10 - Minute Headlight Restoration Instructions

Always wear gloves and eye protection/safety glasses when using Ice-9 products

The Ice-9 Pro Shop kit restores 60-72 sets of headlights, while the Test Drive Kit restores 8-10 sets. About 80% of the headlights you see coming through your shop everyday can be restored, but some may require replacement. Factors like bulb burn, internal moisture, or internal stress cracks cannot be resolved by a restoration. You want to avoid lights that have severe clear coat peeling. The Ice-9 coating is designed to last for 12 months and can be reapplied very easily making it a yearly maintenance item for regular customers. Prepping the light for coating. When using the Ice-9 system the goal is to get the surface of the light smooth. Smoothness=gloss. After prepping the light it generally should be smooth with a universal “haze” over the entire light. (Note: Ice-9 sanding sponges are very durable and can be used at least twice. Particularly the 1000 grit and 2000 grit sponges. Save all of your used sponges in a separate bag for future use.

 

Step 1. Liquid Sandpaper - Squirt or spray about 2 half dollar size amounts of Liquid Sandpaper onto a clean rag, sponge, or towel. Scrub the lens with heavy pressure. The nano-scrubbing power of Liquid Sandpaper will remove the first layer of haze & yellowing. You will notice the clarity of the lens improve which will vary by vehicle. Do not allow Liquid Sandpaper to dry on lens. Rinse lens with water spray bottle.

 

Step 2. Sanding Sponges - Always wet the lens and the sanding sponge with water before sanding. Do not sand the light dry. Most (about 75% to 90%) of the lights you run across can be refinished using a combination of the 2000 grit sponge and the 3000 grit sponge. Wet the lens and sponge. Using the 2000 grit sponge first, use short back and forth, left to right, east to west motions with medium pressure until you have sanded the entire light. Do not sand north and south and do not sand in circles but in uniform left to right, east to west motions. Next, to remove the scratches left by the 2000 grit sponge, follow up with the 3000 grit sponge using the exact same method you used with the 2000 grit sponge being sure that the light is wet.

Some lights (about 5% to 20%) that have more severe damage will need to be sanded with the 1000 grit sponge first in the same manner as above and then followed up with the 2000 grit, followed by the 3000 grit. (Be cautious with the 1000 grit sponge as it is very sharp has the potential to scratch the light more than is needed.)

 

Step 3. Rinse & dry the lens - Thoroughly rinse lens with water to completely remove any liquid sandpaper or sanding residue. Carefully dry the lens being sure to dry around edges where water can get trapped. If you have a air pressure hose, blow the lens dry. Once dry the light should have a uniform haze and perhaps some slight scratches on the surface. This is normal.

 

Step 4. Apply Ice-9 UV Coating - (Apply slowly with relatively light pressure) If temperature is below 45 degrees, we recommend slightly warming the lens with a blow dryer or heat gun. Fold applicator pad into quarters. Shake Ice-9 coating bottle. Remove cap and saturate the smooth edge of the applicator pad-not dripping but saturated. Wipe on the coating slowly with light pressure going around perimeter of lens first. Now apply a bit more of coating to the edge of pad. Starting at top of lens, apply in long, smooth, east to west stokes. Dropping down, repeat, overlapping previous stroke by 1/8th of an inch. As you work down the lens, re-coat applicator as needed. If you feel the applicator dragging it needs more coating on it. Once the lens is coated you have about a minute or two to make any corrections. Check your work. Ice-9 coating is self leveling. Any streaks should level out. However If you have bubbles or have missed a spot, lightly re-coat applicator pad and touch up-smooth out the run or bubbles. Applying coating too fast or with too much pressure can cause streaking. “Dry to the touch” drive off time is generally 15 to 20 minutes. To fully cure, lights need to stay dry 4 to 6 hours. Advise customer to not get the car wet or wash car for 12 hours hours. Do not perform restorations on foggy or rainy days.

Proper care of Ice-9 UV Coating- Unopened shelf life is 12 months. Once opened, shelf life depends on oxygen and moisture exposure. Only open and work out of one bottle of coating at a time. Keep lid secure/airtight when not in use and keep your working bottle in stay fresh Mylar bag. Keep Ice-9 coating away from flame or heat.