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3M Headlight Lens Restoration System

3M Headlight Lens Restoration System

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Brand: 3M
Category: Automotive Parts and Accessories

List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $11.00
as of 3/19/2010 04:17 WIT details
You Save: $8.99 (45%)



New (10) from $11.00

Seller: Just Suspension
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 164 reviews

Media: Automotive
Size: EACH
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7 x 6 x 3.6

MPN: 60455033872
Model: 39008
UPC: 051131390089
EAN: 0051131390089

Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Features:
  • Easy, 3-step process requires as little as an hour to remove scratches and restore cloudy, dull lenses
  • Features 3M abrasive technology and a polishing compound to restore hazy and dull headlight lenses, as well as other plastic lens surfaces on your vehicle
  • System is intended to restore two headlight lenses
  • Utilizes the muscle power of a common household (1200-1600 rpm) drill to do all the necessary sanding and buffing
  • This item is not for sale in Catalina Island

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Performance of headlingt is improved and the appearance of the vehicle is enhanced. It is more cost effective than paying a professional service. Kit includes all items necessary to perform task except for the drill, tape and clean cloth.

Amazon.com Product Description
In the past, replacing scratched, clouded or yellowed plastic headlight covers was an expensive necessity in order to preserve safety. But now with the 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System, car and motorcycle owners can shine and restore plastic lenses — including headlights, tail lights, fog and directional lights — to like-new condition for a fraction of the cost. This kit includes everything needed to restore two headlight lenses, excluding the user-supplied household drill (1200-1600 rpm), automotive tape, clean cloth, and spray bottle.

3M Headlight Lens Restoration System packaging
Restore clouded plastic headlights to crystal clarity.
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Scratched headlight example used with the 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System
Plastic headlight repair in 3 steps.
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Home power drill used in the wet sanding step as part of the 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System
2-step sanding process.
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Home power drill used in the buffing step of the 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System
Buff and polish.
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Example of a headlight restored using the 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System
And see clearly again.
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Clouded Plastic Headlights
Plastic surfaces are great for giving vehicles lightweight, durable components – from plastic headlight lenses to motorcycle windshields, plastic tail lights, trailers and more. But these plastic components can yellow and haze with weather, sun and sand, limiting visibility and diminishing the appearance and value of the vehicle. While the impact on a vehicle's value varies, the dangers in terms of limited visibility are clear: It is a factor in 2.8 million accidents, 23,000 fatal crashes and 2,300 pedestrian deaths each year, according to the Motor Vehicle Lighting Council. Dim headlight bulbs and hazy plastic headlight lenses or surfaces may lead to this reduced visibility, putting you, your passengers and other cars at risk. The AAIA Car Care Council found that 26 percent of the cars it inspected had issues with their lighting system. Millions of cars on the road today have plastic headlight lenses. The problem increases with the age of the lens, and with the average age of cars on the road about 10 years old, the problem is growing. Yet there is something you can do about it.

The Do-It-Yourself Solution
The 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System is designed to give do-it-yourselfers an easy and affordable way to repair their vehicle's plastic lens surfaces. Containing various graded sanding pads, pad holders, buffing pads, polish and detailed instructions, it includes everything users need to turn their household drill into a low cost solution to this dangerous automotive problem. The Lens Renewal Kit can also be used to repair hazing on other plastic surfaces, including taillights, emergency light bars, plastic motorcycle lights, trailers, snowmobiles and more. Compared to having headlight lenses commercially repaired for approximately $75-$150 or replaced for up to $1,500, the 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System costs a fraction of that price, and the entire process takes under an hour, depending on the extent of the damage.

How Does it Work?
The steps for using the 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System are as easy as 1-2-3. First, sand the hazed surface in a two-stage wet sanding process with the enclosed sanding pads until the surface is smooth and the dulled layer is removed. Then polish with the 3M plastic polish, and buff with the buffing pad to the level of clarity desired in the plastic. In addition to a standard household drill mentioned (1200-1600 rpm) used in the buffing process, you will also need 3M Automotive Masking Tape to protect the body panels of your car surrounding the work area, and a spray bottle and water used in the wet sanding process. Otherwise, everything that you need is included in the kit.

Features:

  • 3M abrasive technology and a polishing compound to restore hazy and dull headlight lenses, as well as other plastic lens surfaces on your vehicle.
  • System is intended to restore two headlight lenses.
  • Utilizes the muscle power of a common household (1200-1600 rpm) drill to do all the necessary sanding and buffing.
  • This inexpensive kit saves hundreds of dollars and restores crucial night time visibility by restoring your own lenses.
  • Easy, 3-step process requires as little as an hour to remove scratches and restore cloudy, dull lenses.
What's in the Box
1-disc pad holder, 1-3M soft interface pad, 6-3M sanding discs, 4-3M finishing discs, 1- 3M trizact disc, 1-3M headlight lens polish/rubbing compound (1 oz), 1-buffing pad, step-by-step directions.

Limitation of Liability
Except where prohibited by law, 3M will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from the 3M product, whether direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential, regardless of the legal theory asserted, including warranty, contract, negligence or strict liability.

About 3M
3M is fundamentally a science-based company. They produce thousands of imaginative products, and they are a leader in scores of markets - from health care and highway safety to office products and abrasives and adhesives.




Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 164
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5 out of 5 stars Pleasantly Surprised   October 8, 2008
Daugenet Breaux (Charleston, SC)
76 out of 76 found this review helpful

I own an 11 year old car and the headlights had become significantly glazed over. The only thing the drill doesnt come with is a drill. (which would really drive up the cost of the kit) The steps are pretty easy to restore your headlight

1. Clean the headlight and tape around the headlight edgeds to protect the paint job.
2. Use the "yellow" sanding disk with the drill attachment. The headlight will take on a more cloudy, but uniform, appearance
3. Use the "white" disk and smooth out the surface
4. Use the "gray" disk (with water) and begin the polishing of the surface
5. Finally use the "orange" foam disk with the polishing compound and complete the job.

Instructions are included with the kit and are pretty straightforward. I would say that anyone can do this job in approximately 2 hours or less. The drill attachment is WELL worth the money.

I was actually able to do two cars with one kit. Obviously this will depend on the condition of your headlights. I would recommend buying one kit per car though.

When using the kit I actually wiped off the "dust" that was created between steps. This wasnt mentioned in the instructions but I dont feel that it effected the results either. If you do the same thing then you will not see much of the "white slurry" described in the instructions when using the gray disk.

I hope this review helps and I will try to check back later to see if anyone has some comments that need answering.



5 out of 5 stars SAVED ME HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS   September 7, 2008
Michael H (Indiana, USA)
22 out of 23 found this review helpful

WOW! I drive a 12 year old car that is in very good shape, with the exception of the headlight lenses. I looked into replacements, they were priced at over $100 each, ouch! So while in the local AutoZone I found this kit for 17 bucks, and thought why not give it a try. It took less than an hour to have my headlights looking like new. It was also very easy to use, with all the supplies in the kit all I had to furnish was a drill. Easy, Inexpensive, and it works! I will tell everyone I know how great this product is!!


5 out of 5 stars Shining Results   November 30, 2008
Mike M. (Long Valley, NJ)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

I was a bit sceptical about how effective this product could be for its relatively very low price. The competitive "3 and 4 stage" type products cost at least three times the price and are a lot more involved to apply. However, the 3M results were truly impressive. You do have to follow the instructions and be sure to use the foam cushion backing pad included in the kit as well as a drill with the recommended RPMs. With that said, you will get truly impressive results at a cost less than any other do-it-yourself product and certainly well below the hundred dollar plus you would have to pay a professional shop. Definitely a "best buy" and highly recommended!


5 out of 5 stars Fantastic Product - I thought my lens was beyond repair. Not so!   July 19, 2009
Art Diefenbach (Newport Beach, CA)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

This product is just incredible. I have a 6 year old Jetta which had deep pits in the headlight lenses. They looked like they had been sand blasted. [...]. The results were fantastic. The lenses now look as good as new.

Some tips from my experience:
1. If you're going to wash your car the same day as you restore the lenses, wash after you do the lenses. Some plastic dust blows around and there is some spatter on the wet sand.
2. Be sure to really protect the surrounding paint. 3M recommends two layers of automotive masking tape, which I did. But I did cut through in two places with the edge of the sandpaper. So if there is any chance of touching the body of you car with the edge of the sandpaper, put on 3 or 4 layers of tape.
3. The kit comes with plenty of supplies: sandpaper and plastic polish. The directions warn that there may not be enough supplies, but I had plenty left over, although admittedly the Jetta headlights aren't that large. I don't see any need to buy the kit with the large bottles of plastic cleaner and polish unless you need that stuff for other projects.
4. I followed the directions exactly. I went the extra mile of doing extra passes on each level of sanding to insure I got out all the original damage and then each level of sanding scratches. I got as uniform level of appearance as I could. As the instructions say doing more at each level makes the next level easier. I also ended each level with a few passes with lower pressure.
5. I'd say the only tricky part is holding the drill steady while you sand away. It can jump around if you're not careful. I set up a stool with the appropriate height so I could rest my forearm that was holding the drill on my thigh. I held the drill with both hands and then moved it steadily across the lens. I sanded the whole lens with horizontal passes overlapping on each pass and then repeated vertical passes. I used about 10 total passes at each level.

Each lens took me about 30-45 minutes. I was skeptical that my damage could be repaired. But there is absolutely no evidence of the original damage and the lenses look as good as new. It is so satisfying to see the results, what a difference.

Oh, and the price is a terrific bargain too.



5 out of 5 stars Great product   November 9, 2008
J. B.
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

This item is simply amazing, I used it on my 2003 VW Jetta's headlights and they now look like new. I tried a different kit from auto zone and didn't work at all (complete waste of money). Just be sure to follow the instructions and take your time. 3m has also put a great video on youtube with detailed instructions. Also there is a nice write up on Popular Mechanics web site that also recommends this product (the reason I ended up buying this).

Also a friend of mine paid $100 to have his car done by a "pro" who sprayed varnish on lights. This is a bad idea, it lasted about 3 weeks and they then looked worse then before. So if your on the fence about how to polish your headlights buy this, and use a nice wax like Meguiars nxt or some other wax with UV protectant to keep them looking new. You wont be disappointed.


Showing reviews 1-5 of 164
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