Can you make a LIVING at this???

Discuss all aspects of headlight restoration, including marketing, technical, and business advice.
Windshield911
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Re: Can you make a LIVING at this???

Post by Windshield911 »

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Re: Can you make a LIVING at this???

Post by Cryatal_Image »

I would like to add that just about a year ago, after i said i would never do it again, i am an OTR semi driver. I have a wife and 4 wonderful kids and i am gone all the time. i do make it home on the weekends although would really enjoy going home at night. Seems like i have already missed so much already. Our oldest daughter is now 19, 16, 5 and our son 3.

I really feel like just going in to work tomarrow and screaming I QUITE DRIVING, SEE YA!!! I've done windshield repair before at my fathers transmission shop. Purchased a kit for almost $600. I used to manage it so i thought i could get more customers by offering free chip repairs with any shop/trans wrk they had done. Its not like it hard work but that was about 8 yrs ago when i left. We just never could get along working together till my mother passed from cancer couple yrs ago. LIFE IS TO SHORT not to live as if there is no tomarrow and we really get along great now. He did give me a kit from a local auto shop for headlight restoration and tried it on my wifes pontiac montana. I never thought it would work as they we so gross and yellow, even driving on bright, nobody would flash her while driving. To my amazment, i was in a AWE and thought of doing both these businesses rather than "DRIVING". Last year i made like $38,000 driving and driving OTR is just going to get worse with all the BS rules and regs not to mention the harrasment from DOT's.

I am SURE i can get a few fleets in line ten work on 1-on-1 customers over time. Heck, when i managed my dads shop, i had an auto parts store selling our trannys for us. We would build em and and that was it. None of that r/r crap. The manager of that auto parts store told he was going to some huge seminar type meeting where all the managers of the parts store nationwide would be attending and i told my father that we could do this nationwide thing. He is rather old school and scared him to death about the change it could do. I thought about doing away with all the local stuff which included the R/R work and just build and ship out, kinda like an assembly line.

Ya know what, i am not even sure why i am writing all of this cause i had a simple question regarding HEADLIGHTS. Like on my wifes van, you have those lil tit molds on their, can they be sanded off or leave them on the light? Those things like to tear up disks and buffn wheels so figured i would ask.

Thanks,
Daniel
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Re: Can you make a LIVING at this???

Post by glassdoctor »

You can cut or sand off the nubs if you like. I heard of one guy who would use a hot knife to cut them off flush before starting the sanding steps.

I've never done it myself, but it would be nice to finish a lens without them. Fortunately, there are not as many cars with them anymore. Gran Damns are the worst... :lol:
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Re: Can you make a LIVING at this???

Post by candyman »

I leave the nubs or lens tips alone. I sand around them. I've ruin several interface pads due to those nubs. A dealer told me that his detailer cut one off prior to buffing with a car buffer and he broke the lens. He said it happens sometimes, if the lens is yellowed and has harden. He found a used one in the salvage yard and had me restore it.
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Re: Can you make a LIVING at this???

Post by Cryatal_Image »

was wondering as i read something about it earlier somewheres on here but to clairify, does ins cover HLR also or not ?
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Re: Can you make a LIVING at this???

Post by Cryatal_Image »

Thanks guys. Appreciate the info on the nubs

candyman wrote:I leave the nubs or lens tips alone. I sand around them. I've ruin several interface pads due to those nubs. A dealer told me that his detailer cut one off prior to buffing with a car buffer and he broke the lens. He said it happens sometimes, if the lens is yellowed and has harden. He found a used one in the salvage yard and had me restore it.
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Re: Can you make a LIVING at this???

Post by just chippen away »

The "Nubs" are for aligning the lites. The shops have a unit that attaches to the lite to get the proper height and distant alignment.....
It is like you working on Trany's,,, Things are there for a reason................
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Re: Can you make a LIVING at this???

Post by Cryatal_Image »

Oh ok, thats good to know. I just never knew what they were for. Thanks for the info. I figured it was just from he mold or something. Never thought about being part of the alighnment process. Thanks again everyone for your helpful feedback
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Re: Can you make a LIVING at this???

Post by Brent Deines »

Some of them are hollow, which is another good reason not to cut or sand them off. You may end up with a hole in the lens. I agree with Just Chippin Away, they are there for a reason so learn to work around them rather than removing them.
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Re: Can you make a LIVING at this???

Post by Cryatal_Image »

Brent Deines wrote:Some of them are hollow, which is another good reason not to cut or sand them off. You may end up with a hole in the lens. I agree with Just Chippin Away, they are there for a reason so learn to work around them rather than removing them.
This is what i thought so i thought but would ask anyways, I do appreciate all of your great feedback on this. Great forum for info.
Thanks
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