I must confess, just discovering your channel on RUclips today and watching many of your videos has further spurred me towards setting up a factory for headlights restoration even though I’m still new to the detailing industry. I’ve been nursing this business idea in my country (Africa) as it‘s quite novel but I really need to get my skills and expertise well polished. Never to rush out half-baked and make a mess of myself. But watching your videos as well as others as given me broader ideas and I see a different light and understanding as to how you deliver your job. I am grateful and i believe I can always get some advice and help from you in the future. Thank you for your videos..
Awesome appreciate the viewing and don't forget that it will always be here for you to check out with a couple new videos every month if not every week..👍🏽💪🏽🤓
Another high quality head light restoration. With another high quality instructional video for others to follow. Even if you don't go into restoration. You will bcome a very well informed customer. You will know if the person or place will do the job proberly. Thank you for all you do ti inform your community. Be blessed. My friend.
Yes that's what I try to tell people even if you're not trying to do a headlight restoration yourself you know what to expect when purchasing a headlight restoration or seeking one there's a lot of people out there that will charge you top dollar headlight restoration prices and pretty much mess your headlights up without you even knowing because they're uneducated about the process but yet they're still professionals....💯👍🏽
So this Toyota van I did last night had the easiest initial cut I've experienced yet. It had big, stock, lights and the first cut was a dream, and the p800 cut was like fluffy snow. Man it acted good last night. I used the double stuff method and laughed out loud because I said it out loud, and I thought of you man... Lol,❤
Awesome man... that's good to hear.. I find myself lately using the double stuff method a lot... Tends to work better with these more modern lights or newer vehicles.. so many turns and weird areas... Keep up the good work and stay tuned for more awesome vids..😆☺️💯🫵🏽💪🏼
@@theheadlightrestorationpro Hey man, real quick. How you named Y2K! That shit cracks me up man! Y2K, lol. Did you realize that's been 23 yrs. ago! Almost a quarter century. That's pretty funny man. Alright, later bro, Thanks
Hi , it really shows you have experience with the drill method of sanding. My question to you is I own a Lexus is 350 2016 would you still sand with the drill or by hand? The lights are very complex. Thank you for another great video
Very good question.. and the answer is yes I would send as much as possible with the power drill and power tools.. but what I would do is an extreme tape off, almost like a cast using multiple layers of tape around the sensitive areas, the key is to get what you can with the power tools and do the rest by hand and those sensitive areas Don't Force to drill into places where it shouldn't go... Once you have it started in some spots Baron it's easier to get your hand into those sensitive areas and do it by hand the clear coat comes off easier.. with the polisher and or the 3000 trizact it's not so much an issue you can get those in there pretty well... But yeah these type of lights require more hand sanding more intricate work unless you have a smaller drill like a Dremel which I do but I tend not to use it I just do it by hand...
@@theheadlightrestorationpro thanks for bringing this up guys! For the edges of the headlights, I had a hard time sanding them with the power tools because I would accidentally cut into the tape (man is that easy even with multiple layers) , or I'd dent the edges of the sanding disc and I'm pretty sure that it would start causing gouges in the plastic. Do you just sand edges by hand? I swear in your videos, you use the power tools on the edges but you don't have any issues with it. I appreciate it
You got to develop a really steady hand there's no problem going slow the most problem with controlling is that people use too much pressure which makes the device stronger the further you pull the device away from the light surface the less powerful the drill becomes far as you controlling it think about it if you hold a drill in the air you can do anything with it you can balance it on one finger but the second it touches something it'll go wild.. so when you hit those edges you just got to be really finessed and light touched.. another thing is people want to remove it all in one pass if you notice in my videos and any given part I'm going over that same section probably half a dozen times at the minimum... All about pressure don't push so hard around the edges really light touch and then the parts that are really troublesome for you do by hand with the trizact pad and a disc...
You got it... The videos are always going to be here if you run into any issues or if you just want to watch while you're doing it... Piece of cake...👍🏽💪🏽
Two questions: 1. Is 3M still making the headlight lens cleaner. The link to Amazon is no longer available. I cant find it at Pep Boys or anywhere. I am using the McGuires plastic polisher though. 2. I have a headlight that has basically smaller scratches than the 3,000 grit leaves. I know this because I tried a test spot. Will the McGuires spray fill them?
3m discontinued the black bottle of hard lens and plastic cleaner… You can get 3m - the $47 bottle or chemical guys has a headlight polish… basically the chemical guys is going to work on easier jobs - the 3m has a bit more cutting involved for more difficult jobs - this why he will sometimes mix the two together
Where did you get the spray tip at 14:24? I'm using the Zepp spray bottles from Lowes, but I don't really like them. Trigger too far and it doesn't atomize as well as a...regular spray bottle.
Ok...thanks for watching...🤓 This product is not in the bio.. But it is a tip from chemical guys spray bottle sold on Amazon.. Here's the generic link from where I purchased them from.. amzn.to/3q5CmYu
Why meguir's headlight keep clear leaving a ruff surface? It look really good but it would be better if it smooth. Can you check on it? Follow yours' step and it work out great. Thank you.
It most definitely should not be rough it should be smooth like glass... More than likely there might have been some kind of flaw in your delivery method.. far as spring.. Hopefully you did not double coat.. Also hopefully you're being sterile in your environment that's why you always see me doing wiping and blowing because within that 32nd to 60 second window of the coating drying thing can get into it and be locked in there... Even if you don't see them it can be fine dust particles... But it should definitely not be rough also you might want to check to see if you held the can between 5 and 7 inches away while spraying.. But nevertheless something went wrong.. you have to relive what you did and figure out what it is...
It's a good polisher it takes a little bit more work and won't quite work the same unless you're pushing high speed and doing kind of a over polish with it... Anyhow just dropped a new video minutes ago. ruclips.net/video/oc587CfXcf0/видео.html
I'm testing on my old toyota head light. What step did i cut short if my head light still look cloudy after polishing with chemical guy heatlight restorer?
People often ask questions like this honest your mind will play tricks on you and tell you that you did everything I did when you did not .. that's just human nature... I have no idea if you used the exact same products, I have no idea if you used them in the same manner.. Which I really can't even answer that they would just be a shot in the dark.. are you happy evaluate that for yourself.. If I had a guess, didn't stand enough,(deep enough) or you sanding by hand.. so you're not doing something that you deem is not important but I'm telling you to do in the videos. Or you did not polish with the polisher.. it can be so many things you really have to evaluate yourself... Lasting but not least.. Could just be the light but this is a much more rare event.. And even if you sat down and did everything identical to me, to what I do.. which I don't think this is the case... You still have to observe that I am a professional, a high level professional highest and high.. That has done countless headlights in different ways and different methods, more than a town full of people would ever do in their lifetime... This is who you're viewing.. So is best not to compare your work to mine... Take it slow and try to figure out what you did or what the situation is.
I've been wondering if the strong chemicals in touchless car washes are also damaging the plastic. I've had a few cars lately with bad headlights and all of them use this type of car wash
Yes I've been evaluating that myself for the past couple years and do believe that the chemicals do have something to do with it as well... I strongly believe that is part of it...💯👍🏽
@@theheadlightrestorationpro also I've noticed faded black plastic trims also an issue with cars using touchless car washes. No evidence for this but the cars with crappy headlights also have trim issues
Yeah it affects everything on the car pretty much except the glass... The weakest points first.. what you going to be the headlights in the black trim third of all it's going to affect the clear coat on the paint leaving a lot of swirling I know this first hand from experience of trying to get away with it with my personal vehicle which is black on black 2014 Acura TL advanced going through a car wash a couple times a week to get my vehicle clean between actual washes and one day I came out and saw my paint in the Sun it had so many swirls I pretty much had to give myself a $700 polish and wax and ceramic coat... Luckily I do all that but still the work is not something you just want to do yourself for fun on this vehicle it took about 4 hours...🥵
No it's not recommended. It's just not thick enough and will not last long enough and it's not durable enough it can be used as an additive in the long run for a headlight aftercare... Or something like that... But no can't be used as a ceiling you develop a lot of impact damage and overheating because it's not going to reflect enough UV...
Have turtle wax products ever been good? I have never been a fan - even back in the day their “wax” was nothing special… maybe if you have a small job area but an entire car = hell naw!!! 90’s - Zymol - Red bottle or tan bottles of meguaires or that pink stuff…
@07wrxtr1 yes even though some turtle Wax stuff is okay I'm often very disappointed in most of the things even if they are okay they're just mediocre... In my opinion as well total wax is the low amount of the totem pole...
I experienced my first 2k clear removal. What a pain in the ass lol 4 hrs later turned out beautiful except where the clearcoat burned and etched the light
Yet - others on youtube get “triggered” when I tell them to avoid 2k like the plague. I am guessing they like pain n suffering or they’re a one n done restorer who wants bad reviews or they’re selling the car and don’t give a F…
I wanted to leave this comment in the somewhat appropriate segment, but got impatient looking for it. Anyway, what's up with these aftermarket lights. I did a Tacoma last night with these aftermarket lights that had coating failure, but the shit that was still on there wouldn't sand at all. Brand-new pads were spinning on this shit almost as if it were glass. I don't think it was Y2K clear though. This shit was different man, and I mean hard. Real hard. I had to go after by hand at first, my tools wouldn't make initial cut! WTF is that shit, and how do ya handle it...
Yeah aftermarket lights are shit.. they're put together by Mickey mouse..lol The cheapest products put together the wrong way and they always will fail and go bad in many different ways in a very short time... Sometimes factory lights will come with something similar to 2K on it.. the bad stuff.. but at the same time people do dumb shit they get all this negative and incorrect information from people on the internet like get 2K fast Max and spray your headlights so they don't ever go bad and then you get in there and they're like oh no nothing's ever been done in these headlights but yes of course something's been done I get a lot people fuck their lights up and don't want to cop to it cuz they're embarrassed or think you're going to charge them more... But it sounds like the worst 2K clearer you can have which is the fast Max... The stuff is damn near bulletproof sandpaper will just fall apart on it like you said it's like trying to sand down glass it's extremely scratch resistant... The only other option would be that somebody sprayed it with clear coat from a spray gun that had added hardener in and they put a lot of it in there... Just got to deal with what it is... Keep trying to figure it out this is the case where I use those 220s and 320s.. sometimes it takes about to those for each light.. in that case charge more but if you're not comfortable dealing with it I would just tell them it can't be done going to try to make it look the best I can and clear that shit finish up with it... Better than messed them up completely...
Headlights being clean and clear is an obvious safety issue. I'm starting a detailing business that specializes in headlight restoration. How do you advertise to people? Right now I'm targeting vehicles that visibly need their headlights restored and people come up with every excuse they can to not do it. All I can say is, " If you change your mind, contact me"
Got to make sure you look and play the part.... If a woman came up to you and said dance with me.. she has some baggy shorts on, and a big giant shirt, no makeup hair a mess.. how likely would you be to dance with her? Now at the same woman came up to you and high heels are red sequin dress fitting to the tee hair done makeup done smelling good looking perfect and said would you dance with me you probably wouldn't have time to answer before you reacted and dance with her... Just a little metaphor.. Metaphors like this help people learn.. If you have flyers decorated like an artist, cards, clothing to match your company, websites and portfolios to show them your work and the difference it can make on their headlights... You got to intrigue them and let them know it's extremely affordable and just without even speaking really be able to show them that you are legit and you can really do this having all that stuff done makes you that woman in that dress not the other one...
You have to focus on your infrastructure first before you can attract.. if you have nothing going on except yourself walking up it's not that attractive... Also first and foremost as well you need to get your skills up and a healthy profolio showing before and.. headlight restoration is one of the most visible entities of automotive repair..
Bingo! My neighbor is a retired body work dude - did paint work for 20-25 years- said I have the best looking car in town and then I showed him the headlights - he said they look new!!! I told him I used all your steps and still have room to improve… Now just contemplating the business license and costs to get up n running…and of course a few more jobs for cheap to get some before n afters…. Baby steps!
It was discontinued. I got this from 3M: "The lens and hard plastic cleaner was discontinued. I do apologize. We are unable to see distributors inventory to see who may still have it in stock. The 3M Perfect-It EX AC Rubbing Compound is what comes in our professional headlight kits now, and the 3M Perfect-It EX Machine Polish." Should I use that or the McGuires PlastX?
@@theheadlightrestorationpro 3M told me they no longer make it. Pep Boys is the only store locally that used to carry it and they dont anymore. Not being negative towards you but if you could provide a link that would be great. If not you need to review their other product or recommend another one. You are the only guy I trust!
I'll have to address that soon.. just checked into it you're absolutely right... These products are new so I'll have to check them out ordering some tonight stay tuned for a video about it coming..
@@theheadlightrestorationpro Thank you! And for my second question: I have an almost brand new headlight. It has a swirl in it that is finer than 3,000 grit. Does the McGuires spray cover that or dos it have to be 100% perfect before coating it?
I always tell people to NOT touch the car at any do it yourself places - just a high pressure rinse… then take it home n bit the bullet and invest in all the good chit: ph neutral soap, mitts, bucket and drying towel…. It’s AMAZING to me that people will take their $40,000-$80,000 vehicle to a $8 pos “car wash” to have dirt go from the car back onto those stupid spinny things then back onto the car And those “touchless” things are stupid - even with an obscene hard layer of ceramic on your car = the dirt does not cone off entirely… People need to buck up n wash at home - hell you can get a battery powered sprayer and feed it through a warm bucket of water during the winter if you have no access to water at a stupid apartment - just do it after management leaves 🤣 Worse: many car washes - they have the 2 dudes “drying” your car with cheap pos towels - they do this because the car wash did not remove the dirt off the paint entirely - so now you have two guys who are pressed for time smearing dirt and “drying” 🤮 and SCRATCHING your car…. As soon as the sun hits the paint = you see all those horizontal scratches and on the back tailgate - swirl marks all over the place YET: people play stupid - “I have no idea how those got there…. Guess I just need a new car hah hahhahaa…” Paint is extremely fragile - yet your average car owner treats it like it’s a ceramic cooking pan…or porcelain… “Wow your car looks new!!?” Yeah because in 10 years of ownership it’s never gone through a stupid “car wash” and my father owned 2 black cars = bootcamp for detailing HELL!!! You learned fast - what not to do - and often times less = more… if you don’t have the time - leave it dirty until you do within reason or do a rinse if it’s caked on from a treated road or long road trip…. Now we are spoon fed with spray ceramic coatings = 15 minutes and you have better protection than waxes…. Personally I put 4 days into my car on just the paint alone every 24-36 months to polish decontaminate wash again!! Then ceramic!!! Gyeon or CarPro ceramics = most consistent 2024 = up the game with that new Ryobi air blower…. Hopefully no more towels needed!!
Yeah a lot of people just don't understand how vehicles work.. so they're getting these $5 car washes on the $80,000 cars and all that stuff what kills me the most is that you never know what detergent they're using can be something that's not pH balance for cars that will strip your beneficial wax or coating down it would have been kills me further is like you said they used these messed up towels beach towels and bath towels which definitely add to the swirling and scratching.. Yeah I take good care of my vehicle I have annually maintenance on it far as the interior and the exterior do my interior to the t and treat the leather and all the panels about three times a year and I wax/ceramic the outside about four times a year quarterly....etc...
![Megan Thee Stallion - Bigger In Texas [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QxTkZTLWdo4/mqdefault.jpg)
I must confess, just discovering your channel on RUclips today and watching many of your videos has further spurred me towards setting up a factory for headlights restoration even though I’m still new to the detailing industry.
I’ve been nursing this business idea in my country (Africa) as it‘s quite novel but I really need to get my skills and expertise well polished. Never to rush out half-baked and make a mess of myself. But watching your videos as well as others as given me broader ideas and I see a different light and understanding as to how you deliver your job. I am grateful and i believe I can always get some advice and help from you in the future. Thank you for your videos..
Awesome appreciate the viewing and don't forget that it will always be here for you to check out with a couple new videos every month if not every week..👍🏽💪🏽🤓
@@theheadlightrestorationpro Thank You 🙏.
💪🏽🤓👍🏽
Go for it 💪. Do your research and perfect your craft. You will be the go-to pro in Africa 🙌
Thank you so much.. always appreciate you watching...💯🤓
Another high quality head light restoration. With another high quality instructional video for others to follow. Even if you don't go into restoration. You will bcome a very well informed customer. You will know if the person or place will do the job proberly. Thank you for all you do ti inform your community. Be blessed. My friend.
Yes that's what I try to tell people even if you're not trying to do a headlight restoration yourself you know what to expect when purchasing a headlight restoration or seeking one there's a lot of people out there that will charge you top dollar headlight restoration prices and pretty much mess your headlights up without you even knowing because they're uneducated about the process but yet they're still professionals....💯👍🏽
So this Toyota van I did last night had the easiest initial cut I've experienced yet. It had big, stock, lights and the first cut was a dream, and the p800 cut was like fluffy snow. Man it acted good last night. I used the double stuff method and laughed out loud because I said it out loud, and I thought of you man... Lol,❤
Awesome man... that's good to hear..
I find myself lately using the double stuff method a lot... Tends to work better with these more modern lights or newer vehicles.. so many turns and weird areas...
Keep up the good work and stay tuned for more awesome vids..😆☺️💯🫵🏽💪🏼
@@theheadlightrestorationpro Hey man, real quick. How you named Y2K! That shit cracks me up man! Y2K, lol. Did you realize that's been 23 yrs. ago! Almost a quarter century. That's pretty funny man.
Alright, later bro, Thanks
Yes.. lol. Long time ago.... .I remember it for sure ..
Great job and info provided, once your headlights are restored is there a maintenance cycle to sand and recoat?
ruclips.net/video/kIur4XxYjDk/видео.html
All you need between headlight Restorations is aftercare..
Hi, sir. This is just a reminder. You said that you are gonna make a video list about headlights, regarding if they are soft, medium, and hard?
👍🏽yes.. thank you....
Great assessment about their driving habits 😂charge him double!
Lol🤣😂🤣
Hi , it really shows you have experience with the drill method of sanding. My question to you is I own a Lexus is 350 2016 would you still sand with the drill or by hand? The lights are very complex. Thank you for another great video
Very good question.. and the answer is yes I would send as much as possible with the power drill and power tools.. but what I would do is an extreme tape off, almost like a cast using multiple layers of tape around the sensitive areas, the key is to get what you can with the power tools and do the rest by hand and those sensitive areas Don't Force to drill into places where it shouldn't go... Once you have it started in some spots Baron it's easier to get your hand into those sensitive areas and do it by hand the clear coat comes off easier.. with the polisher and or the 3000 trizact it's not so much an issue you can get those in there pretty well... But yeah these type of lights require more hand sanding more intricate work unless you have a smaller drill like a Dremel which I do but I tend not to use it I just do it by hand...
@@theheadlightrestorationpro thanks for bringing this up guys! For the edges of the headlights, I had a hard time sanding them with the power tools because I would accidentally cut into the tape (man is that easy even with multiple layers) , or I'd dent the edges of the sanding disc and I'm pretty sure that it would start causing gouges in the plastic. Do you just sand edges by hand?
I swear in your videos, you use the power tools on the edges but you don't have any issues with it.
I appreciate it
You got to develop a really steady hand there's no problem going slow the most problem with controlling is that people use too much pressure which makes the device stronger the further you pull the device away from the light surface the less powerful the drill becomes far as you controlling it think about it if you hold a drill in the air you can do anything with it you can balance it on one finger but the second it touches something it'll go wild.. so when you hit those edges you just got to be really finessed and light touched.. another thing is people want to remove it all in one pass if you notice in my videos and any given part I'm going over that same section probably half a dozen times at the minimum... All about pressure don't push so hard around the edges really light touch and then the parts that are really troublesome for you do by hand with the trizact pad and a disc...
Thank you. I’ve got 4 Honda vehicles to do.
You got it... The videos are always going to be here if you run into any issues or if you just want to watch while you're doing it... Piece of cake...👍🏽💪🏽
Two questions: 1. Is 3M still making the headlight lens cleaner. The link to Amazon is no longer available. I cant find it at Pep Boys or anywhere. I am using the McGuires plastic polisher though.
2. I have a headlight that has basically smaller scratches than the 3,000 grit leaves. I know this because I tried a test spot. Will the McGuires spray fill them?
Plastic x is 🗑️ and I use 3000 trizact pad ... different than 3000....gotta polish or sand more tho get those scratches out ..
3m discontinued the black bottle of hard lens and plastic cleaner… You can get 3m - the $47 bottle or chemical guys has a headlight polish… basically the chemical guys is going to work on easier jobs - the 3m has a bit more cutting involved for more difficult jobs - this why he will sometimes mix the two together
👍🏽
Where did you get the spray tip at 14:24? I'm using the Zepp spray bottles from Lowes, but I don't really like them. Trigger too far and it doesn't atomize as well as a...regular spray bottle.
Ok...thanks for watching...🤓
This product is not in the bio..
But it is a tip from chemical guys spray bottle sold on Amazon..
Here's the generic link from where I purchased them from..
amzn.to/3q5CmYu
@@theheadlightrestorationpro Thank you mr. pro!
No problem 💯
Why meguir's headlight keep clear leaving a ruff surface? It look really good but it would be better if it smooth. Can you check on it? Follow yours' step and it work out great. Thank you.
It most definitely should not be rough it should be smooth like glass...
More than likely there might have been some kind of flaw in your delivery method.. far as spring..
Hopefully you did not double coat..
Also hopefully you're being sterile in your environment that's why you always see me doing wiping and blowing because within that 32nd to 60 second window of the coating drying thing can get into it and be locked in there...
Even if you don't see them it can be fine dust particles... But it should definitely not be rough also you might want to check to see if you held the can between 5 and 7 inches away while spraying..
But nevertheless something went wrong.. you have to relive what you did and figure out what it is...
Thank i will go through the step again. I been using chemical guys headlight restorer as a polisher.
It's a good polisher it takes a little bit more work and won't quite work the same unless you're pushing high speed and doing kind of a over polish with it...
Anyhow just dropped a new video minutes ago.
ruclips.net/video/oc587CfXcf0/видео.html
I'm testing on my old toyota head light. What step did i cut short if my head light still look cloudy after polishing with chemical guy heatlight restorer?
People often ask questions like this honest your mind will play tricks on you and tell you that you did everything I did when you did not .. that's just human nature...
I have no idea if you used the exact same products, I have no idea if you used them in the same manner..
Which I really can't even answer that they would just be a shot in the dark.. are you happy evaluate that for yourself..
If I had a guess, didn't stand enough,(deep enough) or you sanding by hand.. so you're not doing something that you deem is not important but I'm telling you to do in the videos. Or you did not polish with the polisher.. it can be so many things you really have to evaluate yourself...
Lasting but not least..
Could just be the light but this is a much more rare event..
And even if you sat down and did everything identical to me, to what I do.. which I don't think this is the case...
You still have to observe that I am a professional, a high level professional highest and high..
That has done countless headlights in different ways and different methods, more than a town full of people would ever do in their lifetime...
This is who you're viewing..
So is best not to compare your work to mine...
Take it slow and try to figure out what you did or what the situation is.
I've been wondering if the strong chemicals in touchless car washes are also damaging the plastic. I've had a few cars lately with bad headlights and all of them use this type of car wash
Yes I've been evaluating that myself for the past couple years and do believe that the chemicals do have something to do with it as well... I strongly believe that is part of it...💯👍🏽
@@theheadlightrestorationpro also I've noticed faded black plastic trims also an issue with cars using touchless car washes. No evidence for this but the cars with crappy headlights also have trim issues
Yeah it affects everything on the car pretty much except the glass... The weakest points first.. what you going to be the headlights in the black trim third of all it's going to affect the clear coat on the paint leaving a lot of swirling I know this first hand from experience of trying to get away with it with my personal vehicle which is black on black 2014 Acura TL advanced going through a car wash a couple times a week to get my vehicle clean between actual washes and one day I came out and saw my paint in the Sun it had so many swirls I pretty much had to give myself a $700 polish and wax and ceramic coat... Luckily I do all that but still the work is not something you just want to do yourself for fun on this vehicle it took about 4 hours...🥵
@@theheadlightrestorationproyeah I hear ya. I cringe every time I drive past a car wash and seeing an expensive euro SUV going through one
Can I use Turtle Wax Headlight Cleaner & Sealant instead?
No it's not recommended. It's just not thick enough and will not last long enough and it's not durable enough it can be used as an additive in the long run for a headlight aftercare... Or something like that... But no can't be used as a ceiling you develop a lot of impact damage and overheating because it's not going to reflect enough UV...
Have turtle wax products ever been good? I have never been a fan - even back in the day their “wax” was nothing special… maybe if you have a small job area but an entire car = hell naw!!!
90’s - Zymol - Red bottle or tan bottles of meguaires or that pink stuff…
@07wrxtr1 yes even though some turtle Wax stuff is okay I'm often very disappointed in most of the things even if they are okay they're just mediocre... In my opinion as well total wax is the low amount of the totem pole...
Hi, how much do you charge for this job?
I experienced my first 2k clear removal. What a pain in the ass lol 4 hrs later turned out beautiful except where the clearcoat burned and etched the light
Exactly....it is a true menace to the headlight and headlight restoration world...
Yet - others on youtube get “triggered” when I tell them to avoid 2k like the plague. I am guessing they like pain n suffering or they’re a one n done restorer who wants bad reviews or they’re selling the car and don’t give a F…
I wanted to leave this comment in the somewhat appropriate segment, but got impatient looking for it. Anyway, what's up with these aftermarket lights. I did a Tacoma last night with these aftermarket lights that had coating failure, but the shit that was still on there wouldn't sand at all. Brand-new pads were spinning on this shit almost as if it were glass. I don't think it was Y2K clear though. This shit was different man, and I mean hard. Real hard. I had to go after by hand at first, my tools wouldn't make initial cut! WTF is that shit, and how do ya handle it...
Yeah aftermarket lights are shit.. they're put together by Mickey mouse..lol
The cheapest products put together the wrong way and they always will fail and go bad in many different ways in a very short time...
Sometimes factory lights will come with something similar to 2K on it.. the bad stuff.. but at the same time people do dumb shit they get all this negative and incorrect information from people on the internet like get 2K fast Max and spray your headlights so they don't ever go bad and then you get in there and they're like oh no nothing's ever been done in these headlights but yes of course something's been done I get a lot people fuck their lights up and don't want to cop to it cuz they're embarrassed or think you're going to charge them more... But it sounds like the worst 2K clearer you can have which is the fast Max... The stuff is damn near bulletproof sandpaper will just fall apart on it like you said it's like trying to sand down glass it's extremely scratch resistant... The only other option would be that somebody sprayed it with clear coat from a spray gun that had added hardener in and they put a lot of it in there...
Just got to deal with what it is... Keep trying to figure it out this is the case where I use those 220s and 320s.. sometimes it takes about to those for each light.. in that case charge more but if you're not comfortable dealing with it I would just tell them it can't be done going to try to make it look the best I can and clear that shit finish up with it... Better than messed them up completely...
Headlights being clean and clear is an obvious safety issue. I'm starting a detailing business that specializes in headlight restoration. How do you advertise to people? Right now I'm targeting vehicles that visibly need their headlights restored and people come up with every excuse they can to not do it. All I can say is, " If you change your mind, contact me"
Got to make sure you look and play the part.... If a woman came up to you and said dance with me.. she has some baggy shorts on, and a big giant shirt, no makeup hair a mess.. how likely would you be to dance with her?
Now at the same woman came up to you and high heels are red sequin dress fitting to the tee hair done makeup done smelling good looking perfect and said would you dance with me you probably wouldn't have time to answer before you reacted and dance with her...
Just a little metaphor..
Metaphors like this help people learn..
If you have flyers decorated like an artist, cards, clothing to match your company, websites and portfolios to show them your work and the difference it can make on their headlights...
You got to intrigue them and let them know it's extremely affordable and just without even speaking really be able to show them that you are legit and you can really do this having all that stuff done makes you that woman in that dress not the other one...
You have to focus on your infrastructure first before you can attract.. if you have nothing going on except yourself walking up it's not that attractive...
Also first and foremost as well you need to get your skills up and a healthy profolio showing before and.. headlight restoration is one of the most visible entities of automotive repair..
Bingo! My neighbor is a retired body work dude - did paint work for 20-25 years- said I have the best looking car in town and then I showed him the headlights - he said they look new!!! I told him I used all your steps and still have room to improve… Now just contemplating the business license and costs to get up n running…and of course a few more jobs for cheap to get some before n afters…. Baby steps!
That's right keep up the good work..👍🏽💯
It was discontinued. I got this from 3M: "The lens and hard plastic cleaner was discontinued. I do apologize. We are unable to see distributors inventory to see who may still have it in stock. The 3M Perfect-It EX AC Rubbing Compound is what comes in our professional headlight kits now, and the 3M Perfect-It EX Machine Polish." Should I use that or the McGuires PlastX?
I don't know if it's discontinued or not but it's for sale everywhere...
@@theheadlightrestorationpro 3M told me they no longer make it. Pep Boys is the only store locally that used to carry it and they dont anymore. Not being negative towards you but if you could provide a link that would be great. If not you need to review their other product or recommend another one. You are the only guy I trust!
I'll have to address that soon.. just checked into it you're absolutely right... These products are new so I'll have to check them out ordering some tonight stay tuned for a video about it coming..
I'll get back to you..
@@theheadlightrestorationpro Thank you! And for my second question: I have an almost brand new headlight. It has a swirl in it that is finer than 3,000 grit. Does the McGuires spray cover that or dos it have to be 100% perfect before coating it?
I always tell people to NOT touch the car at any do it yourself places - just a high pressure rinse… then take it home n bit the bullet and invest in all the good chit: ph neutral soap, mitts, bucket and drying towel….
It’s AMAZING to me that people will take their $40,000-$80,000 vehicle to a $8 pos “car wash” to have dirt go from the car back onto those stupid spinny things then back onto the car
And those “touchless” things are stupid - even with an obscene hard layer of ceramic on your car = the dirt does not cone off entirely…
People need to buck up n wash at home - hell you can get a battery powered sprayer and feed it through a warm bucket of water during the winter if you have no access to water at a stupid apartment - just do it after management leaves 🤣
Worse: many car washes - they have the 2 dudes “drying” your car with cheap pos towels - they do this because the car wash did not remove the dirt off the paint entirely - so now you have two guys who are pressed for time smearing dirt and “drying” 🤮 and SCRATCHING your car….
As soon as the sun hits the paint = you see all those horizontal scratches and on the back tailgate - swirl marks all over the place
YET: people play stupid - “I have no idea how those got there…. Guess I just need a new car hah hahhahaa…”
Paint is extremely fragile - yet your average car owner treats it like it’s a ceramic cooking pan…or porcelain…
“Wow your car looks new!!?”
Yeah because in 10 years of ownership it’s never gone through a stupid “car wash” and my father owned 2 black cars = bootcamp for detailing HELL!!! You learned fast - what not to do - and often times less = more… if you don’t have the time - leave it dirty until you do within reason or do a rinse if it’s caked on from a treated road or long road trip….
Now we are spoon fed with spray ceramic coatings = 15 minutes and you have better protection than waxes…. Personally I put 4 days into my car on just the paint alone every 24-36 months to polish decontaminate wash again!! Then ceramic!!!
Gyeon or CarPro ceramics = most consistent
2024 = up the game with that new Ryobi air blower…. Hopefully no more towels needed!!
Yeah a lot of people just don't understand how vehicles work.. so they're getting these $5 car washes on the $80,000 cars and all that stuff what kills me the most is that you never know what detergent they're using can be something that's not pH balance for cars that will strip your beneficial wax or coating down it would have been kills me further is like you said they used these messed up towels beach towels and bath towels which definitely add to the swirling and scratching..
Yeah I take good care of my vehicle I have annually maintenance on it far as the interior and the exterior do my interior to the t and treat the leather and all the panels about three times a year and I wax/ceramic the outside about four times a year quarterly....etc...
You speak for over 20 minutes without stopping, you don't shut your mouth. It's so irritating.