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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Wash, Wax, Detailing and Cosmetic protection/repairs > Polished and sealed E90 headlamps today



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      04-19-2014, 04:19 PM   #1
spencers
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Polished and sealed E90 headlamps today

My 2006 330i was in dire need of some headlamp restoration. This could have easily been skipped if BMW didn't GLUE the stupid lenses on! Anywho, I ordered up some Optimum Opti-Lens Permanent Headlight Coating and today I got to work.

Tools:
Blue painters tape
1000 grit sandpaper
Porter Cable 7424XP
Poorboys SSR 2.5
Poorboys SSR 1
Orange buffing pad
White buffing pad
15% Isopropanol in a spray bottle
Optimum Opti-Lens Permanent Headlight Coating





Procedure:
Mask off the area with blue painters tape
First I cleaned the headlamps off with 15% IPA.
Then I went to town with the 1000 grit sandpaper (wet, of course)
Followed by Poorboys SSR 2.5 on Orange pad
Repeat above as necessary until abrasions are gone.

Final polish with Poorboys SSR 1 on White pad to finish it off.

One last clean with 15% IPA.
Then I applied the Opti-Lens coating somewhat-liberally.
Waited 3-5 minutes to "cure," then wiped off excess with included microfiber towel.

Before:








During






After!








Before/after combo comparison


If you really look, you can still see some imperfections. I didn't feel the need to wet-sand the lenses all day so I stopped when I felt like it. Now we shall wait and see how "permanent" this coating is!

Last edited by spencers; 07-15-2014 at 10:46 AM..
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      04-19-2014, 05:47 PM   #2
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Kudos! That's fantastic work!
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      04-19-2014, 07:21 PM   #3
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great job!
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      05-24-2014, 10:47 PM   #4
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Wow, that's an amazing transformation!

Cheers!
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      06-03-2014, 08:49 PM   #5
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Is the permanent headlight coating a UV protectant? I did this to my '06 e90 about 4 yrs ago but didn't seal them...I need to do it again : (
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      06-03-2014, 10:09 PM   #6
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Wow! Very nice! Great job!!!
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      06-03-2014, 10:15 PM   #7
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Good job!
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      06-04-2014, 07:15 AM   #8
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I see some swirls marks and some part of light is not cleaned well
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      06-04-2014, 09:25 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SHEEDI View Post
I see some swirls marks and some part of light is not cleaned well
Well, it is a marked improvement upon it's prior state...
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      06-04-2014, 09:41 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MUrhino View Post
Is the permanent headlight coating a UV protectant? I did this to my '06 e90 about 4 yrs ago but didn't seal them...I need to do it again : (
It claims to have UV inhibitors in the coating. http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-opti...t-coating.html


Quote:
Originally Posted by SHEEDI View Post
I see some swirls marks and some part of light is not cleaned well
You have a sharp eye!

As I said at the end of my original post: If you really look, you can still see some imperfections. I didn't feel the need to wet-sand the lenses all day so I stopped when I felt like it.
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      06-04-2014, 08:39 PM   #11
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OP, headlights look better than before...but You still have to workout more on these areas; I use wolfgang polishing compound to remove swirls in plastic and I always have good results even by hand with terry towel. I know those are tight areas and the pads you are using are bigm, so you might have to try small pads if you have if not then try using terry towel with swirls remover

http://www.autogeek.net/wolfgang-tot...olish-3-0.html


one last thing. please don't forget to polish this inner area under hood .
Attached Images
   

Last edited by SHEEDI; 06-04-2014 at 08:44 PM..
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      06-04-2014, 10:30 PM   #12
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Appreciate the tips!

Last edited by spencers; 06-14-2017 at 12:35 PM..
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      06-05-2014, 07:08 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spencers View Post
Appreciate the tips!

I'm happy with my results. I'm sorry you aren't.
its ok, you don't have to be sorry; I was trying help you to make it look perfect
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      06-05-2014, 07:34 AM   #14
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Awesome job!

I took to mine with just some abrasive headlight polish and a rag (I forget what kind. Meguiar's or something) and I was pretty happy with that... But yours turned out fantastic, what a difference!
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      06-05-2014, 08:13 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SHEEDI View Post
OP, headlights look better than before...but You still have to workout more on these areas; I use wolfgang polishing compound to remove swirls in plastic and I always have good results even by hand with terry towel. I know those are tight areas and the pads you are using are bigm, so you might have to try small pads if you have if not then try using terry towel with swirls remover

http://www.autogeek.net/wolfgang-tot...olish-3-0.html


one last thing. please don't forget to polish this inner area under hood .
This is what I am going to remove my bumper and headlights to do my restore.
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      06-05-2014, 10:08 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SHEEDI View Post
its ok, you don't have to be sorry; I was trying help you to make it look perfect
It certainly would have helped to get those tight spots if I had smaller pads for my buffer. I just didn't want to spend $$$ on pads that I'd likely only use once.

All of the stuff (minus the Opti Lens coating) I had laying around my house. For this project, I aimed to make do with what I already had.
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      07-15-2014, 10:47 AM   #17
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Sorry all the pics disappeared. Fixed them. Still looking shiny and clear!
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      07-16-2014, 10:23 AM   #18
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Looks good, nice work.
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      09-14-2014, 06:25 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SHEEDI View Post
its ok, you don't have to be sorry; I was trying help you to make it look perfect
you da man sheedi
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      09-14-2014, 11:43 AM   #20
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Looks great, and you did it the right way. Very good job.
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      09-14-2014, 11:58 PM   #21
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Nice transformation!
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