billybunters - from a bmw z4 to a mx5 se

billybunter · Postby **billybunter** » Thu Dec 22, 2016 6:55 pm

wife went shopping today and brought me back a headlight cleaning/restoration kit by turtle wax. mine had a bit of oxidation on the lens so I decided to give one a quick work over.

it appears to work alright so later I might get into it and clean the lot while I have the chance to do so.

I might try my other headlight with 1500 wet/dry and a mild cutting compound and i'd say it would do the job and cheaper

main thing is it does work

Rolley · Postby **Rolley** » Fri Dec 23, 2016 10:07 am

If you are going to use a standard cutting/polishing compound you will need to find a UV sealer of some description or you will be back in 6 months to do it all again.
My old T30 X-Trail has a yellowed RH headlight like every other one on the road, Once you notice this you can't unsee it. I think left and right were made in separate factories...
I can get it back to clear with a very mild cut but because the 3M compounds have no seal or UV stabilizers it never lasts long.

ralt · Postby **ralt** » Fri Dec 23, 2016 1:13 pm

Hi Billy.
Just use brasso.

KevGoat · Postby **KevGoat** » Fri Dec 23, 2016 1:37 pm

Rolley wrote:If you are going to use a standard cutting/polishing compound you will need to find a UV sealer of some description or you will be back in 6 months to do it all again.

I wasn't aware of that. I had a couple of hazy patches on my headlights so I rubbed them back with some mild compound a couple of months ago. Looks like I need to find a decent UV sealer or I'll be doing them again soon!

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billybunter · Postby **billybunter** » Fri Dec 23, 2016 2:09 pm

I might paint them red - that will solve it :lol:

black windscreen surround painted today. might even re-do the quarter vents :wink:

looks a bit bare at the moment but I think once some of the other black parts are added it will even out

Roadrunner · Postby **Roadrunner** » Fri Dec 23, 2016 2:35 pm

Black window surround looks good. Be keen to see what the whole lot looks like when finished

billybunter · Postby **billybunter** » Fri Dec 23, 2016 4:35 pm

I thought I might have a crack at sprucing up the quarter window as it looked a bit tired after the windscreen surround was painted. it was more a quick mask up and see how it goes.

billybunter · Postby **billybunter** » Fri Dec 23, 2016 4:36 pm

placed the hardware back on both door jams. really happy with this area. looks nice and much better than before

billybunter · Postby **billybunter** » Fri Dec 23, 2016 7:53 pm

exterior mirror red or black?

Rolley · Postby **Rolley** » Fri Dec 23, 2016 8:28 pm

Black if you're changing the wheel colour. Red if you plan on keeping the wheels white.
This is coming along so well.

billybunter · Postby **billybunter** » Sat Dec 24, 2016 1:00 pm

i thought today would be a good day to re-dye the dash. as usual masking is always the worst part of it

billybunter · Postby **billybunter** » Sat Dec 24, 2016 1:01 pm

couple of coats on for the quick tidy up. next probably the carpet then the trim

BlackLeaf · Postby **BlackLeaf** » Sat Dec 24, 2016 2:41 pm

billybunter wrote:I thought I might have a crack at sprucing up the quarter window as it looked a bit tired after the windscreen surround was painted. it was more a quick mask up and see how it goes.

Yep, if you paint the windscreen frame black, be prepared to also do the windscreen cowl, wiper arms and weatherstrips.