# Mercedes Benz Vito 115 CDI Head Light Lenses restoration



## Eurogloss (Jan 22, 2008)

Hi guys ,

I guess I had a lot of time on my hands that day so I decided to try this on my own Van !

This writeup is about how to restore your headlights when they go dull ,oxidized, or yellowing !

This is not for the faint hearted as you will see from the photos it takes a lot of skill to do this job i decided to test this Restoration Kit that Philips sells under the brand name of INVISION according to the instructions they make it sound very easy and so did the owner at the AutoBarn Chadstone Store here in Melbourne,Australia who sold me the Kit made me believe that how wrong he was !

I will explain in a minute just bear with me please :

First of all to do what i did you need to have ba**s and i mean big ones because if you f**k up your head lights you are in for a very expensive Head Lights replacement depending on the car you have it will set you back $ 1000 of $$$$
or more in the case of my Mercedes Benz Van, I hate to think what one would cost :doublesho

This Invision Headlight Restoration Kit Comes with everything you need to restore your headlights to almost like new condition .

This is how the Kit looks like










This is what you get in the kit: 
one bottle of Yellow X,one bottle of prep cleaner, one Polish ( To Coarse ) One Sealer, Fiver Sanding Papers for Wet Sanding Paper Grit, 400, 600, 1000,1500, 2000 , 1 Blue Cloth, 2 White Polish Drying Cloths ,1 White Scuff Pad, 1 Pair of Gloves ( And now the fun begins )



















Instructions are very simple to understand but they don't tell you that there Polish is super coarse and will leave severe scratching:wall:










This is how my Polycarbonate Lense looked like before the corrective and restoration work :wall:
Polishing alone did not remove oxidation and yellowing :buffer:!










All taped up ready for surgery ( I used 3M Green Automotive Tape which is easy to remove )! Taping the edges is very important in the unlikely event that you damage the edges whilst polishing which is very easy to do :buffer:

You must take care at all times and wear appropriate safety gear whilst doing this work .










Wet sanded with 400 grit sanding paper several passes were needed to remove the oxidation completely paying a lot of attention not to remove to much plastic !










Next step down to 600 Grit Sanding Paper use same system as above with less passes !










Next, we need to get the clarity back so 1000 Grit Sanding Paper is needed to improve clarity to the Lense wet sand until you see clarity in the Lense. Then step down to 1500, 2000 Grit which will be the final steps in this job.

Wet Sanding with 1000 and 1500 Grit Paper










Last and final step in the Wet sanding process 2000 grit paper is used to improve texture and clarity ( ready for machine polishing )










After this process is complete the Head Light Lense needs to be machine polished with a polishing compound Mothers Professional Polishes were used with a Lake Country Purple Foam Wool Pad and after a Green Chemical Guys Hexlogic Pad was used with a milder Mothers Pothe kilish.

I did use the polish supplied with the kit, but it was unhappy with the results it gave me because it was leaving very deep scratches so before they got worse i switched to Mothers Polishes which did an excellent job in restoring this Headlight to an almost new condition .

Here are the results of three hours of restoration and machine polishing !










I then sealed with Otimum Opti-Coat to seal the work and to avoid further future damage caused by UV !

I did not use there Sealer !

In conclusion I would not recommend this product unless you know what you are doing ! That means this product should have been made for pros that is IMHO !

Mothers Headlight Polishing Kits are very similar but more forgiving and so is RainX !

Thanks for reading

Regards Mario

!


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## Faysal (Oct 23, 2010)

Very nice job! (as usual)


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## "SkY" (Apr 21, 2009)

nice job


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## Racer (Oct 27, 2005)

Very nice mario , but as far i know headlights should have a more stronger protection besides sealants .
Try using ventureshield for headlights and it will give physical protection and durability , because with that sandig you removed a lot of clear from them.

Tell me what do think about it??

regards

Rui


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## Eurogloss (Jan 22, 2008)

Faysal said:


> Very nice job! (as usual)


Thanks Faysal,

It wasn't an easy one but very rewarding when you see the final results :thumb:

Regards

Mario


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## Eurogloss (Jan 22, 2008)

"SkY" said:


> nice job


Thanks Sky :thumb:

Regards

Mario


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## Eurogloss (Jan 22, 2008)

Racer said:


> Very nice mario , but as far i know headlights should have a more stronger protection besides sealants .
> Try using ventureshield for headlights and it will give physical protection and durability , because with that sandig you removed a lot of clear from them.
> 
> Tell me what do think about it??
> ...


Thank you Rui,

The Opti-Coat which i applied is not a sealant it is as a matter of fact a Clear Coat with protective properties unlike sealants which wear away this product applies a Clear Coat which also adds 2 microns to the applied surface be it paint, plastic or glass !

Please read following email regarding Opti-Coat !

Hi Mario, Thank you for your reply and your comments. First of all, nano is a word that is heavily misused. Opti-Coat is not a nano particle, it is rather a pre-polymer that cross links and forms a continuous film on the surfaces it is applied to similar to a single component isocyanate that forms a clear coat finish. Opti-Coat also reacts with the substrate that it is applied to so it will not delaminate. Nano particles are sub micron particles that are created by controlled reactions or by breaking down larger particles. They do not react or form bonds. The application of Opti-Coat takes less than 10 minutes for a full size car, if it is done correctly. It applies just like Opti-Seal, however, if there is over application, you have to remove the excess within the first 10 minutes. Otherwise, once it dures, you have to buff off the excess. Most people apply this product to one panel at a time and check for any unevenness before moving to the next section. As far as the durability, it is similar to urethane clears. It will not wash away or break down, however, you can polish it off over time. The hardness starts at 6-7 but will increase over time to 9H as it is exposed to heat. We have just recently signed an exclusive distributorship agreement with ZAS in Australia to offer the Optimum Car Care products including Opti-Coat. I have copied Joel Blake from ZAS and you can contact them to obtain any and all the Optimum line if you like. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance. Thanks again. Best Regards, David Ghodoussi, CEO Optimum Polymer Technologies, Inc Phone: (901) 363-4955 Fax: (901) 363-4956 ----- Original Message ----- From: Mario Corallo To: 'David Ghodoussi' Sent: Friday, August 06, 2010 5:53 AM Subject: RE: Optimum Opticoat

Hello David,

You can call me Mario no need to call me Mr Corallo!

Thank for your email and your detailed explanation of the Opti-Coat paint coating it sounds like a miracle product add 9H hardness! Isn't that close to a diamond's hardness?
Is your Opti-Coat a Nano Coating ? I can't wait to try it out on my Black Mercedes Benz Van which scratches very easy and as you know Black is a very difficult paint to avoid scratches and to keep clean!

I am a professional detailer that's been in business for sixteen years and i have tried and tested all sorts of nano products claiming to do this and that but none really live up to their claims and when you are forking out money on paint sealants or detailing products you want a product to work !

Why i trust your company and your products is because you don't make outrageous claims like the rest out there do and that is refreshing to know that someone like yourself will do the testing personally and that in itself is trustworthy!

This Opti-Coat that you have developed will revolutionize the automotive and detailing industry one product will be versatile for all car components instead of using different products for instance for windows , paint, plastic mouldings Opt-Coat can be used for all these areas .

On a scale one to ten how easy is it to apply? How long will the Coating last? I know you say indefinitely does that mean for the life of the car?
Will the 9H hardness be influenced by such factors like none original OEM paint?

Thanks very much David !

Regards

Mario Corallo
www.euroglossprestige.com.au

From: David Ghodoussi [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, 6 August 2010 2:03 AM To: Mario Corallo Subject: Re: Optimum Opticoat

Dear Mr. Corallo:

Thank you for your email and your interest in the Optimum Car Care products. Opti-Coat is based on a resin pre-polymer that we manufacture and once it is applied, it cross links and reacts with urethane and other clear coat paints. Opti-Coat has better chemical resistance, scratch & mar resistance, and release properties than any automotive coating in use. This coating like a regular clear coat lasts indefinitely unless it is removed by polishing, sanding, or paint removers.

The coating will get to a hardness of 9H after it is fully cured.The solvents used in Opti-Coat are also used in hand lotions and other cosmetic products. The polymers, however, are very reactive and should be used with caution and that is one of the reasons we only offer it to professional detailers.

Please let me know if I can be of further assistance. Thanks again.

Best Regards, David Ghodoussi, CEO Optimum Polymer Technologies, Inc Phone: (901) 363-4955 Fax: (901) 363-4956
----- Original Message -----
From: Mario Corallo
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2010 7:17 PM
Subject: Optimum Opticoat

Hello David,

I have been following with great interest your new product called Opticoat does it use nano technology?
I have also seen your videos of your new spray on polishing compounds, why are they better than your cream ones that you sell?

What makes Opticoat better than the opposition say like GTechnq,( Aquartz, which i have used on my work vehicle just Hood) to see how long this products lasts!
I am still testing Aquartz for durability !

Aquartz claim 9H hardness in terms of scratch resistance , from what i have read in a forum called Detailing Bliss your product has got very good reviews. How much scratch resistance does Opticoat offer ?
Is Opticoat toxic ? A lot of these car paint coatings are very harmful because of their solvents!

Thank you

I look forward to your reply

Regards

Mario Corallo
www.euroglossprestige.com.au

Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra


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## Racer (Oct 27, 2005)

My bad , i think it was sealant kind of product not a physical one.
Very interesting product Mario. :thumb:

It´s shame you are so far man...i would love to chat with you about detailing and learning 

ps: come to Portugal and i show you Lisboa :thumb:


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## Eurogloss (Jan 22, 2008)

Racer said:


> My bad , i think it was sealant kind of product not a physical one.
> Very interesting product Mario. :thumb:
> 
> It´s shame you are so far man...i would love to chat with you about detailing and learning
> ...


Yes, Rui, it's an after market Clearcoat which you apply to all surfaces like ,paint, plastic, glass !

According to the manufacturer it lasts indefinitely on New Cars and five years on used !

Yes, i know Australia is at the other end of the world that's why they call it Down Under

Yes, i would like that being shown around Portugal hopefully next year when I visit my Mother in Italy :thumb:

Thanks for the invite !

Regards

Mario


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## Racer (Oct 27, 2005)

Eurogloss said:


> Yes, Rui, it's an after market Clearcoat which you apply to all surfaces like ,paint, plastic, glass !
> 
> According to the manufacturer it lasts indefinitely on New Cars and five years on used !
> 
> ...


Well the invitation is made


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## Eurogloss (Jan 22, 2008)

Racer said:


> Well the invitation is made


Thanks Buddy :thumb:


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