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Whats the latest options on replacement headlights?
Hello all,
I'm trying to get up to speed on Fits. So basically ANY info is good info for me.
Whats the latest suggestions on replacing the headlights? Looks like mine are getting there as they've seen almost 200k. So am looking at replacing the lights eventually.
Have you tried polishing them? You'd be surprised at how horrible they can look and still be recovered with serious polishing and coating.
LOL I'll probably start looking that direction when I find out how much replacement lights are! BTW, what did you use? Is there like a default standard method and compound, or is it all over the board?
It is ALL over the board. Literally any abrasive will work followed by polishing and then a good UV protectant to keep them from turning again.
Once you polish them the first time, they will turn even faster if not protected.
This last go around I wet sanded them with 2000 grit wet/dry sand paper and then hand polished them with Meguiars medium cut cleaner, then fine cut cleaner, and then swirl remover. Final step was to coat them with Meguiars Headlight coating.
Prior to using the Meguiars coating I was using various sealants and waxes to provide the UV protection, but none lasted very long. I'm liking the Meguiars headlight coating because it's more like a clear coat that also adds back shine. Key is you have to either fully tape and mask the area or spray the headlights with them removed because it's clear coat. Wife and I can pull the front bumper and lights off so fast now that we just did them off the car.
You can literally use any kind of polishing method though. There are kits you use with a drill, you can use a dremel with a buffing wheel, you can use actual plastic compounds, you can do by hand or with a rotary, etc. I've even heard of using toothpaste.
Last set of headlights I did (father in-laws Acura TSX), I was in a hurry so I just grabbed my rotary and let it eat with compound and then finishing polish. That's the fastest method, but requires tools and is not as safe as doing by hand.
Thanks for the info.
However, I will only do this procedure (as well as re-uninstalling the hub caps) at the day before trade-in. I don't want my car to "stand out" due to number of reasons beyond this forum
I hear you can bake them in the over at 200 degrees F and open them up to retrofit H1 projectors into them. With projectors you can then use HID's safely and have a clean cutoff. The retrofits have a high beam flap as well. Not seeing too many Fit owners do this yet.