New Headlight Restoratin Kit With Infinity 4.1

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candyman
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Re: New Headlight Restoratin Kit With Infinity 4.1

Post by candyman »

Good morning. I tested the new product and kept information reference time, temp, humidity ect. I did 3 sets of headlights. One set included lens that were partially painted black. The product had a milk color when I applied it and was wet. I didnt see the WOW factor at first. As the product dried the lens looked better. I normally start out with 320 grit, 600 grit then a 1500 grit pad. Depending upon the lens I will then use a 3000 pad or polish. Iam using the old UV product at the moment. I plan to order the new product in a few weeks and I will let you know how I like it on a regular basis. When I finish sanding a lens, it is normally a white fog and smooth. The old UV did a great job sealing any faint scratch marks. The new product smoothed out across the lens and again it appeared to fill in any small scratches or whyrls that may have been on the lens. I dont always get a clear lens after I polish with the 3000 pad. I got a better looking lens with the polish in the majority of the cases. I stopped using the polish everytime. when the UV started peeling off, due to the extreme heat. I was told by delta, not to use the polish because I needed a clean, polish free lens so the UV could bond better to the len. I still get that WOW factor, but I have a urge to use the polish at times depending upon the results after I sand. I've got vehicles that I did HLR's on more than 28 months ago that still look good. After last years record heat wave in the south, I stopped giving warranties for HLR. I started out with 24 months, then 18 months, then 12 months. I've discovered some lens just wont keep that WOW factor more than 6-12 months. If a brand new headlight is only warranted for 12 months why should I give them one for a longer period. Two Mercedies come out of the factory the same time. One car lens look good after 5 years the other is completely frosted over. I have no control over the maintenance or care of the vehicle, control of the climate etc... I tell my clients that the restoration should last at least six months or more. Treat it like waxing the car every six to twelve months. I did a restoration on a Toyota Camary this week that the owner claims he had not washed in almost 3 years. I will keep you posted on my results when I start using the new product. The new product is suppose to have a longer shelf life and can be mailed.
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pommy
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Re: New Headlight Restoratin Kit With Infinity 4.1

Post by pommy »

Hi Candyman,

Thanks for taking the time to make a post ;)
I normally start out with 320 grit, 600 grit then a 1500 grit pad. Depending upon the lens I will then use a 3000 pad or polish.
That's where I'm up to at the moment - It's definitely impossible to get a clear lens with the sanding alone, and that includes the 3000 polishing disc.
I was told by delta, not to use the polish because I needed a clean, polish free lens so the UV could bond better to the lens.
I use a polishing product to retore the clarity to the lens before I add the UV coating - but I wasn't made aware until now, of possible "peeling" of the UV - I'm a bit concerned about it now to be honest!
Iam using the old UV product at the moment. I plan to order the new product in a few weeks and I will let you know how I like it on a regular basis.


That would be good - if you are used to the old product, but have the technique - it should be a good comparison ;)
When I finish sanding a lens, it is normally a white fog and smooth. The old UV did a great job sealing any faint scratch marks. The new product smoothed out across the lens and again it appeared to fill in any small scratches or whyrls that may have been on the lens.
I'm finding that when you look straight on, the light looks glossy and how it should. When you look from above or from the side, you can see the haze from the sanding, which give the light a "cloudy look".

The Infinity, from my usage so far, doesn't fill the scratches so well and the "self-levelling" is minimal also.
I dont always get a clear lens after I polish with the 3000 pad. I got a better looking lens with the polish in the majority of the cases.
100% agree on that.
I tell my clients that the restoration should last at least six months or more. Treat it like waxing the car every six to twelve months
I couldn't get away with that - I'd have no clients if I said 6 months in a sentence :cry:
I work with mostly used car dealers - they know that a simple buff/polish will last them 6 months, in which time the car has long gone.

The service has to be sold as restoration, which means restoring back to at least what it came with originally - more than 6 months for sure.

Besides, what about retail customers? If I do the car down the road, I don't want to see him again in 6-12 to say it's gone bad again. It's a quite a big job, involved and pretty skilled (unless you like to take paint off with the orbital or pull it off with the masking tape!). The UV coaing is the only thing setting this system apart from the many, many others.

I just feel that there needs to be a step between the 1500 and the UV to restore the clarity before the UV seals in the haze. Polish is my solution for the moment, but with what you mentioned, I hope I'm not going to get some peeling calls...
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candyman
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Re: New Headlight Restoratin Kit With Infinity 4.1

Post by candyman »

I will let you know how I like the new product after I do several vehicles. I do a few dealers but they simply want the car out the door and I dont do them untill the car is sold. My regular customers have no problem with the 6-12 months. I do a good job selling and I discuss how they should take care of the HLs. I Dont like not being able to say they are good for 18 - 24 months either. However after redoing a bunch this past year I changed my strategy and did more research on the restoration. I went from a 1% redo to over 6% redo due to the extreme heat and acid rain here. Have a good week.
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Re: New Headlight Restoratin Kit With Infinity 4.1

Post by candyman »

I ordered the new 4.1 on Friday. It will be here this coming Friday, 11 Nov. I have three customers lined up to try the new UV. I just did a HLR for one of the customers and I will track which lasted longer and which product the customer liked best. judging the measurement of the products for each headligt will take getting use to. I dont like mixing more than I actually need or coming up short. It took me about 20 HLRs to get the right combination for the old UV product. Bruce said he liked the new product better. He said it takes about 7-10 days to give it that WOW factor or look its best. He said it appears to have a harder surface once dried. I will let you know how I like it after a few HLR jobs and the customers review of it. The customers that never saw the old UV will tell the story of how well the job looks when they first see the HLR. Have a good week. Its starting to stay in the mid 50's to low 60's during the day here.
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pommy
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Re: New Headlight Restoratin Kit With Infinity 4.1

Post by pommy »

Hi,

Who is Bruce?

"He said it takes about 7-10 days to give it that WOW factor or look its best."

How can that be?

Cheers ;)
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mend master
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Re: New Headlight Restoratin Kit With Infinity 4.1

Post by mend master »

pommy wrote:
I just feel that there needs to be a step between the 1500 and the UV to restore the clarity before the UV seals in the haze. Polish is my solution for the moment, but with what you mentioned, I hope I'm not going to get some peeling calls...
Pommy, are you hand sanding, or using a D/A, or a rotary tool of any type? I use a D/A and wet sand with a 1000 Trizac disc as my last step before coating. I used to polish, and I used to go all the way up to 3000 as well. I quit polishing when I changed over to using a UV coating product. I have done hundreds of lenses over the last several years without failure until I started going up to 3000 grit. Even though there is porosity in the lens, 3000 seems too high to give any kind of mechanical "bite" for a coating. In my opinion, polish just seals up the pores and makes the probability of failure even higher, as the coating has absolutely nothing to grab onto at that point. Currently, I don't know of a Trizac disc in either 1500 or 2000. Finishing discs are available that are dry sand, but no Trizac in either grit for wet sanding.
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pommy
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Re: New Headlight Restoratin Kit With Infinity 4.1

Post by pommy »

Hi Mend,

I've used ALL of the methods buddy - hand, various machines, wet sand, dry etc.

I can only assume you are using the C2P method and not the Infinity? - There is no way you could go from 1000 to UV coating with Infinity.

The C2P apparently fills much better than the Infinity.

I'm currently using 600, 1200, 1500 (all wet) and a polishing compound of 2500, then Infinity.

I've tried to scrape off the Infinity once fully cured with a screwdriver and was unable to get it off - so the adherance to a polished surface is definitely not an issue.

Trizac is available in 1500 and 2000 here in Australia.
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mend master
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Re: New Headlight Restoratin Kit With Infinity 4.1

Post by mend master »

Pommy, I use a product made here in the states from Speedokote that sprays through an HVLP gun. It goes on much like clear coat. That is why I can get by with stopping with a Trizac in 1000 grit wet. I occasionally use a one-step product that has a similar chemistry, application, and results of C2P, in which case I use Delta's 3000 grit polishing pads before applying the product. As you suspected, I am not using the new Infinity yet. What I use works well and from what I have read thus far I am not inclined to switch at this point.
candyman
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Re: New Headlight Restoratin Kit With Infinity 4.1

Post by candyman »

I got the new 4.1 Thursday. I did a Toyota Camery Le. 41 dgs/sunny: The results were very good. Instead of mixing three products it has been stream line to just 1 mixture of A & B only. I used 8ml of the milky and 2ml of the clear: The customer was very satisfied. I also used the 4.1 on a Toyota Tundra, cloudy/high winds 62 dgs. I used 8ml of the milky & 2ml of clear; Looked good. Some spots were drying quick causing me to think I had missed areas. I did a second trcuk a Chevey Z71. I did the HL's, Tail lights and Park lights. I used 10ml of milky and 2.5ml of clear: Windy/cloudy 62 dgs: I didnt get the WOW, but the lights looked good. The tail lights looked ok but not great. The tail lights were faded and scratched prior to my restoration. I think I would have got a better result with the Chemical UV. The customer was satisfied. I told him it should get clearer as it dries. I will check those vehicles in a few days and see what they look like. Mixing the new 4.1 Infinity is easier than the other UV. For the average vehicle 8 ml of the mliky solution and 2ml of the clear solution will do the HL. Clean up was quick with just water. I used a blue shop towel to apply the 4.1. I will post a update later this week.
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Re: New Headlight Restoratin Kit With Infinity 4.1

Post by pommy »

@ Mend - how do you manage to get it on without overspray? Or do you have the customers come to you? I tried a few "clear coats", but some made the plastic cloudy, others, the drying time was way too long - and then the application was causing overspray in every test...

@ Candy - "I told him it should get clearer as it dries" what's this all about? Is that what Delta have said the product will do? Regarding mixture - I was told it was to be 12/3, but there is always half a cup left wasted :(
Do you put it on thick? Did you get runs or streaks where there wasn't enough chemical on the lens?

Thanks for the input guys.

Cheers,

Pommy
If the job doesn't mean more than the pay, it will never pay more.
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