mr.tourette23 Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 My headlights are starting to show some signs of the coating delaminating on the outer edges, and the drivers side unit has gotten just a couple of very small beginnings of crazing, Ive been thinking about solutions. the replacement service (expensive but very nice) going the polish and ppf route, but there is a local company that do a refurb at a very reasonable price, I asked about 2k clearcoat but its not something they offer but they do protect with a UV coating guaranteed for 2 years.. heres what they have said in an email "For a full refurbishment there is a 6-7 stage process depending on the severity and on average it takes me 2.5hrs including preparation and clean up. Final stages consist of an application of acrylic polish and our own tough, protective coating which comes with a 2yr guarantee against UV degradation. The standard charge for the pair is £120 (incl.VAT). If the units are severely scratched then there would be an additional charge of £10 as I would need to carry out an additional stage, but generally speaking this is rarely required" Lots of good reviews and pictures of their work, my thought is will this coating be satisfactory and will it stop any further chances of crazing? Its UV damage that causes the crazing right? Seems a reasonable price, Im loathe to spend much more as Im only planning to keep the car 2, maybe 3 more years before upgrading to a GTS hopefully and Im trying to reign in my modding desires, there's so much Id like to do to the car, upgrade steering wheel, new wheels, lower it, put spacers on, but for the first time ever Im keeing my eyes on the next car and trying to enjoy this for what it is. Anyway I've gone on a bit there.. back on topic.. The coating offered would be ok rather than a proper 2k clearcoat? Ill try and get a bit more detail on what exactly it is.. Im assuming some kind of ceramic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bally4563 Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 6 minutes ago, mr.tourette23 said: My headlights are starting to show some signs of the coating delaminating on the outer edges, and the drivers side unit has gotten just a couple of very small beginnings of crazing, Ive been thinking about solutions. the replacement service (expensive but very nice) going the polish and ppf route, but there is a local company that do a refurb at a very reasonable price, I asked about 2k clearcoat but its not something they offer but they do protect with a UV coating guaranteed for 2 years.. heres what they have said in an email "For a full refurbishment there is a 6-7 stage process depending on the severity and on average it takes me 2.5hrs including preparation and clean up. Final stages consist of an application of acrylic polish and our own tough, protective coating which comes with a 2yr guarantee against UV degradation. The standard charge for the pair is £120 (incl.VAT). If the units are severely scratched then there would be an additional charge of £10 as I would need to carry out an additional stage, but generally speaking this is rarely required" Lots of good reviews and pictures of their work, my thought is will this coating be satisfactory and will it stop any further chances of crazing? Its UV damage that causes the crazing right? Seems a reasonable price, Im loathe to spend much more as Im only planning to keep the car 2, maybe 3 more years before upgrading to a GTS hopefully and Im trying to reign in my modding desires, there's so much Id like to do to the car, upgrade steering wheel, new wheels, lower it, put spacers on, but for the first time ever Im keeing my eyes on the next car and trying to enjoy this for what it is. Anyway I've gone on a bit there.. back on topic.. The coating offered would be ok rather than a proper 2k clearcoat? Ill try and get a bit more detail on what exactly it is.. Im assuming some kind of ceramic Can you provide a link/ details please that seems quite reasonable if they are guaranteeing there work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.tourette23 Posted February 21 Author Report Share Posted February 21 Sure https://www.google.com/search?q=headlight+refurb+near+me&oq=headlight+refurb+near+me&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCTEwMzU1ajBqN6gCALACAA&client=tablet-android-samsung-nf-rev1&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#trex=m_t:lcl_akp,rc_f:rln,rc_ludocids:11153098607400574585,ru_gwp:0%2C7,ru_lqi:ChhoZWFkbGlnaHQgcmVmdXJiIG5lYXIgbWUiA5ABAUi37ZTyhLSAgAhaJBAAEAEYARgCGAMiGGhlYWRsaWdodCByZWZ1cmIgbmVhciBtZZIBGWF1dG9fZ2xhc3NfcmVwYWlyX3NlcnZpY2WaASRDaGREU1VoTk1HOW5TMFZKUTBGblNVTmFNSFkyVUhwUlJSQUI,trex_id:SbIAR&lpg=cid:CgIgAQ%3D%3D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattman42 Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 Is the crazing in the plastic lens itself or just on the surface of the lens? I've seen pics of headlights where the crazing is the lens, i wouldn't think any amount of polishing would get that out or prevent it from getting worse? Could you not polish off the coating yourself and then use a UV coating after? Headlight restoration kits usually come with a protector - perhaps not as permanent as PPF? I used G3 Pro Scratch Remover with by orbital polisher on my headlights as they were starting to cloud around the edges - removed all of the cloudiness and then applied some UV coating from a T-cut restoration kit. After 5 months there's no sign of any cloudiness returning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattman42 Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 3 minutes ago, Mattman42 said: Is the crazing in the plastic lens itself or just on the surface of the lens? I've seen pics of headlights where the crazing is the lens, i wouldn't think any amount of polishing would get that out or prevent it from getting worse? Could you not polish off the coating yourself and then use a UV coating after? Headlight restoration kits usually come with a protector - perhaps not as permanent as PPF? I used G3 Pro Scratch Remover with by orbital polisher on my headlights as they were starting to cloud around the edges - removed all of the cloudiness and then applied some UV coating from a T-cut restoration kit. After 5 months there's no sign of any cloudiness returning. These were my before and after photos: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.tourette23 Posted February 21 Author Report Share Posted February 21 1 hour ago, Mattman42 said: Is the crazing in the plastic lens itself or just on the surface of the lens? I've seen pics of headlights where the crazing is the lens, i wouldn't think any amount of polishing would get that out or prevent it from getting worse? Could you not polish off the coating yourself and then use a UV coating after? Headlight restoration kits usually come with a protector - perhaps not as permanent as PPF? I used G3 Pro Scratch Remover with by orbital polisher on my headlights as they were starting to cloud around the edges - removed all of the cloudiness and then applied some UV coating from a T-cut restoration kit. After 5 months there's no sign of any cloudiness returning. I absolutely could do it myself and I have on previous cars.. but after a lifetime of servicing my own vehicles and doing stuff like this Ive come to the conclusion lately that I dont enjoy it as much as I used too and I really cant be arsed anymore, I think if I had a nice warm double garage to work in Id happily go for it, but it's tiring going in and out of my workshop getting this and that, sitting on the drive or bent over an engine bay and my old aching bones don't appreciate it any more, I've saved enough money over the years to let someone else take care of it these days 😊 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.tourette23 Posted February 21 Author Report Share Posted February 21 Got a reply on the coating, this seems like a good deal and the guy seems very knowledgeable, might give this a shot 👍 The coating we use is called "SuperNano Acrylic Coating" which is what all of the SGR UK and SuperGlass International franchise networks use. It is manufactured in the States by SuperGlass and it cannot be purchased on the open market. It is a silicon-ceramic treatment designed to provide maximum protection to the headlights of vehicles against staining, microbial growth, fading due to UV exposure, acid rain and other airborne pollutants associated with the environment. It restores the surfaces to near original colour and gloss. Its extreme hydrophobic nature exhibits an increased coefficient of friction on the substrate it is applied to, making the coated surface not slippery when wet. We provide a 2yr guarantee against UV degradation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bally4563 Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 7 hours ago, mr.tourette23 said: Sure https://www.google.com/search?q=headlight+refurb+near+me&oq=headlight+refurb+near+me&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCTEwMzU1ajBqN6gCALACAA&client=tablet-android-samsung-nf-rev1&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#trex=m_t:lcl_akp,rc_f:rln,rc_ludocids:11153098607400574585,ru_gwp:0%2C7,ru_lqi:ChhoZWFkbGlnaHQgcmVmdXJiIG5lYXIgbWUiA5ABAUi37ZTyhLSAgAhaJBAAEAEYARgCGAMiGGhlYWRsaWdodCByZWZ1cmIgbmVhciBtZZIBGWF1dG9fZ2xhc3NfcmVwYWlyX3NlcnZpY2WaASRDaGREU1VoTk1HOW5TMFZKUTBGblNVTmFNSFkyVUhwUlJSQUI,trex_id:SbIAR&lpg=cid:CgIgAQ%3D%3D Ok got that but it isn’t clear to me which company you are in discussions with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Caped Crusader Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 There's a bodyshop near me that refurb Porsche lights. They do all the usual steps to polish out all the degradation and then use a Glasurit lacquer as the final coat. Look like brand new with a coating that would likeky last longer than two years. They can also have a local company apply ppf on top of the paint thereby adding stonechip protection too. I'm in Scotland, by the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.tourette23 Posted February 21 Author Report Share Posted February 21 10 minutes ago, bally4563 said: Ok got that but it isn’t clear to me which company you are in discussions with Apologies I thought that link took you to the company, it's this one https://superglassrepairs.co.uk/ SGR Chester and North Wales Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bally4563 Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 43 minutes ago, mr.tourette23 said: Apologies I thought that link took you to the company, it's this one https://superglassrepairs.co.uk/ SGR Chester and North Wales Thanks they come to you or do you send them off ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.tourette23 Posted February 21 Author Report Share Posted February 21 35 minutes ago, bally4563 said: Thanks they come to you or do you send them off ? They come to you buddy 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beancounter Posted February 23 Report Share Posted February 23 £120 seems unbelievably cheap. You should be sure whether he is quoting for a normal refurb, in contrast to fixing delamination. If it is delamination, they will have to sand all the way through the OEM UV coating as the crazing is on the inside. The coating used is extremely hard and has to be sanded aggressively. The tricky bit is getting just enough sanded off the lens (across a curved surface) without cutting into the lens. i had mine done (it was a lot more than £120, but a lot less than nearly £3k for new headlight units) and they have done a great job. Good luck - a shame Porsche won’t warranty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mypropaganda Posted February 23 Report Share Posted February 23 On 2/21/2024 at 4:55 PM, The Caped Crusader said: There's a bodyshop near me that refurb Porsche lights. They do all the usual steps to polish out all the degradation and then use a Glasurit lacquer as the final coat. Look like brand new with a coating that would likeky last longer than two years. They can also have a local company apply ppf on top of the paint thereby adding stonechip protection too. I'm in Scotland, by the way. Where about is this? Looking to have mine refurbed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichW426 Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 Mine weren't the best and so used a Turtle wax lens polish on them. Just polish them after washing and its slightly abrasive with UV resistant properties apparently. Its done the trick and the lights have come up great. Maybe worth a try? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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