Headlight scratch (touch up/repair inquiry)

Hey TW fam

I got careless during install last night and ended up scratching my new (used) headlights while fitting them back on the truck.
Granted i got them lightly used for a really good deal so it doesnt hurt bad, but any good tips on repairs/ touch ups?

i ordered some resin to apply and leave outside in the sun, but any better idea/input will be appreciated.

i'm sure a lot of you off-roading peeps dealt with scratched headlights more than countless amount of times, and wanted to know if there's a secret formula

sorry in advance if this was covered already. i did my research but couldn't pull up any

 

hate seeing that, I used painters tape on mine before I swapped.

 

I didn't think it through until i saw it happen :/
obviously if it were new i wouldve let the protective film on until install was complete.

I'm just pretending and lying to myself right now that i bought them used with those scratches since i would've paid the same price for them in that condition

 

Wet sand with 2000 grit then buff. Or take it to a body shop and let them fix it.

 

There was no protective film on my Toyota LEDs when I unboxed them. Maybe some third party vendors to that. Since the scratch is on the side, I'd just leave it alone until it finally becomes the cancer that destroys your light. Trying to sand that out would just ruin the rest of the light and hasten its demise, unless you've got a way to anneal the surface to re-harden it and re-incorporate the factory UV protections, assuming there are any. These are not Toyota brand lights, right?

 

that's true. thanks for the reminder that i may end up doing more damage than good!

Correct, they're aftermarket morimoto headlights!

 

I'd be curious to hear any solutions for simple surface scratches as well. Picked up second hand OEM's that have a few light scratches on the lens. Purely cosmetic but it would be nice to make them look nice

 

Buy a can of this, it’s spendy but works
I use it on plexiglass that should have yellowed 20 years ago but is still crystal clear thanks to it.

 

That’s great stuff I always use it and have been for many years and smells good to lol.

 

I grabbed this kit on a whim when I wanted to restore the headlights on my wife's car.
I liked it so much, I used it on my sister's car and then my dad's van.

You should be able to sand out the scratch with the kit. The final step is applying the included sealer, which will make the surface crystal clear. Read the instructions carefully, and make sure you use a very light touch when wiping on the sealer.

I found the kit locally at O'Reilly auto parts. NAPA might also have it.

3M Heavy Duty Headlight Restoration Kit with Quick Clear Coat, 39175

https://www.amazon.com/3M-39175-Hea...estoration+kit&sprefix=3M+head,aps,516&sr=8-7

 

I tried the RainX kit on my wifes Subaru. Hated it. Apparently the same liquid sealer for the final finished. I don't feel the instructions were good enough for me to know what to expect on that final coat, how to handle it and what to expect. So after hours and hours of work beforehand, I ended up fucking up the light so bad I had to use the supplied pads and to sand as much of it off as I could.

 

Sometimes toothpaste, the actual paste, in a tube, will smooth out scratches. Try it first on a small area.

 

Wet sand it with some 1200, 1500 then 2500, lightly polish. It will sand out. Try in out on your old light first if your nervous. I have sanded many headlights and recleared them, you will be fine. Don't just use polish and not wet sand as your just going to be polishing the scratch. You need to level it, that plastic is pretty thick, it will sand out!

 

This. Also works good on instrument panel lens

 

thank you guys for the inputs!
time to go around researching

 

Don't wet sand and buff. You will remove UV protection. Also if you do just that smsll area, you will have a halo around it. Ask me how I know. ‍♂️

 

How do you know? Seems like you did something wrong. Tell me about this UV protection on these lights. I have wet sanded, polished and buffed many headlights without an issue. Sometimes they need reclearing but in this case a little leveling, feathering the scratch and buffing will take care of it 100%. OP take it to a good detail shop and let them work the magic, its not hard. Wooooo!

 

i tried wet sanding and it left like a smear so i just ordered this kit and will see how it goes.
i dont have any compound or sealants to apply on top of sanded area so i stopped for now

general consensus seems to be sanding it down, so im going to return the resin i ordered from Amazon

 

Sand it down, polish with some mild polishing compound with a high speed buffer with a lambs wool pad, then a foam finess pad. Maybe a detail shop in your area is best. A coat of spray way ever so often is all you need to seal it from the elements.

 

the mfg might sell parts for them or....

dont try to fix that by polishing/sanding, live with it