like to start

[bullseyemaster]

sound like something new to try

[candyman]

Iam new to the HL restoration (4 weeks). With the kit I purchased through Deltakits, It made me look like a professional by the 3rd set of H/L. I have shifted in the past few weeks from about 2 1/2 hours to about 30 minutes to do a set. The headlights I've worked on have been pretty bad, fogged over with ground in mud or road grime. Some of the lens were scratched and yellow.
I followed the directions with the kit. I use my own judgement now on some of the lenses that aren't as bad,as to, which sanding disc to use. When the UV treatment goes on, thats the test or highlight as to, how well I did the sanding. I have to fight the impulse to go back over the lens a second time. Trying to judge how much to mix, and not waste any of the UV chemicals, is a trial and error approach for me. I dont know how the other systems differ from mine, but I am having great success with Deltakits.

[ray6]

The last time I posted I got slammed, but willing to try again. Below is an article I wrote for eBay a year ago, and it is written for the DIYer, but these DIY kits are a source of competition so this info may be of use to some. And yes, I know some of the material is not applicable to other forum readers, but there is also some info about market segments you may not of thought about.

As posted on another site to a newbee interested in starting headlight restoration-

There is good money to be made restoring headlights. To be totally open, we are a manufacturer of supplies to headlight restorers but I won't push our products. However, here are some tips to help you get started in this. If you're into reading, here's an article I wrote about a year ago for Ebay as a guide for anyone wanting to restore their own headlights. Although written for the DIYer, it is also applicable to anyone wanting to get into the business.

eBay Guide
Restoring your headlights
There are many confusing statements and claims about yellow or cloudy headlights and the restoring process that I will try to clarify.

Cloudy or yellow headlights are becoming a major problem with older cars. They can severely reduce night visibility thus becoming a safety issue. Almost all modern headlights are manufactured from polycarbonate. This plastic is very porous and sensitive to ultraviolet radiation from the sun and to acid rain. To protect the polycarbonate, manufacturers coat the headlight with a primer and a sealer/UV protectant. It is this coating that deteriorates and causes the cloudiness and yellowing.

Replacement headlights are expensive, with the average cost over $250 each! Some are over $600. This doesn't include labor costs to install and re-align the new headlights. It also adds to plastics in the landfill.

My company manufactures and distributes materials for headlight restoration to dealers and wholesalers. We do not sell to the public nor do we recommend any particular brands. I have nothing to sell you. The purpose of this guide is to help you make an intelligent decision on restoring your headlights.

Many of our dealers are seeing a growing number of headlights that have been restored (butchered) by their owners or others and did not include a new protective coating or the owner did not keep the lights properly waxed for UV protection. This causes damage to the base polycarbonate since all the protection has been removed during the restoration. This damage is not easily repaired and requires extensive material to be removed from the light. This is causes unhappy customers. Most of our dealers will no longer attempt to restore a previously restored headlight.

95% of all damage to yellow/cloudy headlights is on the outside and is limited to the factory protective coating. Headlights with interior damage such as moisture or with severe cracks should not be restored, they should be replaced.

The theory behind headlight restoration is simple. Remove the original damaged protective coating and replace it with a new one. The problem is, most DIY restoration kits remove the old coating but do not replace it with a new one. Many kit manufacturers will admit that the results are temporary, or that you must periodically re-coat the lights with wax or some other coating.

A few of the kits sold on eBay do include some type of replacement coating, but many are simply wipe on, so the protective value is questionable. The coatings used by the pros requires curing or spraying on and is very thick. If you are going to restore your headlights, make sure your kit includes a new protective coating or be prepared to wax your headlights weekly.

Some kits include arbors or abrasive balls to help you remove the old coating. We do not recommend using power tools to remove the old coat. If you do, you run the risk of burning the polycarbonate and you also must mask off around the light to protect the paint. For a single set of lights, sand by hand. It's cheaper, safer and gives you greater control.

Kit prices vary from $5.95 (one ounce of rubbing compound) to over $60 with shipping. You don't always get what you pay for. Many kits are big on hype but short on details. If you really want to save money, just rub out your headlights with toothpaste and wax weekly. If severely damaged, start with 600 grit sandpaper followed by 1200 grit, etc. then polish with toothpaste. This will give you the same results as many of the inexpensive kits on the market.

There are some major players in the headlight restoration market; Permatex, Mopar, Wynn's, Mopar, 3M and others. The interesting thing is that none of these kits replace the protective coat with a new hardcoat. They only sand and polish. There are reasons for this; product liability, VOC regulations from state to state, limited shelf life, MSDS requirements and cost. The main ingredient for our protective coat costs us over $1500 for 5 gallons. It's not cheap.

Many kits include a guarantee. If you're not completely satisfied, you get your money back. But how can you guarantee that the DIYer will use your product correctly? More importantly, you might get your money back, but what about the condition of your headlights? Have you caused more damage trying to restore them? Plus, you pay shipping which may be high because the better kits have flammable materials and can only be shipped by ground. So, don't put much faith in guarantees. Here are some other suggestions:

Many kits don't really explain their procedure in their ads. Or they claim you can do it in 10 minutes. If you have to sand, it's going to be much longer than 10 minutes to do the job right. Know what you're getting. Here's the questions to ask:

Does the kit include a replacement protective coating? If so, is it permanent or some sort of wipe on wax?

Is it warranted not to deteriorate? For how long?

What's included in the kit? Are MSDS (material safety data sheets) included or available from the manufacturer?

Do you know what chemicals are in the kit?

Can you view the instructions or see a demo video clip before buying?

To summarize, most headlights can be restored and you can do it yourself. If this is what you want, do some research and choose wisely. Don't spend a few hours carefully sanding and polishing you lights without replacing the protective layer you removed. It's like removing sun block then wondering why you got sunburned.

As an alternative, headlight restoration is becoming big business and many areas have dealers and service providers available to restore headlights. Although it may be more expensive than doing it yourself, these people are capable of restoring most headlights to near new condition at a fraction of the cost of headlight replacement. In the San Francisco Bay area, it can be done for $30 to $60 and will have a real guarantee.

Hope this helps.
Ray Raffa

In addition to the above article, if you are considering adding restoration to your service list, consider these additional markets:

City, county, state and federal vehicles- push the safety issue

Taxi companies

Some trucking firms

New/used car lots- with used car lots, push the liability issue

Auto wreckers- some are restoring headlights then reselling them to walk-ins

Auto wholesalers and auctions

Public selling lots- leave your card but not under the windshield wiper- customer may claim you scratched the windshield. Set it in the corner of the driver's window

Do freebees for Salvation Army, Goodwill or other charities that sells used cars. One of our dealers invoice for $80 per job, then zero out the invoice. They get a tax donation of $80 per car

Ambulances

Do a free demo for the local police/fire dept. in exchange for a letter of recommendation. Most good headlight restoration materials work well with light bars on emergency vehicles

Co-op with a car wash. You pay him a % of what you make, he supplies the space.

Co-op with a quickie lube.

Buy a severely clouded headlight from a wrecker and restore half of it. Show this to prospective customers. After you're in the business for a few months, much of your work will be referrals from your customers. One dealer gives out 5 business cards to each satisfied customer and offers $10 finders fee to send them a new customer. The customer puts his name and address on the back of the card.

If headlight restoration is of interest to you, I have some technical material about the science and marketing info on the size of the headlight restoration market, but I don't think I can post it without sanitizing it first. Contact me directly and I can email it to you.

If you read this far, thanks for your time.

ray6

[Hawaii Guy]

Wow ray6, That was the best and most helpful and accurate post I believe I have ever seen on this subject. I however, do a lot of headlight restoration and use power tools and it does not bother me to have to tape off the area for protective purposes. I absolutely agree with the need to apply a coating for future protection. I do not understand how someone would go through all the effort to restore the headlight and not give it the longevity it deserves unless they just do not know. Education is the key if quality is the desire. Thanks for that post.

[ray6]

Thanks for the comments. Here's another tip. I know many of you apply a new hard coat using a folded lint free towel. This works well, but sometimes takes time to get it right by someone new. It can also be wasteful if you pour your coating onto the wipe. Here's the method we use which can probably be used with your system as well:

We provide latex foam tips in bulk to our dealers, but you can also find these in any drugstore. They're used to apply makeup. They're about 1 1/2 X 1/2 wedges. We also provide wax free 15 ml paper cups. You pour a small amount of your coating into the paper cup then dip the foam wedge and paint the headlight. This method uses the minimal amount of coating and is easier to learn by beginners.

If you hold the wedge correctly, it will automatically apply the right amount of coating. Good UV coatings are expensive, and it is important to use the minimum amount required.

These cups can be hard to find and must be wax free. And no plastic. Most decent hard coats will dissolve plastic cups and dissolve the wax coating. The wax will appear as white streaks in the finished coat (at least it does with ours). You might find these cups at fast food restaurants like McDonald's for catsup. To test for wax, fill a cup with water and wait 15 minutes. If the outside of the cup is damp, there's probably no wax.

If your system uses a chemical stripper to remove the old coating instead of sanding, use cotton applicator pads, also sold in drug stores for applying makeup. Our stripper is tinted blue, so it's easy to tell when the old material is still being removed (by the color on the pad, usually green: blue + yellow). Our method recommends stripping until no additional material can be removed. These pads are typically 1.5X1.5".

For larger quantities of these materials, you can buy on the internet, but it's nice to have a backup or be able to try new things without investing significant time and money. Everyone's got their favorite system, but you can also mix and match most components. If you prefer to sand and polish, you can still incorporate other materials to get better results or higher profit margins. For example, a good stripper can be used to remove the bulk of the old coating then remove the remaining with sanding. Or, use polish to get that promo coat then apply a good UV hardcoat. One caution though. I don't know about other hardcoats, but ours (and probably others) is very sensitive to water. We don't use water in our process but if you do, you must make sure that you remove all traces of water by wiping with 100% alcohol or verify your hardcoat is tolerant of residual water.

Regards,
Ray6