I've learned with experience that a thin initial coat of clear helps wet the surface, kind of primes it, so the subsequent coats go on smoothly. A thick initial clear coat can pull the underlying paint coat off. (Not an issue with headlights.) But I like your explanation of how a thick final coat reduces orange peel by letting surface tension pull the final surface flat. Too many thin coats just end up adding to the orange peel, like growing crystals.
Thank you very much for this tutorial! I just did my 07 TSX and they look absolutely fantastic. I used the U-pol clear #1 that you recommended and it did great.
YAY!!! now i can fix my fog light too!! hit a stupid raccoon months ago. he bent the bumper and shattered the fog light. thinking about upgrading them while im at it.
This is the most thorough solution to this problem I've seen on YT-thanks for the excellence & honesty man! I'm a gal & never did the clear coat so they kept fogging up. Do you recommend the exact clear coat you have or any other in case I don't find that one? TY very very much!
Thanks! A 2k Clear will be best, followed by a 1k Clear. If you can't find either of those, just look for a clear that claims to be UV Resistant. Search gooogle/amazon for "2k clear aerosol" and some options should come up.
@@6thGearGarage thank You so much, ill have to try to cover my car up instead of removing the bumper & all that tho I sense I really should do it right from the beginning - Blessings! ⚓
Daamn looks good Like u said I usually go down to 800 grit wet/dry and just go up to 3000. Then use something like plastX qnd that works for a few months just wipe quick to renew..def wanna try that wax removal
No, never had any problems like that with my TSX. The only issues I've had outside of regular maintenance is a knock sensor, coolant temp sensor on the radiator, and the console storage door jammed and broke.
I did this today and I used upol clear coat aerosol can. I ended up with orange peel. I tried a heavier coat after and still orange peel. Can I wet sand again tomorrow and throw more clear?
Great video. What happens if the painting does not go as planned, do I use thinner to remove it? I tried sanding it ince it dried up but I'm having a hard time with it.
Great video man! I can't wait to do this to my 2008 Acura Tsx. Did you do a video on painting the front bumper? I have a ton of paint chips there as well.
6th Gear Garage any chance you could post that video to? I really want to try and clean up my tsx this summer. Also, where did you get your paint from ?
Hi Brian, I have a 2004 Acura TSX and just watched your video on changing the oil, thanks! I'll be working on that in the next week. Aside from that, the low beams burned out on my car and I've been told I need to replace the entire headlamp on both sides. Does that sound right to you, or can I get by with replacing a bulb? Also, do you have a video on how to do either (replacing a bulb or the entire headlamp). Thanks for your help!
The entire headlamp is probably fine unless it's leaking, but the low beams are HID bulbs which use a ballast for each headlamp, in addition to a special bulb. If they aren't working, it could be a bad ballast, bulb, or both. I've replaced them before on a TSX, but didn't get a video. I had to take the bumper off and remove the headlamp to replace the ballast, because it is under the headlight. It took a couple hours to do both sides. Getting the bumper and headlights off is tricky if you haven't done it before. I have videos of how to remove both of those.
@@6thGearGarage Dude! You responded the same day to a two and a half year old video! You are my UA-cam hero! I've got a 2004 TSX, reliable as heck. One of the first cars to use xenon bulbs I think(?) Cars used to flash me because they I assumed I had my highbeams on. I wish I could have seen their faces when I flashed my real highbeams back! Its been a long time since that's happened, though. :(
@@squirlmy The headlights in the TSX are the best of any car I've owned. (Probably because every other car I've owned is from the 80's or 90's.) One of the first cars with Xenon headlights I remember seeing was a Lincoln Mark VIII. I thought they were the coolest thing ever. Honda/Acura have always made great HID headlights on their vehicles. The S2000's are one of my favorites to see coming toward me at night.
@@6thGearGarage Yeah, I remember dreaming of the day I could own a MarkVIII when I was a teenager. Now I'm wondering if I should get a Kia Stinger GT2 or a C43. Times change. Great video on the bumper/headlight removal/refinish. I may try to refinish my headlights since I need to replace my front bumper. Since I'd be using U-Pol (if I can find it), rather than a spray gun (since I'm not buying an air compressor and gun just for this), would you apply the same amount for each of the 3 coats as you did in the video with U-Pol? Also, if I needed new push pins for my bumper, are those garden variety found at Autozone/Advance Auto parts, or are those dealership only? Thank you for your time and your videos!
@@ryanshannon6963 Yeah, the U-pol will be good with 3 coats. You can also get 2k aerosol clear on ebay, which will last even longer. I believe the Upol is only a 1k clear. The 2k is urethane, which is what the clear on the rest of the car is = better UV resistant and a harder finish. The 2k aerosol is 1-time use only, because the clear and hardener mix inside of the can the first time you use it. You can get the replacement bumper clips on ebay/amazon as well. I saw a Stinger in person the other day, Kia has come a long way. It was a really nice car!
I got Accord '08 (its the same car for europe) and i wonder how it held up with time? I used ro have cracks in clear over time. This is 2.5 yo video, so if u still got tsx, can u tell me how it is now?
They really looks nice even after some time, tnx, i might clearcoat them also. Atm my car has bumper and headlights removed, so now is the time, ill prolly do them tomorrow :D@@6thGearGarage
@@6thGearGarage Yeah. Ill prolly do it better now, since in the past i had bad expirience with clear coating, but i didnt go thick as u did. I wilk do it as u did now. Tnx :)
Thanks. I watched the bumper removal. Do you need to remove the bumper to change my headlight? and do you recommend taking off the bracket or can I just take the headlight ? Appreciate this.
Yeah. Unfortunately, the bumper covers the bolts under the headlight. Once the bumper is out of the way, you can either remove just the headlight, or the bracket with it. I thought the bolts for the bracket were a little easier to get to.
@@6thGearGarage Yes, but if you do the math, you get more miles per dollar on the 87 octane. I only use premium if I take cars to the track, where that little bit of performance might matter, and more importantly where the engines are running at high load where detonation or preignition could be an issue.
They say not to wax a freshly painted car for a while, to let the paint fully cure. I don't know exactly how long to wait, but now that you mention it, using the headlights heats them up and helps cure the paint faster, so 2 months is probably a longer wait than needed.
So using that U-POL Clear product, once applied straight out of the can, that would be the last step in treating the headlight surface? I ask more or less the the same question as Billy because I barely have any tools and know-how. If I try doing this fix, I’ll have to take some shortcuts from what I’ve watched in this video, but if these were to compromise the desired effect too much, I’ll just leave the headlights foggy. (I did take out the headlamps last week to replace ballasts, ignitors, and bulbs, a big feat for me, but couldn’t even take down the bumper completely because I don’t have the tools to break or release the two clamps at the very bottom, which were rusted to the bolts. I can compensate for only so many challenges I’d run into given my limited arsenal and skill set.) Thank you, Michal (Mike)
After 5 years of use, they still looked as good as they did right after I restored them. UV resistant 2k Clear is the key ingredient that a lot of these headlight restoration kits are missing.
I've learned with experience that a thin initial coat of clear helps wet the surface, kind of primes it, so the subsequent coats go on smoothly. A thick initial clear coat can pull the underlying paint coat off. (Not an issue with headlights.) But I like your explanation of how a thick final coat reduces orange peel by letting surface tension pull the final surface flat. Too many thin coats just end up adding to the orange peel, like growing crystals.
Thank you very much for this tutorial! I just did my 07 TSX and they look absolutely fantastic. I used the U-pol clear #1 that you recommended and it did great.
You can wet sand it with 1500 grit to remove orange peel after the clear coat dries and then wax it down
YAY!!! now i can fix my fog light too!! hit a stupid raccoon months ago. he bent the bumper and shattered the fog light. thinking about upgrading them while im at it.
I thought about upgrading as well. There are yellow ones avail on ebay, if you want to go that route.
Nice , come do mine😅
I just picked up an 05 that has hazy headlights. I can't wait to do this to renew them. My cutoff line is almost non-existent. 😕
It makes the car look so much better!
This is the most thorough solution to this problem I've seen on YT-thanks for the excellence & honesty man! I'm a gal & never did the clear coat so they kept fogging up. Do you recommend the exact clear coat you have or any other in case I don't find that one? TY very very much!
Thanks! A 2k Clear will be best, followed by a 1k Clear. If you can't find either of those, just look for a clear that claims to be UV Resistant. Search gooogle/amazon for "2k clear aerosol" and some options should come up.
@@6thGearGarage thank You so much, ill have to try to cover my car up instead of removing the bumper & all that tho I sense I really should do it right from the beginning - Blessings! ⚓
Great video. Thank you for the video!
What if you polish and then do a clear coat over it?
Can I use rubbing alcohol to clean the surface of the headlights?
Beelzebub clear coat will not adhere well to a polished surface.
Beelzebub it’s better than nothing, but a degreaser will be best.
Daamn looks good
Like u said I usually go down to 800 grit wet/dry and just go up to 3000. Then use something like plastX qnd that works for a few months just wipe quick to renew..def wanna try that wax removal
That method works well for clearing them, but you need the clearcoat to keep it from hazing in the future. It's just a more long term solution.
I need help for my headlights
Hope this video helped!
i wouldnt clear coat , after you restore them , polish , wax , and put on clear vinyl , more durable , same effect , no orange peel ,
Where can I buy those type of fog light covers you have ? Can’t seem to find the covers online
mario mora they aren't covers, just oem 2006-08 fog lights.
Did you ever have access control module problems?
No, never had any problems like that with my TSX. The only issues I've had outside of regular maintenance is a knock sensor, coolant temp sensor on the radiator, and the console storage door jammed and broke.
@@6thGearGarage ok thanks keep the tax vids going please
@@gufiaito69able Will do... I have some rust starting on the rear already so fixing that is going to be an upcoming video.
Looks awesome man
I did this today and I used upol clear coat aerosol can. I ended up with orange peel. I tried a heavier coat after and still orange peel. Can I wet sand again tomorrow and throw more clear?
Adrian garza yep that's exactly what I would do in that situation 👍
@@6thGearGarage how long would you recommend between coats? Thank you in advance!
@@adgarza28 I'd follow the instructions on the can of the product. Different products may require different amounts of time in between coats.
how to restoration tsx headlights
Great video. What happens if the painting does not go as planned, do I use thinner to remove it? I tried sanding it ince it dried up but I'm having a hard time with it.
Mario Torres Mario Torres I would wet sand, starting with a low grit around 400 and work back up to 2000.
what kind of headlight bulbs and ballast are you running?
The lighting is all stock
Nice!!
Great video man! I can't wait to do this to my 2008 Acura Tsx. Did you do a video on painting the front bumper? I have a ton of paint chips there as well.
Thanks! I was going to document the whole paint process, but my battery died, so I only got up to the color coat on video :(
6th Gear Garage any chance you could post that video to? I really want to try and clean up my tsx this summer. Also, where did you get your paint from ?
Hi Brian, I have a 2004 Acura TSX and just watched your video on changing the oil, thanks! I'll be working on that in the next week. Aside from that, the low beams burned out on my car and I've been told I need to replace the entire headlamp on both sides. Does that sound right to you, or can I get by with replacing a bulb? Also, do you have a video on how to do either (replacing a bulb or the entire headlamp).
Thanks for your help!
The entire headlamp is probably fine unless it's leaking, but the low beams are HID bulbs which use a ballast for each headlamp, in addition to a special bulb. If they aren't working, it could be a bad ballast, bulb, or both. I've replaced them before on a TSX, but didn't get a video. I had to take the bumper off and remove the headlamp to replace the ballast, because it is under the headlight. It took a couple hours to do both sides. Getting the bumper and headlights off is tricky if you haven't done it before. I have videos of how to remove both of those.
@@6thGearGarage Dude! You responded the same day to a two and a half year old video! You are my UA-cam hero! I've got a 2004 TSX, reliable as heck. One of the first cars to use xenon bulbs I think(?) Cars used to flash me because they I assumed I had my highbeams on. I wish I could have seen their faces when I flashed my real highbeams back! Its been a long time since that's happened, though. :(
@@squirlmy The headlights in the TSX are the best of any car I've owned. (Probably because every other car I've owned is from the 80's or 90's.) One of the first cars with Xenon headlights I remember seeing was a Lincoln Mark VIII. I thought they were the coolest thing ever. Honda/Acura have always made great HID headlights on their vehicles. The S2000's are one of my favorites to see coming toward me at night.
@@6thGearGarage Yeah, I remember dreaming of the day I could own a MarkVIII when I was a teenager. Now I'm wondering if I should get a Kia Stinger GT2 or a C43. Times change. Great video on the bumper/headlight removal/refinish. I may try to refinish my headlights since I need to replace my front bumper. Since I'd be using U-Pol (if I can find it), rather than a spray gun (since I'm not buying an air compressor and gun just for this), would you apply the same amount for each of the 3 coats as you did in the video with U-Pol? Also, if I needed new push pins for my bumper, are those garden variety found at Autozone/Advance Auto parts, or are those dealership only? Thank you for your time and your videos!
@@ryanshannon6963 Yeah, the U-pol will be good with 3 coats. You can also get 2k aerosol clear on ebay, which will last even longer. I believe the Upol is only a 1k clear. The 2k is urethane, which is what the clear on the rest of the car is = better UV resistant and a harder finish. The 2k aerosol is 1-time use only, because the clear and hardener mix inside of the can the first time you use it. You can get the replacement bumper clips on ebay/amazon as well. I saw a Stinger in person the other day, Kia has come a long way. It was a really nice car!
I got Accord '08 (its the same car for europe) and i wonder how it held up with time? I used ro have cracks in clear over time. This is 2.5 yo video, so if u still got tsx, can u tell me how it is now?
Nikola Živković they still look just as good to his day. I have a shot of them in one of my other recent videos. I will find the link...
You can see a quick shot of the headlights at the end of this video. ua-cam.com/video/UQrj1hz8kQQ/v-deo.html
They really looks nice even after some time, tnx, i might clearcoat them also. Atm my car has bumper and headlights removed, so now is the time, ill prolly do them tomorrow :D@@6thGearGarage
Definitely clear coat them, or they will go back to being cloudy. A 2K clear is best.
@@6thGearGarage Yeah. Ill prolly do it better now, since in the past i had bad expirience with clear coating, but i didnt go thick as u did. I wilk do it as u did now. Tnx :)
shoulda of buzzed it down and buff it to smooth out the orange peel
Thanks. I watched the bumper removal. Do you need to remove the bumper to change my headlight? and do you recommend taking off the bracket or can I just take the headlight ?
Appreciate this.
Yeah. Unfortunately, the bumper covers the bolts under the headlight. Once the bumper is out of the way, you can either remove just the headlight, or the bracket with it. I thought the bolts for the bracket were a little easier to get to.
Remove bumper. Then remove the brackets that hold the headlight and the headlight will come with it. Then, you can pull the bracket off the HL.
Great video.
Quick question did you always use premium gas
Yes I use 91 or 93 octane. I read that if a lower octane is used, the ecu retards engine timing, lowering performance and decreasing fuel economy.
@@6thGearGarage Yes, but if you do the math, you get more miles per dollar on the 87 octane. I only use premium if I take cars to the track, where that little bit of performance might matter, and more importantly where the engines are running at high load where detonation or preignition could be an issue.
Did you say give them a couple months to cure @7:55? Do you need that much time?
They say not to wax a freshly painted car for a while, to let the paint fully cure. I don't know exactly how long to wait, but now that you mention it, using the headlights heats them up and helps cure the paint faster, so 2 months is probably a longer wait than needed.
I suppose it is safer than sorry, and there are the environmental variables such as weather involved. Thanks for the DIY video!
Is there any way to do this without a paint gun? Lol
Billy Conforto yep, check out 4:25 in the video. Aerosols can look great when applied properly 👍
@@6thGearGarage do u have a video on how to apply it properly using aerosols? or some tips if u don't have one :) thank u!
So using that U-POL Clear product, once applied straight out of the can, that would be the last step in treating the headlight surface? I ask more or less the the same question as Billy because I barely have any tools and know-how. If I try doing this fix, I’ll have to take some shortcuts from what I’ve watched in this video, but if these were to compromise the desired effect too much, I’ll just leave the headlights foggy.
(I did take out the headlamps last week to replace ballasts, ignitors, and bulbs, a big feat for me, but couldn’t even take down the bumper completely because I don’t have the tools to break or release the two clamps at the very bottom, which were rusted to the bolts. I can compensate for only so many challenges I’d run into given my limited arsenal and skill set.)
Thank you,
Michal (Mike)
Can I just send you my headlights
Removing them is the hard part. You can knock the wet sanding and clearing out in an afternoon.
No such thing as permanent. Absolute nonsense. Lies.
After 5 years of use, they still looked as good as they did right after I restored them. UV resistant 2k Clear is the key ingredient that a lot of these headlight restoration kits are missing.
@@6thGearGarage nonsense.
@@barrygoldwasser5449 video tells the truth :) ua-cam.com/video/2Ghte2J1vI0/v-deo.html