Anyone evercome across white oxidation

[Jbrodie]

Has anyone ever come across a lens with white oxidation instead ofthe yellow. It apears the white oxidation gets into the small surface cracks and is hard to get out. I did my best wet sanding with 320,600,1000,2000and polishe but it did not help. I applied a clear coat and it looked much better than the original but it wasn't my typical sparking in the sun headlight restoration. Anyone have any ideas for my next job that has white oxidation

[candyman]

Good Morning! I have done several lately that was completely whited or clouded over. I couldn't even see the bulb inside the lens. I sanded & polished them. Once I applied the UV/sealer they looked like brand new. Some had a few pit marks that didn't smooth all the way out because they were so deep. However once I put the coating on them you could barely see it unless you were up close. We can't make them brand new again, but we can make the vehicle look better and the driver can see. I use the 320, 600, 1000, 1500, 2400 then polish it. I have used as many as two 320 pads for one set of headlights. I currently have six inspecton stations that are sending me customers for a $5 finders fee. Two of those also do headlights. They use a kit that is designed for one vehicle but they stretch the products and do two vehicles with it. They dont do anything other than sand and polish the light only. The kits don't have a UV coating, however the polish is suppose to have something in it to make the polishing last longer and telling the customer the UV has been replaced. The manager told me he had to charge at least $60 to make a profit from the kits, and that his mechanic takes almost an hour on every vehicle, just to polish the light only. They dont do side markers, rear lights etc...
I did a car for the two inspection staions for one of their employees Saturday. I took photos , before, and after polishing. They thought the results looked the same as theirs. Then I applied the UV coating and their jaw dropped. They could not believe the difference. They have my flyers and decided to send me their customers for the $5 finders fee with a $25 bonus for every ten that I do. Those two inspection stations also do a large volume of Tire, brake, and oil change business with 5 stores within a 30 mile area of me. Two are also gas stations. I joined the local Chamber of Commerce today during their annual membership drive. I paid $164 and that extend my membership fom 1 oct 09 to Dec 2010. I am listed on thier site for $10. They list any specials I may offer each month up to 50 words. I have recieved calls for 2 w/s breaks and 1 headlight since this morning. I have an appointment with two chamber members that have service trucks that need WS or HL repair work. They both stated they only do business with chamber members locally and nationally. One of these is the regional office supply warehouse for the compamy that was purchased by Staples Office Supply. I think I just made my membership fee back plus! I recommed joining to anyone that does this work. It makes us appear more professional and ligit. It takes away the stigma of shade tree or fly-by-night conman, looking to make a fast buck. I also joined NWRA this week and that will help. I can also list member of recently added to NWRA, Global Glass Conservation Alliance, GGCA. I am building my base (business) from the ground up for the long haul. Now I hope to get the tng and certifications starting with Delta in a few weeks then NWRA next month. Good Luck. db

[candyman]

Sorry! I forgot to say that I don't wet sand. I wipe lens off between each sanding disk to avoid grinding particles into the polycarbonate. That may help: I also use the Metabo. I do have to watch to make sure it doesn't get too hot. The orange buffer didn't seem to get as hot when using. The Metabo is faster if time is an issue.

[t4k]

I worked on a set of lenses this week on an 06 Grand Prix. The lenses had tiny star shaped stress fractures in the lenses. I could not sand out these fractures, obviously, but they did seem to clear up to meet my satisfaction after clearing.

[candyman]

I was asked to do an emergency bar light for a local Volunter Fire Dept. I polished it then applied the UV coating. That thing looked brand new. I didn't charge them but it did take about 2 oz of the UV chem. I rec two Ph calls within a few hours from VFD members wanting their mothers or wives vehicle HL restored. That freebie is already paying off for me. Word will get around to the other members and we have 6 VFD, 1 county and 1 city FD in my county.
They have about 20 fire trucks and more than 50 additional rescue vehicles and ambulances.
I just need to get the WSR side down, and generate some business for it. All my flyers are double sided. HL on one side and info about WSR on the other. Its the HL that seems to be generating work for me at the moment. One of the detailing shops charges $60 just to wash & wax a car. Its extra for interior and engine cleaning. Several of the cars I saw needed HL polishing, yet they didn't want to spend the money for it. Iam talking, Lexus, BMW, Mercedes. The guy with the old mercury sable that needed a paint job, paid me to do his HL. It just doesn't make sense why some people put so much money in a car and not want to do the HL. I dropped my price for the Mercury guy to $40 and polished his rear lights for free, just to get a reaction from the other car owners. Those lens looked like brand new when I finished. I was a little nervous with several people watching me. I did everything in sequence and took before and after photos. I made one mistake, I normally polish the lens prior to the UV coating. I put the pad on the buffer, and someone started asking me questions about the UV. I forgot to buff and applied the UV coating. It looked great. I saw the buffer and realized what I had done. I picked my metabo up and went to the rear of the vehicle and polished the rear lights. When the customer asked me how much it would cost, I told him free. I had already put the wax on the buffer when I layed it down when I was talking. All the detailers have flyers and push my service if the customer needs HL or WS service. They call me and I go to their shop and do the HL while they are waxing it or in some cases just after waxing. I take a pizza by to the guys sometimes when they are really busy, and pay them $5 for each referal. If I had a few of these places I could quit my full time job and do this. I have a year remaining at my current job to be elligible for state retirement. This is turning out better each month. Iam still working to generate WSR business, It seems like the people around here just wait untill they have enough damage that the insurance company will replace it or if they have to pay to fix it, they wait untill the windshield falls out. One of the vehicles they waxed today had a baseball size hole in the center of the WS with about 6, six plus inches of finger cracks. When I say hole, I mean all the way through the windshield. He had clear packing tape on the inside of the glass, and poured polyuthane on the outsde to harden up: I guess it works for him. 13 days and I will be Delta Kits bound to Eugene, Oregon.

[t4k]

I never polish anymore...it is a step I deem unnecessary. The UV coating fills all the tiny scratches left by the 3000 - 4000 grit sandpaper. I was called by my favorite BMW repair shop to do an X5 yesterday and after a few people saw the results, I too, landed additional work. Some people have to see it to believe it.

[Brent Deines]

candyman, I don't know if you have done it yet or not, but I have had very good luck giving away a free windshield repair to fleet managers and insurance offices to show them the quality of my work. The result is typically the same that you got from doing a free or discounted headlight restoration. People are impressed and tell other people. It used to be we did this because no one knew what to expect from a windshield repair, but now we do it to show how much better our results are than what they are used to seeing. Unfortunately there are a lot of technicians who do not do good work in our area, but we use that to our advantage.

[Brent Deines]

t4k, I agree with you that if you use the right polishing disks, which is what 3000 and 4000 grit really are, and the right UV coating, polishing is not necessary. Using a polishing compound and a good polishing wheel will still make the surface look better prior to applying the UV coating, but once the coating is applied I can't see a difference except under high magnification.

We have experimented with some coatings that do not cover as well though, so before skipping the polishing step I recommend restoring 1/2 of a practice headlight using polish, and 1/2 without using polish. I think you will notice a significant difference before the coating is applied, but if you cannot tell a difference after the coating is applied it becomes a matter of preference.

We have also found that polishing with the Metabo random orbital tool and a foam pad works well, but polishing with a Makita rotary buffer and a wool pad works even better for those who want the best possible results prior to applying the UV coat or for those who do not apply a UV coat. Again, it's personal preference but I like not dealing with the mess of using a polishing compound and the convenience of using a single tool.

[t4k]

I hear you on the experimenting. I've been restoring headlight lenses for over four years now and I have tried many techniques and products. I now have a personal method that works perfectly without the polishing step. I could not agree more with you on the clean up after the buffing compound...that was a mess.

[Dozi]

I have just recently started with HL restoration and have not done many yet. Not using the polishing step, sounds appealing to me.