Headlight Restoration
 

My 997's headlights are getting quite cloudy. I've bought the 3M Headlight Restoration Kit and was planning to try that. Has anyone had success on a 997 with this kit? I've heard that there is a coating on the headlights. The 3M system would obviously remove that original coating, and that concerns me. Is there any way to reapply the coating after the restoration?

Headlights are made from polycarbonate. That resin offers good impact resistance from road debris and enable the car to pass pedestrian impact standards. The problem with polycarbonate is that is has terrible chemical resistance ( don't ever get isopropanol on it or it will crack before your eyes, literally)and yellows in sunlight. "Hard coatngs" are applied to polycarbonate for such applications to enable a longer life. If one polishes a car the headlamp lenses should not be polished or one can remove the hard coating leading to hazing and/or yellowing of the plastic.

The coating on your headlamps is likely gone or damaged. Therefore, the 3M system will not really do any damage. Some of those headlamp restoring kits come with a new protective coating that can be applied to the headlamp. My guess is that it is not the same as the original coating.

I would say you have nothing to lose by trying the product. Now just watch your paint during the process.:)

I just performed headlight correction on my Carrera S this past weekend. Bellow are pictures showing before during and after. I used the Meguiars heavy duty headlight restoration kit.

http://images.meguiarsdirect.com/imagesEdp/p135894z.jpg

Before
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_1271.jpg
Attachment 1207804

After
Attachment 1207805
Attachment 1207806

Once you've "restored" the lens, you can keep it from clouding by applying clear bra or headlight protection film on the light i.e. xpel or stongard. I did this on my wife's X5 and problem solved.

I've seen some posts reporting a fried "frunk" module after buffing the headlights. May want to pull them and do the job off the car. Try a search for more info. Can't recall if I saw that info here or 6speed.

The previous owner of my car actually experienced this "fried" module issue. It cost him over $600 to get it addressed by the dealer. As a pre-emptive step I simply disconnected the battery before buffing the headlights. I had no issues except having to drive car around the block to get the ECU to read the PSM and PASM systems which automatically cleared the recorded faults.

You can use your normal car polish and polisher on the headlights.
If you don't have one it may make sense to use a drill mounted buffer, but if you already have a car polisher, just use it with the same polishes you use on your clear coat.

I would remove the headlights. That way you won't have to worry about the car's paint nor the frying affect.

I use griots glass polish and apple rejex to act as a sealer. No problems with the truck release so far.

I tried the Maguiar's Heavy Duty Headlight Restoration Kit this weekend without much success. The headlight looks pretty much the same as it did before. I wonder if I applied enough pressure on the sanding, or if I buffed it long enough. Spoddle do you have any advice?

why would polishing the headlight covers cause fried modules? static electricity?

Yep. There's a thread on renntech about it.

We offer a kit from CCP to restore the look of your headlights. Customers have had great success with it so far. I would remove the headlights though just to prevent any damage to any paint or modules. Shown below if a before and after shot on a 996. For more information Click Here.

http://c1521972.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/...5251_large.jpg

I've done my own headlight restorations on many cars over the years (I use 1500 & 3000 grit wet sandpaper, followed by rubbing compound then polish) and what has worked best for the final coating and in my experience has lasted at least 2 years after application is a 50-50 mix of Helmsman Spar Varnish and Mineral Spirits. Mix it up and apply with a blue shop towel as your brush. Brush it on evenly and uniform. It dries perfectly clear and since it is a marine spar varnish it has superior UV protection. Slow and easy is the key but results are typically better than most aftermarket UV coatings.

3M Headlight Restoration Kit Works GREAT!!
 

I have a 996 with 20-year-old headlight lenses. They were so cloudy and yellowed you could not see anything inside. ( I should have taken a photo of how bad they were.) Shop said UV damage was too deep to sand off. So for under $20, I tried the 3M #39195 Ultra Headlight Restoration Kit that requires an electric drill. Instructions and videos are very good. Label says it takes only 40 min. It took me almost 4 hours total for both, but it turned out BEAUTIFUL!! Headlight units look like super clear new glass!!
Hot Tip: After the last two sanding steps (2 and 3), finish it off with some light hand sanding!! Works Wonders!!
Those folks at 3M know their stuff!!
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...a606912d2.jpeg
Wow! Looks brand new again! Sorry I forgot to take a 'before' photo.