Restoring fog lights the Chris way
This car is now eight years old and i have done my best to keep it in good nick. But alas the fog lights being as low to the ground as they are, ended up pitted and looking sorry. So i decided to follow the guide made by @ChrisFix on how to restore your headlights permanently.
This car is now eight years old and i have done my best to keep it in good nick. But alas the fog lights being as low to the ground as they are, ended up pitted and looking sorry. So i decided to follow the guide made by @ChrisFix on how to restore your headlights permanently.
Things you will need
- 400, 600 and 2000 grit sandpaper
- Clear coat paint
- Tools needed to remove fog light
(I ended up not using 400 grit sandpaper as my fog lights weren’t too pitted but if yours is worse you might want to start there)
The Process
After struggling to get both fog lights out, i could finally start with the sanding.
As per Chris’s guide, I started sanding with the 600 grit sandpaper in a swirling motion and then after all the pitting was gone, i sanded in a straight horizontal line to give the paint an edge to adhere to. After doing so, i repeated the process with the 2000 grit sandpaper until the lens was nice and smooth.
Once both lights were prepped, in Chris’s video he recommends that you use isopropyl alcohol to clean the lens and to help dry it off. But i didnt have any on hand so some soapy water and a microfiber cloth did the trick for me. One that was done, it was time for my favorite part, painting. I started with a light coat. It had some visible orange peel but i let it dry for 5 minutes before adding another coat and repeating the process until i had done 6 coats of clear coat. Once it all dried, it looked amazing!
This picture was prior to waxing and just goes to show the effectiveness of this method. Once the paint dried, i just reinstalled it back onto the car and cracked open a can of beer in celebration. 😂
Comments
So good, I’m going to try this!
Will you try the same with head lights? ;)
Remember BMW’s need Halogen fluid not regular old blinker fluid.
What you did there… I see it.
But I don’t hav fog lights
I cri every tiem
Buy one and ziptide it
Nice Guide :D
Wow, they look brand new! I’ll need to do this to mine this weekend :)
I’ve done this on my previous car and my current car and it works great!
Only issue I’m having is keeping the paint from running.
Maybe taking off the headlight would help but that’s involves removing the bumper for my car… Oh well. Still looks good if you don’t get too close. lol
Well if you apply light coats it shouldn’t run. Make sure to hold the spray can about 25cm away from the surface and make light passes. The first few coats have to be super light to help the paint adhere to the surface but after the first 2 or 3 light coats, you can start laying down coats that are a bit thicker. Just allow a 5 or 6 minute interval between coats to allow it to dry properly
No toothpaste and piss? :D (MCM style)
This is awesome! I love seeing people putting my videos to work! Great results man!!! Here is the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEJbKLZ7RmM
Awesome work man! They look brand new! What clear coat did you use?
I couldn’t find any of the uv resistant clear coat you used so I ended up using a can of 2k automotive clear coat with a hardener mixed in with it. If its good enough for car paint, I assumed it would be good enough for the fog lights. They’ve held in great so far although it hasn’t been that long.