what this could be??

[chips1144]

Im just amazed at the lengths people will go to save 25-50 cents on a job, surely all the time and money spent on trial and error would be better spent doing something else.

Has anyone considered making their own sandpaper or buffing pads? it cant be too hard. LOL.

[WRGuy]

Well said chips1144

You could pick up a years supply of sand at the beach while at the Expo.

[ray6]

If you guarantee your work, I would be very careful about experimenting with unknown or unproven materials. By unproven, I mean will it last a year? Two? How much will you save per job? Is it worth the risk? As a product developer I am familiar with enviromental long term testing and it is difficult and expensive.

Unless you are paying a very high premium, I would think twice before changing horses while galloping.

Ray6

[Presko]

Hey Brite Nite, I watched the video on youtube and went on the website they gave. I don't know what it is , but for that price I might be willing to take a gamble and try it. You never know. If I do, I will post my findings. A few months ago I got scammed into buying Pittman' ALR sold on the web. .

Normally I just read these forums but I joined this one to respond to the statement that ALR is a scam.
I along with hundreds of other people, who you can find listed on ebay have used this product and have nothing but praise for it.
The product is worth every penny. It removes oxidation as advertised, instantly.
Maybe you did not read the description carefully, It is not designed to replace sanding, Its not a scratch remover. Its for headlights that have never been sanded and have a opaque film of oxidation covering the lens.

Don't take my word for it, go to ebay feedback for kemetianmotif and see for yourself, what people who used ALR say about it.
Pittman ALR APC360ID is sold on ebay by a power seller and thats all they sell.
To be a power seller on ebay means a minimum of $3000 per month in sales.

If ALR was a scam they could never sustained sales at that level with the amount of competition on ebay.

In addition to selling on countless other web sites, It's not hard to find or people making positive comments about it.
Have you got any before and after pictures of your headlight?
Sounds like you are trying to repair surface damage.
You should read ads more carefully before you buy.

Why don't you ship it back? They have a money back guarantee. If they refuse to give you a refund then you could say you were scammed.

Post some pictures of the product first to show what the headlight looks like before and after you clean it.
Speaking from experience you weren't scammed, you have had more problems with your headlight than natural oxidation.
Pittman ALR and APC 360ID work just as advertised.

[GlassStarz]

Presko
If large sales makes something legit then we all better go out and buy the $9.95 do it yourself windshield repair kit they sell by the thousands on ebay sorry the argument doesn't float there are dozens of products out there that give a short term appearance change that just don't work long term

[Presko]

GlassStarz Your point is well taken.
My response is based on my personal experrience of the product. I bought some ALR a couple of years ago and My headlights are still clear.
I have used it on all of our cars. (we have three) and on a few friends cars and it worked the same on every car except one.
The one it did not work on lens had been cleaned with abrasives berfore and had turned yellow.
The Pittman ALR took some of the yellow out but the lens surface was damaged to badly to look new again.
Finding a product that really works is a daunting task, but when you do, you want to tell others about your discovery.
That is the purpose of forums, That is how I found out about ALR.
On a side note I made my money back cleaning a couple of sets of headlights and still have oner a half a vial left.
To call this product a scam is not indicative of my experience with it, or others who have left public praise for it.

[Brent Deines]

Presko,

I have not tried the ALR product yet, but I will so that I can relate my personal experience as well, but I think we are talking about 2 different things here. There are a lot of products that will clean up the surface of a headlight that still has the factory coating in tact, but once that coating has begun to deteriorate I do not believe there is anything that will restore it. When it gets to that point it has to be completely removed by sanding. With enough time and care the lens can then be polished back to a very clear finish, very close to the original clarity, but without a protective sealer the lens will begin to deteriorate again, typically within a few months. Properly applied, a high quality sealer will last 2-3 years, or even longer depending on vehicle use, maintenance, weather conditions, vehicle storage, etc. In some cases that is as long or longer than the original coating.

It sounds like you got to your headlights before the factory UV coating had deteriorated, so I don't doubt the results you state. On the other hand, I think the majority of people posting to the Headlight Restoration Forum are working primarily with headlight lenses that have already deteriorated to the point that the original UV coating cannot be restored, in which case I suspect the ALR product will fall short of professional expectations. Notice I said "suspect" because I have not tried the product myself. I'll have some verifiable test data to support either your argument or mine very soon.

I also agree with GlassStarz that just because you sell a lot of something does not mean it is a good product. Anyone who has gotten sucked in by an infomercial can attest to that. I can't tell you how many miracle glues and wonder tapes I have purchased over the years that turned out to be complete garbage, yet the testimonials stating how wonderful they are continue to roll in.

[Deacon]

Well said, Brent I look forward to your review. I know you will do a fair, unbiased, and thorough analysis of this product. Thank you.

[Presko]

Presko,
I also agree with GlassStarz that just because you sell a lot of something does not mean it is a good product. Anyone who has gotten sucked in by an infomercial can attest to that. I can't tell you how many miracle glues and wonder tapes I have purchased over the years that turned out to be complete garbage, yet the testimonials stating how wonderful they are continue to roll in.

I confess to being a victom of an infomercial, It was a battery operated soldering pen that got me, however I believe I am as scheptical as the next person.
Being an eBay member I had the advantage of being able to contact some people who left praise through a link provided on the ALR web site.
I even contacted one who left a complaint. The odds were 99 to 1 that it would work as advertised.
You are right when you say you suspect it won't repair a damaged lens.
That is not what they advertise the product for.
I would argue your point that the UV layer only lasts 5 years.
The UV layer is basicly a thermoplastic. Acrylics / plastic takes longer to break down then steel. That is why it's used in paint designed to cover metal.
I have seen countless cars in the junkyard and on the road well over 10 years old that have the UV layer fully intact. Certainly there is some wear as you would find on the front of any vehicles paint and grill but nothing like the clouding and damage one swipe of sandpaper will do to the surface of a transparent light refractive lens.
I have read about too many horror stories involving sandpaper on headlights, so that method was never considered a serious option.
Once I under stood that it was not the headlight that was damaged but a film of natural oxidation that had covered it, I choose to focus on removing the oxidation.
I read that using polish is a lot of work and it only lasts for a month or so then the lens clouds up even worse.
I bought my car new, so I looked for a non abrasive solution for new cars with headlight oxidation not a resurfacer for old cars with surface damage.
If you have surface damage old or new, I agree your only option is to resurface.

[GlassStarz]

Presko
If I am wrong forgive me but we have had a few mfgs sneak on here to promote there product on the sly and you sure are starting to sound like one
Again if im wrong im sorry everyone is welcome here and we certainly want to hear what works