How to Restore Badly Scratched & Oxidised Car Tail Lights

[@Apollo-zs3rd]

I've learned everything that I know about detailing from you Sandro. Thank you for the absolutely fantastic content you provide! Cheers mate!

[@bigguwapbrixks187]

It’s like art.

[@brian41173]

Love the short form video Sandro! Love the long ones too but would like to see more of these focused how-to’s. Keep up the great work! You’re an inspiration!

[@mova_2020]

There has been a lot of times that I was dreaming about you being in the US so I can dearly give my car keys to you for a legendary detail. I trust no one else. I really wish you lived in California 👍 you are the best Sandro

[@remusventanus5341]

All of us in the US daydream of flying Sandro out because I'm not sure anyone has higher standards or work ethic. Lol

[@user-jk7yz3xs8z]

@@remusventanus5341 yes he’s a snack right?

[@HarpersCarDetailing]

Great work Sandro! An often overlooked area!

[@djmandrick]

2:13 i love the celebratory air horn! As usual, a video for everything I need. The value and indepth information I get from this chanel is a literal shed tonne every video and to be presented in such well thought and straightforward way is a total bonus. The quality here never ceases to amaze me. Nice one, Sandro.

[@robdude1969]

I didn't know I needed to do this so badly. My '96 Toyota would really enjoy a spa day like this.

[@Codriver72]

I actually use a -88 Corolla as a daily driver in the winter here. This weekend we have -26 degrees celcius and a lot of snow. It is an inspiration to find your vids to shorten the winter. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

They are bullet proof cars, I’ve owned two Twin cam Corollas- an 88 & 89 both with well over 300k on the clock and still running like new.

[@Codriver72]

@@CarCraftAutoDetailing Mine will soon hit 300k in a few weeks. Runs like a charm even in really cold weather. I even had to give a coworker a ride home a while ago. His VW Tiguan just gave up a few hundred meters from work. Luckily someone has a reliable car :)

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

Lol, yes it’s just crazy how well Toyota made those cars, and a shame that most modern cars will never be that reliable and well made!

[@vasilpehlivanov]

I am a big fen of yours. Almost watched every single video and like them all. Very useful contend.

[@webhito]

Fantastic results! Would love to see in the future how you approach faded plastic headlights, once they have a yellow coat of crap on them :).

[@aldaley3537]

Prior preparation b4 tackling the correction is always a plus. Attention to detail as you’ve demonstrated in the videos produces remarkable results. 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

[@Sega_is_all_i_cd]

After that 1st polish the brake light looked very satisfying! 🔥

[@dillanmistry]

I love watching your details, I learn something valuable all the time

[@fastmonaro05]

Bloody incredible workmanship yet again mate.

[@groundcontrol6876]

Something I love doing on old taillights like these is "shaving off" all the factory markings by sanding them down until they're gone and then compounding and refining the whole taillight assembly. It gives them a really unique and insanely clean look. Granted, not everybody will want this as they'll feel it kills the originality or "OEM-ness" of the vehicle, but at least me for my crx, I found the "mod" to be well worth the extra hours and elbow grease. An added bonus of doing this is that it removes a lot of compound traps where the compound/polish gets caked up and eliminates this pain for future polishings :)

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

The great thing about detailing is that there’s not always right or wrong but rather your own personal objectives that will shift they way you work and what you pursue in your finished results! I would personally feel uneasy removing that original raised code lettering, but you bring up a good point that they will look cleaner without it and prevent grime collecting there, so there’s definitely two sides to the story! I love the CRX, the 1st gen especially, it’s a car on my wish list so I’m jealous!!!

[@demirci5786]

Really amazing and shiny look. Congrats...

[@fenixshogun]

Sandro you are the best! Thank you very much sir.

[@philr300]

Thanks Sandro. Another gem. 🙂

[@albertomendoza2251]

Maestro: Thank you for sharing this knowledge; very good video. Greetings from Monterrey, México.

[@trevorgovender948]

Always a joy to see the master at work.

[@trevorgovender948]

Hope you’re well Sandro. I know this isn’t the best place to ask, but I’m going to try out CarPro Inside and Perl on my interior and CarPro CeriGlass on my windows. I’m going to do the windows by hand, any tips out there?

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

Although CeriGlass can help remove or reduce more significant scratches on glass it’s extremely difficult to achieve that by hand. The other issue with CeriGlass is that it will leave very fine scratches behind that are virtually impossible to remove. I know that may not have been what you wanted to hear but scratch removal on glass is just a tough thing to do and get a great result in my experience, but if you’ve got bad scratches it can still be improved, just be sure to use lots of elbow grease!

[@trevorgovender948]

@@CarCraftAutoDetailing Fortunately there aren’t many scratches, it’s just those water spots that never go away.

[@ExclusiveTint-CarDetailing]

Thanks Sandro always appreciated.

[@sbrick9589]

lights are one of them small things you do that can make a big impacked and really take it from a good job to a pro job

[@AsianSENDS]

YES!!! been waiting for this thank you so much

[@brentonl2631]

Thanks Sandro, this video was very helpful as need to do this on my wifes 2016 Mazda 2. I did the headlights with one of those cheap Headlight Resto kits and completely botched it, so lesson learnt. Sandro's way or no way. Amazing work as usual.

[@keithroberts5611]

The lesson learned buy cheap buy twice!!!😅

[@eddd6827]

Wow.. amazing job. Satisfying to watch and listen to you!

[@richardf9137]

EXCELLENT JOB!!

[@syd_jzx100]

Awesome video. Need to get the front and rear lights of my Toyota Paseo done. I have everything I need. Only thing left is to get to work this weekend.

[@Ozravens]

Sandro is the GOAT

[@احمدالعتال-غ8س]

awesome as always i believe that the real detailer who brings lights close to his work results

[@Andy-From-England]

Nice one sandro

[@roysyntageros4191]

Very helpful and useful information. Thanks Sandro! 😎👍

[@Mr229357]

Well done 😊👍🏻👍🏻

[@jekkOO7]

I love these short and easy videos, perfect little break while studying! Are we going to see more of this beautiful little corolla? My mom had a metallic green one when I was a kid, which means I've got a soft spot for these simple but good looking hatchbacks. Thanks for the awesome content Sandro!

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

Great to hear and it’s bit of a project car so down the track there’ll hopefully be some more videos on it!

[@kitt199546]

@@CarCraftAutoDetailing How long does this typically last before they start to fade again?

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

Hard to say what typical is as it’s all going to based on how the car is used and maintained but I guess it could be anywhere from a year or two to a decade. Safe car washing methods is what’s really going to avoid the scratches being created again and a lot of UV light will also cause fading.

[@jmt4288]

Would be curious to see a comparison of an out of the box 3M headlight restore kit (wet sand) vs the method presented in the video (e.g., ease of use, speed of completion, longevity of results).

[@23hublock1]

Insane transformation. The end.

[@lofty7180]

I would kill to have the lights on my ae92 looking like that!! Nice work.

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

They are quite an easy tail light design to work on compared with most modern ones, so it’s really not too difficult to restore them, thanks!

[@4agePower]

My first car - AE92 Rolla ftw! Hopefully there is more Sandro!

[@mykhailosambur4448]

Nice work!

[@stefank.9602]

It's beautiful

[@ekarabardak]

Great work Sandro. Just waiting for you to restart your on site polishing classes. Any idea when ?

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

Thanks mate, I’m keen as well, but still just don’t know when the classes will be back unfortunately!

[@johnpippin2426]

Those taillights are beautiful. Better looking than factory I'd say. Great job. Liked and subscribed.

[@BelLavoroAutoSpa]

I used a similar method recently with Lake Country purple foamed wool and a rotary with carpro clearcut. Cheers.

[@kanenstuff]

Be hitting up my E36 tail lights this weekend cheers.

[@McCarthyism_by_Youtube]

this is just showing off your gear lol nice job👍

[@doctorwellssteamcleanextra1684]

Big up yourself brother one of the best on KZbin 🙌🏽🔥🔥❤️❤️❤️🙌🏽

[@oseanavinlano]

What did you use to protect the taillights? Did you use a sealant, coating, etc.? If you could disclose what product(s) you like using to protect taillight/headlights, and why, it would be much appreciated!

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

It’s a project car so I’m not quite ready to start coating it, but I would just use what every coating I’m using in the paint to also coat the headlights. The best coating for lights is generally just the best coating you can get your hands on , it doesn’t need to be a specific headlight or plastic coating.

[@samuelquarshie2805]

Awesome

[@youraveragejdmenthusiast430]

Can’t wait to do this on my family’s spare car which is 89 Toyota Corolla 1.3 XL EE90 because this video’s car has exact same tails as my spec

[@marksafady5986]

Great results! Off topic, Nv Snow in a foam cannon, is it effective in removing grime as a pre wash? I don’t mean strip like Snow+

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

Yes I find that it is.

[@Strike86]

Sandro, can I ask why you didn't mask up the rubber/plastic trims surrounding the lights before machining? I was always lead to believe mixing polish with plastics was a terrible idea in any scenario.

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

They were all plastics. The tail lights are a clear plastic and the surroundings are a coloured or dyed plastic. I didn’t mask it because I wanted to also polish the surrounding plastic that also has a gloss finish to restore it as well. If the surrounding plastic had a matte or satin finish or exposed rubber seals then I would have masked it to avoid changing its finish or staining it with residue, but otherwise there’s no need and in fact a real benefit to also correcting that trim. Every car and it’s trims is a little different so there’s never one method that is best in every scenario, it’s always a case by case situation. But the best thing you can do is always base your judgment on the finished results- so if it was a safe result that produced a great outcome in a relatively timely manner, that’s what really matters and it’s hard to argue otherwise when those objectives are met 🙂

[@Strike86]

@@CarCraftAutoDetailing Ah that's interesting, I didn't realise the plastic trim was supposed to be glossy, it was so faded and chalky. The result was undeniably better! Thank you for the reply! I appreciate you taking the time.

[@jdmvanlife]

Amazing! Thank you!

[@rxmclaren7]

love this one! well all of your videos to be honest here...haha...is there a UV protectant you recommend to seal the lights? ceramic coating a good idea? and, sorry for all the questions, would this work the same on headlights?

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

If the headlights still have their clear coat in tact then it should also work well for them, it’s only when then clear coat fails that you generally need to sand them back to remove it. Yes, just a good quality general ceramic should work great to protect them

[@thefragrancecritic9136]

Amazing

[@brianwiles1774]

Would you recommend coating after with something like 3.0/SiC, or DLUX?

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

Yes, either one should work quite well and will tend to last much longer than a wax or sealant.

[@13pcbs]

Morning Sandro, would you dedicate the pads to plastics? Or would the micro plastic residue differ in cleaning from waterbased c/c redisue? Are newer lens' following the same sotness path as new c/c?

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

It’s extremely rare that I polish plastics that aren’t clear coated these days so I don’t really have plastic dedicated pads and I guess I can’t say that I’ve seen the plastic residue be any harder or different to clean out of the pads. I’ve found that that the clear on car lights can be hard or soft just like paint and sometimes a car can have soft paint and harder clear on the lights and vice versa so there’s no real consistency there.

[@markrizzo2283]

Sandro can you show us how to repair all types of rubber/plastic trim we may find on vehicles including rough and smooth plastics and roof racks?

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

I’ve got a few videos on the channel that cover, restoring bumpers, plastic trims and even piano plastic trims kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpq6fpxuZbRjiq8 kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3XNaWCMod5-rbM kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqWTf4WVYrt6hM0 But rubber trims unfortunately can’t really be restored to repair wear, but you can still clean them up.

[@hotelgulf]

Very helpful. However, my taillights are of a 1981 Olds Toronado. They have raised silver metallic framing as part of the tail light design. How should I approach this type of restoration? Are there pads for the Rupes that can work between these raised details?

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

Using smaller pads and machines like 1”&2” can help you get into and correct more intricate tail light designs. You can also polish by hand , it just takes much much more time and elbow grease. I think towards the end of this video I do some correction on intricate tail lights: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGnYeYCMrqete68

[@hotelgulf]

@@CarCraftAutoDetailing -Thanks, I’ll go look online for the cutting and polishing pads. This past Summer, wet and dry sand paper from 800 to 2000 were used to cut and Smooth out the deep scratches , then some sealer polish did work out great with crystal clear results. The down-side was a LOT of tendon shredding hand work! 🌞💪

[@hotelgulf]

@@CarCraftAutoDetailing -Thanks much-

[@cnovalles73]

Those lenses didn't look that good when they were new! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@alcc4964]

You mentioned while cleaning off residue you used an iso-alcohol “mix”……what’s the mix? Thanks! Just subscribed too….great instructions for the newbie!

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

You can buy ready to use cleaning alcohol panel wipes like Nv Clarity used in the video or you can mix you’re own which is typically about 15-20% isopropyl alcohol mixed with distilled or deionised water, both known as IPA panel wipes.

[@1stfrompuertorico568]

1st from Puerto Rico 👍🇵🇷

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

🥇

[@xr8rick]

Hi Sandro, great video. Quick question...the black plastic door frame/B pillars on my Territory are not looking too good. They look mottled. Would this approach restore them to a consistent, deep black again? Cheers.

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

Yes, if the plastic has an original gloss finish then this basic method will work

[@xr8rick]

@@CarCraftAutoDetailing thanks mate. I appreciate it. How’s the ‘apprentice’ working out?

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

He’s still studying at Uni, so not really an apprentice, just a little detailing on his car

[@dtna]

No wet sanding at all? And do you reapply some clear coat for UV protection? I have a 2016 Lexus. Thank you.

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

I almost never sand tail lights, there’s just no need, and you really shouldn’t remove the existing clear when correcting them so there’s no need to add any, a good ceramic coating is a great way to protect the finish.

[@ilikechickensausages2075]

I saw this car in the back round of your last Video, New project car Sandro? Little pocket rocket back in the day 🚀

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

Very observant mate! Yes, it’s a bit of a project car, I regretted selling my first Gen Twin Cam Corolla so this will keep me busy for a while!

[@ambroseleung1222]

This is mostly impressive ✓

[@clevo351]

Sandro, can you seal the lenses with CK.Quarts ceramic coating?

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

Yes you can

[@clevo351]

@@CarCraftAutoDetailing Thanks Sandro.

[@doondedulin44]

Have you done a headlight restoration video?

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

There a couple of older ones on the channel

[@ericohman]

Nice! And wait a sec, I have the same Toyota. GT-i 16V AE92 with the 4A-GE engine :)

[@Jimmy-wr3uc]

Thanks mate

[@dinismaia]

Amazing 😅 I'm going to do it in my car 👏👏👏👏 5 🌟

[@samster978]

would love to see a video on correcting an AE92 Corolla 🙂

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

This car is far away from that at the moment but maybe once I get the body work in shape!

[@samster978]

@@CarCraftAutoDetailing would be awesome to see this! I had one of these 18 years ago as a P plater

[@bocahkreatif6401]

Nice

[@hardtruckin1]

Sandro, if need be, is a wet sanding process an available option like restoring headlights??

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

It’s quite rare that I’ll need to sand tail lights, but if need be it’s the very same process as headlights

[@hardtruckin1]

@@CarCraftAutoDetailing thanks Sandro I appreciate it

[@interceptor7905]

Is it ok to use a foam cutting pad instead of wool pad to start the process,thank you in advance!

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

Yes, it’s just than wool and microfibre will tend to cut much more, but if you remove the defects just fine with foam then it can also work, it just depends on how bad the defects are to start with

[@interceptor7905]

@@CarCraftAutoDetailing Ok,thank you appreciated.I have lot of pads so idea was to use what I already have,thank you!

[@camerongeraghty4709]

I see you recommending wax/sealants for light's, is a headlight specific sealant not necessary?

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

No is not but you can use one

[@jovanjovanovic5004]

Big respect for your work! Just want to know your thoughts for Sonax compounds because I didn't see that you are using them? Greetings from Serbia!

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

I’ve only had very limited use with them because they aren’t sold locally

[@jovanjovanovic5004]

@@CarCraftAutoDetailing Thanks for answer. Too bad for Sonax but anyway I enjoy to watch your videos, especially when you are finding the best combination for pads and compounds 👍

[@masbros805]

hey Sandro what about headlghts with crack looking "mini scratchs". its so hard to explain but my 2011 e90 bmw has this weird cracking look to it on a certain angle. any idea if i can restort them or are they gonna stay the way they are?

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

It sounds like they may be small fractures in the plastic that unfortunately can’t be removed

[@nsflarna]

What uv protection do you use ? Can i use Cquartz 3.0 ?

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

Yes you can

[@vavachikunju]

Nice one Sandro 😊 What type of coating you apply after the restoration?

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

Generally something like CQUK, Dlux or really whatever I’m using to coat the paint at the time.

[@vavachikunju]

@@CarCraftAutoDetailing thanks a Ton 👍

[@timmarks8941]

Is there an equivalent process for restoring windscreens?

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

This can work to clean up the glass and remove water spots and maybe very fine swirls, but removing any significant scratches from glass is extremely difficult with more specialty diamond cutting discs and some experience.

[@kaviinherradura5303]

can i apply a clear coat after that? thanks..

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

Yes you can

[@kaviinherradura5303]

@@CarCraftAutoDetailing thanks mate..

[@gav240z]

Any more video of this car? I had a red 89 Corolla SX (4AGE) years back. It was a good car but it got broken into and vandalized 1 night sadly. Can't find them anymore!

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

That’s a shame, and yes they are very hard to find these days! No more videos as of yet but there may be some coming up in the future.

[@alvarkorte8107]

Would it work if clear lights have got redder?

[@MikesPL86]

Hello. I have a question for You. I had my plastic tail lights in a 1 y. o. car polished by a detailer with Koch Chemie Ultra Cut, then finished it with Micro Cut. I like the result, its fine, but now im worried that it was too aggresive and took out too mich clear coat :( should i be worried? They were polished for the first time and he put protective wax on them. Did he do ok or he messed my up tail lights 😢 i dont know how did they get so swirled and scratched in just a year.

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

When polishing any area of a car, (including clear coated lights) if the person uses the least aggressive method to remove the majority of the defects, then they’d done the right thing - I can’t comment of whether the detailer done the right thing without being there. Clear coats can vary a lot in hard or softness so it’s not uncommon for headlights to have soft sensitive clears which could explain the swirls. I personally wouldn’t be worried unless I’m seeing clear coat failure on the lights.

[@MikesPL86]

@@CarCraftAutoDetailing no clear coat failure. In fact they look brand new now. Im just worried that this will affect the speed of fading or oxidation in the recent time to come. He said that he polished it with a light foam pad. So if they werent wet sanded, just polished and the result is fine i shouldnt worry and just keep them in good condition Yes?

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

@MikesPL86 yes I think they should be fine and nothing to worry about.

[@chadrandolph9874]

Hey Sandro! Fantastic turnaround. Question, how is your Honda Civic (I think that’s the model) lol, holding up? It’s been close to a year and a half or perhaps 2 by now since you coated it with Cquarts Lite. Good day mate!

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

Thanks Chad, the Honda is going great and CQLite was on there for a good 18mths and still going strong, but I’ve also been using the car to test other waxes and sealants in the past 6mths - as I do with most of my cars!

[@amrautospa]

Hey brother love the content. I wanted to know if you can do a review of oberk car care and Koch chemie compound and polish. New products on the market that are becoming a powerhouse

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

Thanks man, and I don’t think think I’ve seen Oberk here, but Koch Chemie finally landed here in Australia late last year so I’m going to do my best to try some of their range this year.

[@amrautospa]

@@CarCraftAutoDetailing does car supplies warehouse ship or detailed image? You will love oberks bottles. Absolutely amazing

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

I’m not sure, but that’s another thing to look into!

[@malcolmalvarez5740]

Been doin this for years when I compound customers cars

[@James-pk4jf]

Awesome, thanks for this. 👍 Just a quick question, would NV purge be a good alternative to ironx to use on paint for iron removal? Ironx is great but it's just so pricey! Cheers Sandro 👍

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

Yes I’ve tried Purge on paint and it also works quite well so can certainly use it on car paint.

[@James-pk4jf]

@@CarCraftAutoDetailing thanks for your response, have a good weekend 👍

[@123fuhfrtgfh]

Now it looks like it's been rear ended at some stage lol I usually hand sand using 600 grit WnD sand paper, then go up to 800, 1200, 2000 then use machine with cutting compound followed by polish. Lights look brand new after this.

[@Mallyhubz]

Here's me looking at getting some scratches out of light unit, cheaper to buy a new light unit!

[@K_N_44]

If you use sandpaper on headlights then why not do the same on taillights?

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

Because there’s generally no need to be that aggressive and use a more time consuming process if there’s no benefit to be had. We generally sand headlights to remove the failing clear coat on them which becomes patchy and yellow. As mentioned in the video, tail lights have a much easier life that headlights and tend to retain their coat. So it’s really just a matter of what’s needed to restore the lights.

[@pedroalejandro2851]

Que uso para proteger el acabado?? Si dijo pero no le entendi

[@JohnSmith-ro8hk]

regular car wax or a ceramic coat will work. wax will need to be re-applied more often.

[@frankw9836]

I just bought a new outer rear light for Audi and having installed it the inner looks old and horrible, I tried to polish ( have no machine) and still looks horrible

[@gianniselectric1087]

Please make the hole car

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

It’s a project car, maybe you’ll see it in some more videos down the track.

[@ryanrussell3893]

What ratio iso/water?

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

1:4

[@joodlebug]

Did anyone else see the lizard tail lookin thing at around 6:50? Weird

[@MrElebee]

Forgive me, but these terms have bothered me for so long.. Gloss from compounding/polishing isn't installed. Its achieved by removing swirls and levelling the material. Gloss from wax/sealant/coatings are installed because its introducing chemicals/liquids/materials to construct a smooth clear protective layer. Aight. I'm done. Off to further polish some lights that I restored earlier because I came across this video and enjoyed those extra stages of finishing

[@rayoflight39]

I just finished a conquest... want to swap lights? lol

[@CarCraftAutoDetailing]

It’s tempting ... but no lol

[@rayoflight39]

@@CarCraftAutoDetailing haha... My first car was a conquest Rsi... thank you for this throwback... You hardly see guys detailing older cars, I mean corollas, etc, where I am from... everyone wants to work on something snazzy, like a porsche...

[@damienauto8350]

Badly scratched & oxidised? A quick pass and it was almost perfect.

[@CarsRestored]

Me: No way he can restore this Car Craft: We will see..

[@smoker3998]

Love your channel but your use of the muffler exhaust in your intro is unworthy.