Headlight Restoration - The Way A Professional Does It

Headlight Restoration - The Way A Professional Does It, I think the title sums it up pretty well but just incase here's a brief description.
I see all of these videos on here going on for hours and hours about sanding your lights with tooth paste, remove yellowing with WD40 etc. etc. and the truth is none of them are proper fixes or are in anyway professional and long lasting my method is by far the best, well I would say that wouldn't I? haha.
So starting off with the lights I need to split them to do the mod for removing the amber indicator lens as I think it looks dreadful and really ages the front end on these Impreza WRX STi's, so again I don't use fancy methods or do any annoying trips to the oven I simply use a heat gun and a screw driver no fuss, no mess, pull the lens off, pop the amber out and put it all back together.... done!
Then it was onto the removing of the yellowing and the hazing and again no need for any fuss here like I see many others doing " oh you need to work from 400 all the way up to 3000 then polish with this special compound and then another one then use this special sealer blah blah blah, What I do for good as new crystal clear lights that are just as durable as OEM, I sand my lights with 800 grit on the DA, clean them up and hit them with UV stable 2k clear and that's it job done.
So I hope you enjoyed this little restoration/ rebuild and will join me again soon for the next installment of t he series .
Enjoy
RRC
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A new addition to my videos from now on will be a water mark and my channel name popping up in random places throughout the video as I'm getting rather tired of people re-uploading my content as their own I hope you guys understand.
If you like what you see and have any ideas for the channel or would even like to donate something to restore to the channel please get in touch. :)
And as usual if you liked the video please like share and subscribe and help the channel grow.
PATREON If you would like to help support the channel you can find my patreon account here / rrcrestoration
INSTAGRAM- rrcrestorat...
More videos can be found here- / @rrcrestoration
#Restoration #WRX#Headlights
RRC Restoration
Headlight Restoration - The Way A Professional Does It
Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of RRC Restoration, I cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. RRC Restoration assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. RRC Restoration recommends safe practices when working on vehicles and or with tools seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of RRC Restoration no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not RRC Restoration.

[@petercook7502]

The way the lens went clear as you applied the second coat was almost witchcraft!! 😀

[@RRCRestoration]

Neat isn't it? :)

[@heyheysaturday2492]

The problem doing this you end up losing some light output the cutoff sharpness from projector if I would buy and replace them I then get them PPF wrap

[@pdg90]

I would've never believed it, if I hadn't have seen it in real time. Great job!👍

[@deaconfrost796]

@@heyheysaturday2492 ya probably from rattle canning it. His is flawless.

[@arthurlekov2947]

​@@heyheysaturday2492 from the factory they put a clear coat on the headlight lens and the light output would be fine if it is crystal clear. This is why people restore headlights so the light projects better.

[@MickYETi]

I've learned so much from watching your channel, your work is impeccable and has helped me save a ton of money by taking on my own projects. Look forward to each video and even rewatch them just to admire the craftsmanship. Awesome work, it gets me excited to build my soon to be shop. Truly inspiring.

[@SamColtHolbrook]

WOW!!! I have seen so many headlight restoration videos and NONE of them come close to your method. Thanks for the tip. Fantastic video as always! Cheers 🥃

[@RRCRestoration]

Cheers Sam, I suspect all the other videos use their convoluted methods just to try and stretch their videos and posts and also to make the job look harder than it actually is lol

[@daedalus_20v]

Legitimately fascinating that the clear just fills in those sanding scratches like magic.

[@brianfarnell9833]

It can’t be overstated how skilled you are at spraying paint and clear. I essentially did this same restoration with my 07 Outback but used a rattle can. I had a lot of orange peel and tried to polish out but not perfect. Still happy with it. But yours came out absolutely flawless.

[@jumpinjojo]

Rattle can clear is 1K. It lays horribly and has no durability. You need to use a 2 part clear.

[@jamescavanagh9276]

@@jumpinjojo 2k paint is also available in spray cans

[@SeanBZA]

@@jamescavanagh9276 Wish they were available by me, it would make car work so much easier to do, though I can still use a compressor and spray gun to do it, the convenience of the single use can though is great.

[@jumpinjojo]

@@jamescavanagh9276 Absolutely.

[@ireallyreallyreallylikethisimg]

@@jamescavanagh9276 if anyone uses 2k can clear PLEASE WEAR A RESPIRATOR.

[@SupaDad2012]

I've been polishing headlights for years. It's a service I offer at my detailing business. This is brilliant. Thank you again for sharing your way of doing things. I find your content highly insightful. BTW. I'm resting a 1987 Yamaha BW350 at the moment. Your CR build is a godsend! Cheers from Canada! 🍻

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you for your kind comment and good luck with your BW350 restoration :)

[@harmlesscreationsofthegree1248]

I’ve only ever done the 20 different papers thing. This is so much easier and the result is outstanding. Thanks for sharing your knowledge sir!

[@becoming.andreia]

I've seen your Mazda MX5 engine cover-thingy restoration and now this... You are now my new favourite channel, I'm honestly taking literal notes because I want to restore the lights on my MX5, but your work is astounding!

[@irishwristwatch2487]

An absolute professional, doing a professional grade job. Looks fantastic mate, cant wait for the next part!

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you so much :)

[@davidwilkinson435]

Brilliant solution for cloudy headlights. I admire your skills 👍

[@johnbradford9235]

Simple, straightforward, and as always an excellent finish 👏👏👏. And with talking 😁. Thanks for sharing the knowledge dude 👍. 😎

[@pushrodfury6644]

What a great process for restoring yellowed lenses! We did it today and now our headlights look better than ever - Thanks for the video

[@andrewwiltse8882]

Wow that’s a step that should never be missed. Thank you so much Sir!🍻👍

[@andibrock]

They look amazing and you alway make it look easy, keep it up 😊

[@RRCRestoration]

Thanks so much 😊

[@Errol.C-nz]

@@RRCRestoration is there a reason you prefer clear coating vs polishing, repolishing/buffing & UV protectant is easily repeatable whereas clear coat blisters with age.

[@Christosan88]

always a pleasure watching you restore legendary impreza bits

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you, I'll be starting on the whole car soon ;)

[@andymiller5611]

Very nicely done! Outstanding results! 👍

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you very much :)

[@dillanmistry]

Damn, this makes me look like a rookie, i spent ages sanding headligts for hours on end the polishing and sanding, ill do this next time. I did a YT vid on this and looking back at it, polishing it just adds more time to the restoration. Keep it up!

[@mathuetax]

Cool that you've found a way to do this. When I tried largely the same thing the solvent in the UV clear coat caused crazing.

[@RRCRestoration]

aww man that sucks, glad I didn't have that issue.

[@1conu593]

I like that you take the time to show us simple mortal how to manually do it, while for you a simple snap is all it takes 👍

[@michaelskinner896]

Perfection! Those look amazing. Always top quality work from you!

[@Suprastar77]

The Clips at the base are gently prised up and then I can simply pull the lens off.. "Heavy Breathing" YEEEEETTTTT I am addicted to this channel at the current moment keep up the great work

[@DavidMcBay]

Excellent job mate, I recently done the same thing with my blob eye headlights, only difference is when I took them apart I made the chrome matt black. From having done headlights in both ways that you mentioned, Sanding / polishing and sanding / spraying I've found the spraying method gets better results that last for much longer.

[@gtirdobby]

Excellent stuff as usual. I did the same thing to my sister's Toyota avensis lights. Transformed them.

[@WolfieBoostin20lbs]

Incredible job restoring these lights

[@craigstrickland1572]

I was amazed by the Meguir's spray clear, had I known about it I could have saved hours on numerous headlights. Your's look factory fresh

[@Wesley_C]

How spectacular with these headlights, fine work.

[@oneshotme]

I just did mine off of a 2010 Chevy Silverado and I'm not a pro and they come out amazing if I do say so myself. They product I used did an amazing job taking off the oxidation and the coating come out very clear. And I didn't have to take them off of the tri=uck to do it. You did and excellent job restoring these also!!! Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

[@TheSpikegreenwood]

I’ve watched this so many times! Appreciate all the perfect info and camera angles. I have bought 2k and p800 now and can’t wait for them to arrive! Appreciate it man

[@andrewfleming3045]

Where can I get 2k clear in uk? Can it come in an aerosol?

[@tiroxpowersports9413]

Spraymax headlight 2K clear@@andrewfleming3045

[@leeyo5494]

@@andrewfleming3045 yeah

[@johntreloar8203]

Nice and easy, the lights look great.

[@mariosnikolaou5212]

M8 you amazed me, i didn't expect such a good result.

[@autopassion27]

Good job on these headlights, such a great result! 😉

[@VeteranHeadlightPro]

They came out beautiful. Great job sir. Very nice

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@st3althyone]

Wow, those restored headlights look brilliant. Here I thought you had to do all that polishing and other bullshit most other people swear by. Now I know what to do next time I need some headlights restored. Thanks for the excellent tips, my friend. Stay safe, and we’ll see you in the next episode.

[@RRCRestoration]

Yup, I was watching all those other videos and posts thinking why do all of that sanding and polishing when there is no simply no need, mind you having all the specialist equipment to hand does make it a bit easier too lol

[@Roger-hq1yt]

Thats just mindblowing, i,d never have expected the 2k clear to have that result

[@beachamgroup2482]

Another masterclass. Lovely.

[@RaionBot]

Definetly better than new, and with the clear they'll stay clear much much longer than just polishing them out, especially in the Australian sun down here, polishing them doesn't even last 3 months before they start to yellow again

[@hotoilhands]

That's amazing. I've watched several headlight resto videos and as you say they mostly show you must work your way through finer and finer grit papers and polish. This is by far the simplest I've seen, and with very nice results. Did I hear correctly that you said you used 800 grit paper on your sander?

[@Emily-lk1mf]

These turned out gorgeous! I tried the sand-until-your-fingers-go-numb method on my fxt about 6 months ago, 0/10 dont recommend. The rattle can clear caused crazing in one lense causing it to still be cloudy although at least not yellow. Ive been thinking of redoing them and will absolutely be using this method now!

[@cwilson6880]

Amazing work!!! makes me wish i had just done this instead of buying aftermarket

[@HalfdeadRider]

Amazing job! I think the only time you may need to do harsher sanding and go up the grades is when like me on my old motorbike, you have deep scratches in the lenses. Mine came out very well, but I didn't clear coat them although I did consider it, would likely have made it look better and stay that way much longer as I'm sure over time the lenses will fog up.

[@baz8996]

Brilliant, you make it look so easy!

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you :)

[@Sir_Uncle_Ned]

Just a sander, some masking material, and some clearcoat. Sounds easy enough. Might have to look into this as a DIY project to get my car's headlights back up to scratch. And don't worry, I will use a mask rated for spray painting.

[@SOLOMOTOUK]

Turned out brilliant 👍

[@RRCRestoration]

Cheers buddy :)

[@vinicius9670]

That was way easier than other methods. Thanks for sharing!

[@RRCRestoration]

No problem, thanks for watching :)

[@keithroberts5611]

How is it easy?? First you have to try and remove headlight from the car and that alone presents it own set of problems in some cases it is necessary to remove the front of the car and disconnect the electrics!! As all cars are different hundreds of things could go wrong, Same applies to the headlight dismantling itself overtime plastic becomes brittle and could break!! No better to leave them where they are!!!!🤔

[@alexbara123456789]

They look amazing!!!

[@devonutopia]

Very interesting restoration method. I do it whilst lights are on cars, so I wet sand with a block from 800 > 2000 and find I can machine polish clear before a UV sealant. I can't really be messing with lacquer when I do them.

[@squadmeta]

The permanent solution. Important to note that it's worth paying a pro for the spraying part, rattle cans often a disaster and you can lose some light output and focus if you make a mess of it. Excellent job!

[@bunabuna9287]

Cracking job 👏 I've always wanted to see how this is done proper. Memories of nearly losing my fingers trying this on my old fiesta 🤣

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you, Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@kungfusing1]

Wow I didn’t know it could be done like this great video!

[@RRCRestoration]

Glad you liked it :)

[@Bayuhutamamotor]

Wow, this is very useful, bro, thanks for sharing the tips

[@scottfulton9103]

Yet another great video. Good stuff!!

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you :)

[@johngray722]

That the best headlight refurb I have seen very quick

[@RRCRestoration]

Yup, no messing about for hours with ridiculous amounts of sanding and polishing.

[@djevo3441]

Amazing job my friend congratulations 👏👏👏

[@RRCRestoration]

Cheers buddy, always good to hear form you :)

[@mickrichBMXWRXJapan]

Amazing job on those! I need to send you mine!! 😄

[@waynecothill3759]

Damn, so much easier than hours and hours of sanding. Nice job.

[@keithroberts5611]

If you have spent hours sanding? Not only are you doing it wrong you wouldn't have any lens left to polish 🤣

[@paulfellows2094]

they look fantastic bravo nice one

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you :)

[@georgestewart1325]

Fantastic skills and sharing this content makes for great watching.

[@thadmachia9873]

Amazing results!

[@CalmBiker]

Definitely easier than the alternative methods and they look great.

[@RRCRestoration]

Absolutely, work smarter not harder is my motto ;)

[@RB-lt8kt]

Wow its magic ? The lenses just turned clear.

[@fdu6]

I can't help but imagine bodybuilder Lee Priest narrating this. Lol

[@RealSuburbanCowboy]

I have said it before, I love the "finger snap" video. :) Love the channel!

[@RRCRestoration]

Glad you enjoy it :) cheers

[@RuedigerEtzold]

Wow, thats impressive. Never would have guessed the finished Look after clearcoat.

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you cheers :)

[@jorgedanielenriquez2191]

Maravilloso!! Y aparentemente simple.

[@debarra136]

I wish I had known this 10 years ago, great video.

[@RRCRestoration]

Thanks for watching! :)

[@PaulinhoThompson]

Brilliant narration, thank you.

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you, I was on the fence about narrating it but I'm glad I did now , hope you managed ok with the accent haha

[@Realbigbrain]

I bought my kids an old crappy Ford Taurus a few years back and the headlights were badly yellowed. I looked at all the restoration kits and the amount of time and energy required, and then I realized that new replacements were only $47 on eBay. So my restoration strategy was to throw away the old ones and install new ones. Worked great!

[@RRCRestoration]

Haha cant argue with that strategy ;)

[@daveblack5109]

I wouldn't have believed that would work... Gobsmacked!

[@TechTuners]

This is amazing! I bought the Turtle Wax headlight restorer kit, but I guess I need to buy myself an orbital sander now! Also all the DIY home clear coats and coming across all the clear coat wipes. Are the wipes good enough?

[@kenlizzio7096]

I was amazed when the sanded lenses went to crystal clear with the clear coat application. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t of seen it.

[@sojourner1999]

A master at work!

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you :)

[@tommoso55]

Bloody hell, absolutly fantastic

[@robertalvarez15]

As simple as that... Or at least this is how you make it look like :D. Anyway, sharing some of your insights with short videos on single restoration items can be a nice complement to your usual output (which is highly appreciated as well, of course).

[@RRCRestoration]

Thanks for watching and leaving a nice comment it means a lot :)

[@eckopoppin]

Great video and to the point. Quick question, the solution you spray on before sanding, is that just a soapy water mixture?

[@fuffoon]

I bought a used Polo and someone polished off a good part of the UV coating on one lamp. This is the right fix. For the older Toyota, polishing worked fine.

[@marambula]

excellent spray job and nice clean workspaces! I haven’t had success with the 800 to spray method but I have only used rattle cans. I keep seeing people comment about the spray gun making all the difference. I’ve had great success with the 3m kit and I like the Meguiars spray can but want to try more of the 800-2k clear route if I can get top quality results with less sandpaper and time.

[@Danny-yb9ms]

p800 is a little coarse to laquer over tbh, i wouldnt go any lower than p1000. when i relaquer lights i finish with a p2000 wet, then laquer

[@tiroxpowersports9413]

Spraymax Headlight/polycarbonate 2K clear.

[@jontaylor4057]

Made them headlights look better than new Big Man. 👍🏻

[@RRCRestoration]

Cheers buddy :)

[@aleddavies770]

A Scotsman and a Subaru is a perfect combination

[@13christbane]

came to troll... but this guy does it right. nice work sir.

[@edduproducers8242]

Thank you, i have work to do..installing LED first, sand the cover, wash it and dryer, final two clearcoat.

[@hitlerdxb]

That's super SMART. 👏👏

[@plunder1956]

Im frankly shocked by how good they looked with your method. But without your specialist skill, could anyone do this??

[@pascaljeske7307]

O.o amazing Job Love it ❤️

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you glad you liked it :)

[@mickwilson127]

Amazing, defies logic but works perfectly. 👍

[@RRCRestoration]

Haha it really does, looks neat though when applying the second coat and it all goes crystal clear :)

[@spencer2721]

When they go bad again at some point you try getting that clear coat off, the stuff is meant for paint on car bodywork not acrylic headlights. Your method may be quicker but there is a reason people use the multiple wet sand, polish and seal method. You will have a job doing those headlights again as the clear coat is so difficult to get off unlike other sealants which are meant for acrylic

[@markaddy53]

great job again lad keep it going

[@RRCRestoration]

Thanks, will do! :)

[@richt247]

Awesome as always

[@RRCRestoration]

Cheers :)

[@strokenumber3]

Will you need to install an orange indicator bulb to retain correct color? Or is it ok to leave the indicator flash white?

[@fizzy49cc]

Could the same be done with hand sanding and spray can? As not everyone has a well equipped workshop. Nice vid. looking forward to another bike build.

[@johnkaimins9998]

I hand sanded and coated my headlights with 2k clearcoat. Ended up with a bit of orange peel, but seeing as I applied 3 good coats, I had plenty of clearcoat thickness to sand and polish to a nice finish.

[@zbow1974]

was going to say 800 grit and uv clear is all i use here at home on my cars, can use rattle can clear if you want, takes maybe 10 minutes to do the lights and get a good clean look.

[@brett1196]

I was curious what kind of pad or sandpaper would you using to on the light lenses. I'm just a regular guy first time trying to clean his headlights and like your other comments I also have seen a lot of videos. But I am very interested in your way of doing it

[@cristianalvaro196]

Wow! You are the Best!

[@Kenny.6807]

Very smart mate 👍

[@mickstick2830]

Hello , just wanted to ask , if lots of pressure is needed while sanding them? Thanks for all these awsome videos.

[@msmrepo3271]

Never thought you would get away with just 800 grit.. How wrong was I 😅 Great vid great job

[@danb.709]

To everyone amazed at how easy this is, much of it comes down to the automotive grade 2 part clear coat and real spray gun. This is not something most people can really do at home, at least not without decent equipment. Sticking to just polish is probably the safer bet for most DIYers. Beware the rattle can, it's not impossible, but it's really not easy, you've been warned. There are some surprisingly good wipe on products specifically for this as well, I think they probably stole the formula but rustoleum wipe-new is an amazing product.

[@michaelchaplin3445]

This is very cool indeed!!!

[@goofymcadams]

Can this be achieved by using a spray can clear coat? I need to try this asap!

[@joshrulz8p]

@RRC Restoration , after masking the lights what did you use to wipe them down before spraying ? a wax and grease remover or sorts ? thanks

[@robvermeulen4043]

Great job as always, I'm wondering now we have seen 3 individual project's, when we get an introduction to the project car.

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you, The car will be along soon I promise ;)

[@robvermeulen4043]

Thanks, that would be great. I do remember your question a while ago about an new project car. So this made me extra curious