same technique on my headlights without damaging them.

[Plays_with_Toys]

I believe our lights our plastic. They sure don't feel like glass, and I don't think glass would pit the way mine did. Though, maybe some years of legacy's have plastic and some have glass like the imprezas. I think that would be the way to go, and this stuff probably would be a good end step.

[gil_ong81]

gently tap your headlight with a coin.

"tunk-tunk" = plastic

'tink-tink" = glass

[Wiscon_Mark]

All Legacy headlights (at least the 1st two generations, and I'm pretty sure about the 3rd) are plastic, even JDM.

www.ozeparts.com (http://www.ozeparts.com) has some JDM projector style lights that are glass for 400 bucks, new. Not too bad of an investment, if you consider that that'd be more like 320 bucks when you convert from Australian dollars.

I did this wetsand, polish technique and it helped a lot, but its no replacement for a new set of glass headlights ;)

[Plays_with_Toys]

gently tap your headlight with a coin.

"tunk-tunk" = plastic

'tink-tink" = glass

Can you please add this to the DIY forum? :lol:

[gil_ong81]

gimme a few days to throw it together. such detailed write-ups always get me all wound up. :D

[Wiscon_Mark]

:lol:

[bgwagon]

i have Nokia hyper yellow H4s

[blackgtbeauty]

All Legacy headlights (at least the 1st two generations, and I'm pretty sure about the 3rd) are plastic, even JDM.

my brothers smashed up 95 legacy has glass headlights. however, almost all others i've seen are plastic.

[Wiscon_Mark]

glass? What model? I sincerely doubt that there were any 95s that varied...mine are most definitely plastic.

[blackgtbeauty]

just a legacy L sedan. i will double check to confim the glass-ness of the lights.

[ooberdoob]

http://www.speeding.co.uk/acatalog/plastix2.JPG

screw that 5 min stuff. het a palm sander, a buffer pad and this. get to it. mine look like new after 35 minutes each.

[Wiscon_Mark]

just a legacy L sedan. i will double check to confim the glass-ness of the lights.

yeah, I have an "L" (the outback was not an outback that year, just an L with extra stuff like ABS) and they're definitely plastic. I don't know if subaru has ever had glass headlights OEM. Not even in Japan.