Another pic taken in dark lights on

 

Looks like the UV coating on the lens has started to perish... either from some form of aggressive cleaners/cleaning or just deteriorated due to environmental attack. Can be polished out and recoated with some UV protection coating.

 

I opened my headlight because watermark buildup inside the lens. Few days ago saw a replacements lens available @ aliexprss.

 

Isn’t aliexpress just like wish? Takes a month to arrive then you wish you hadn’t bothered lol. Have you received them yet? If so what’s the quality like?

 

Yeah that's the factory coating/laminate. Mine is starting to come off in a very small area along the edge of one of my lights...

To fix this you'll need to sand them down (recommend the Sylvania kit--see Project Farm video--if you have this in your area) and restore them that way.

Thereafter applying a protection film like 3M, Xpel, Lamin-x, etc. is recommended. Otherwise they'll likely go cloudy within a year.

 

Cheers fellas, could I use a high grit sand paper like 2500 or 3000 and machine polish it off with a rubbing compound, and then add some form of uv protection? Perhaps get them tinted would that work as a uv protection?

 

While you probably don't need everything in the 3M™ Perfect-It™ Headlight Lens Restoration Kit, it does list the products to use and in what order to use them. You can find the the product link here. They also offer a UV clear coat intended to be used after their restoration process which you can find here.

But since you only need to remove the old UV coating which is pealing off, you can probably try something a bit less aggressive like Meguiar's G12310 PlastX Clear Plastic Cleaner & Polish so you only take off the UV coating without cutting into the parent acrylic lens itself.

If not available at your local auto parts store, you should be able to find all of these products on Amazon.

 

Thanks again I’ll check that out.

 

@ Dodgy-x - Personally, I would start with something mild like the Meguiar's PlastX and see how that works out. I used it to remove the failing anti-glare coating on my RNS-E screen and it did a nice job without cutting into the screen itself. If you're interested, you can read about it here.

 

I screwed it up it was going well with 1000 grit but part of the sanding pad ripped off while I was sanding and the backing pad has burnt into the plastic so I’m gonna see this as a write off and just pay out for a recon light so that’s £150 down the drain at least

 

You can probably sand it out as best you can and live with any blemish that remains. Keep in mind the more material you remove the weaker the lens will be and more subject to cracking later.

150 pounds for a recon one doesnt sound bad though--is that for bi-xenon? These lights are very hard to source over here, and expensive when you do find em.

 

I found a pair of aftermarket replacement lenses £150 a pair so I’ll just replace both with those since I’ve already had them open. I’ll post my question regarding this in another thread.

 

@ Dodgy-x - Please don't create a new thread. Just keep all the conversations about the headlight here to avoid multiple threads on the same topic.

I found this YouTube from a guy called Scotty Kilmer in the USA. He posted this a few years back on Meguiar's Headlight Coating. Click here.

Since the headlight assembly is relatively easy to remove, you're better off doing any work on them on a bench rather than doing any polishing or spraying coatings with them still in place to avoid touching the metal work. Any spray coatings, especially clear coatings, should be done in a relatively clean environment so you don't risk trapping dirt or dust under the coating.

Link to Meguiar's Headlight Coating on Amazon.co.uk Click here.

 

@ Dodgy-x - Please don't create a new thread. Just keep all the conversations about the headlight here to avoid multiple threads on the same topic.

I found this YouTube from a guy called Scotty Kilmer in the USA. He posted this a few years back on Meguiar's Headlight Coating. Click here.

Since the headlight assembly is relatively easy to remove, you're better off doing any work on them on a bench rather than doing any polishing or spraying coatings with them still in place to avoid touching the metal work. Any spray coatings, especially clear coatings, should be done in a relatively clean environment so you don't risk trapping dirt or dust under the coating.

Link to Meguiar's Headlight Coating on Amazon.co.uk Click here.
View attachment 483245

I already have a quite expensive clear uv coat. Should I prep before spraying brand new lense replacements or just spray on directly without sanding etc? In the video he polished the misty headlight but since the lenses I’m using are new do I simply skip that? he does say if it’s not misted just clean it and spray on but I’m real dubious that the coating will adhere properly to a smooth unprepared surface, anyone know if that’s the correct way?

 

Ok I’ve been digging around there’s so much conflicting information and opinions. Some say 2000 grit to mist it up slightly then clear coat will bring the shine back, some say to use rubbing compound after sanding to remove the sanding mist and then clear coat, so which is best? :/

 

Personally, I would remove the existing UV coating if it's starting to fail before spraying a new coating over it. But if the original coating looks okay, then just leave it and don't bother with a new coating. That's going to be your call depending on how they look. I'm not a fan of putting one product over a different product since there could be a reaction between the two.

Scotty also recommended the Meguiar's PlastX polish to start with as it's a very mild abrasive. Since your lenses are not yellowed, you don't need to cut into the acrylic with more aggressive abrasives. After the disaster you encountered with your sanding disc, you may want to just do this by hand with just a microfiber cloth and the PlastX. It might take a while to get all the UV coating off, but beats risking the destruction of another lens.

Go slow, check your results, continue until all the UV coating is removed and you have a nice clean surface. Once done, I would also go over the entire lens with dish washing soap and rinse with fresh water to ensure you have all the PlastX residue removed. Then a final wipe down with Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol so it's as clean as it can be before applying the new UV coating.

 

Personally, I would remove the existing UV coating if it's starting to fail before spraying a new coating over it. But if the original coating looks okay, then just leave it and don't bother with a new coating. That's going to be your call depending on how they look. I'm not a fan of putting one product over a different product since there could be a reaction between the two.

Scotty also recommended the Meguiar's PlastX polish to start with as it's a very milt abrasive. Since your lenses are not yellowed, you don't need to cut into the acrylic with more aggressive abrasives. After the disaster you encountered with your sanding disc, you may want to just do this by hand with just a microfiber cloth and the PlastX. It might take a while to get all the UV coating off, but beats risking the destruction of another lens.

Go slow, check your results, continue until all the UV coating is removed and you have a nice clean surface. Once done, I would also go over the entire lens with dish washing soap and rinse with fresh water to ensure you have all the Plastx residue off. Then a final wipe down with Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol so it's a clean as it can be before applying the new UV coating.
View attachment 483250

The dilemma I’m having is that the lenses that I’ve ordered are third party and brand new so I’m just assuming they are not already coated and cheaply made I could be wrong? So do I just not coat them myself and hope they were already laminated in some way when they were made? I will be having them tinted as some point also I’m not sure if the tint would be uv protected.

 

You'll have to take a look at them when they arrive. Unfortunately, since they're third party, it's anyone's guess what, if any coating has been applied.

 

Is there any way to tell? I’ll admit I’m no expert on what lamination looks like so I don’t know I’ll be capable of telling lol

It might just be best to compound with a light abrasive to not remove any possible laminate and just to allow the spray coating something to adhere to and then spray it? I have searched but I couldn’t find anything about spraying uv coat onto brand new lenses, there’s a lot about restoring but not sure I should take the same course.

 

I'm no expert either, but look carefully around the edges for signs of masking and if there are any surface imperfections you can feel that might be trapped dirt or dust between the lens and the UV coating.

Again, really take it easy with the abrasives. These UV coatings are quite thin. If unsure, start in a less obvious place, like along the lower edge and just polish a very small area and see if you can remove anything that would reveal a layer is present.

 

If these are brand new def. don't take a sander to them lol. Again, a better idea is to protect them with headlight film, instead of bothering with any UV coatings which will likely just wear off within a few months, need to be reapplied periodically, and do nothing to protect against stone chips and other physical damage.

 

+1 TT'sRevenge - This website offers headlight films made to fit -

Rshield™ Audi TT 2008-2015 Headlight Protection Kits | Protective Kits

Maintain the pristine appearance of your Audi TT 2008-2015 with the high-quality Rshield Headlight Protection Kits, preventing yellowing and discoloration on your car.

www.rvinyl.com

 

This could have quite easily been repaired 😭 Little bit more patience and a little bit more sanding and buffering and this would have been good as new

 

I bought new lenses new and cheap,resealed not had an issue since