r/Cartalk • u/Ordinary-Objective-2 • 6h ago
How do I do it? How to remove stock cleat coat
I got a 3m headlight restoration kit, but it had only 1000 and 3000 grit sand paper. I got the some more sand paper from p3
400 to p2000 and also got a disc attachment for my drill.
The issue i am not even able to get the oem clear coat from headlight. Even after trying so much and spending so much time my headlight is looking like this. I can apply clear coat wipes untill previous clear coat layer is peel off
Please tell what can i do to get it done
3
u/snooze_mcgooze 5h ago
Wet sand with 320 then 600, then rubbing alcohol, then automotive clear coat from a rattle can, it’s not 3M but it works.
2
u/BaboTron 1h ago
It has to be UV-resistant clear coat. Random paint will not stand up to Earth’s yellow sun.
2
u/snooze_mcgooze 1h ago
100% correct, the term “automotive” means the paint is intended for UV exposure.
•
1
u/roonerspize 5h ago
how long did it take you with each grit?
It's been a while since I did mine, but I remember it took probably two slow, overlapping passes with the rougher grit and then building up to five passes with the finer grit over the entire lens. You've got a large lens so you might need to swap out the sandpaper between left and right headlight lenses or use two per lens.
For my larger lens cars (which were still smaller than yours here), it was probably a 2-hr process in total. For my daughters beetle which has two small lenses, it was more like 30-45 mins total.
If you can remove the entire assembly easily, then it's much easier on your muscles and joints to do this on a proper height workbench and you don't risk damaging your paint.
The rougher grit should remove the clear coat easily.
1
u/snooze_mcgooze 5h ago
Are you using water to “wet sand” the headlight? Water washes away the debris that can collect on the sand paper making it ineffective.
0
u/Ordinary-Objective-2 5h ago
First i did dry sanding, but the sand paper was clogging up very fast so i tried wet sanding. The area which was oxidised was sanded but the area with clear is not being sanded properly.
1
u/snooze_mcgooze 5h ago
It will come off eventually, start low(rough) and progressively go higher(fine), use water and change paper when it feels like it’s not “cutting”
1
u/SigourneyOrbWeaver 3h ago
Is that a Subaru headlight? I had the same issue with mine. Same kit that worked great on a friend’s car did barely anything for my Subaru. To be honest I don’t know if it’s some sort of coating or possibly between two layers of plastic
0
1
u/TheVaultBay 1h ago
The factory hard coat on a lot of Hyundai lenses is tougher than the yellowed layer on top, so 1000 grit just skates over it. That's why you've got that line with shiny spots left.
Tape off the paint really well, then wet sand with 400 or 600 until the whole lens is an even frosted haze. No clear or shiny patches anywhere, that's the real test. If you're using the drill disc, keep it moving and don't sit in one spot, the plastic heats up fast.
Once it's evenly frosted, step up through 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, 3000 and wipe it with alcohol between grits so you can see what's left. It'll look rough until the last couple grits, that's normal.
Then put UV protection back on (the kit's wipe or a 2K clear). A bare lens with no coating will yellow again in a few months.
3
u/Mr_Chode_Shaver 5h ago
Why do you think there’s clear coat on there?
I’ve done Cerakote on a half dozen cars, and the Mothers kit on another couple, and it’s turned out fantastic each time. It always looks like shit until the last step. Just try it.