The Ice-9 system was never meant to completely replace sanding headlights. However, we have found that the Ice-9 system will restore about 80% of the headlights you come across with no sanding or buffing required. The Ice-9 system was designed to bypass the lights that need sanding and allow you to focus on the types of headlights that you can make a profit on very quickly with low labor cost. The two types of headlights you want to avoid with the Ice-9 system are the ones with “clear coat peeling” and severe“crazing”. “Crazing” is/are groups of stress cracks inside the lens that cannot be removed even with sanding.  

 

Step 1: Cleaning and preping the headlights

Place a shop towel directly below the headlight on the bumper to protect bumper from the polycarbonate cleaner  -oxidation remover run off. Spray entire lens with 6-10 sprays of Ice-9 polycarbonate cleaner-oxidation remover. Let sit for 45-60 seconds. While lens is still wet, rough up the lens surface with the MICROFINE surface prep sponge scrubbing east to west, getting around and inside the edges as well. Do not rub in a “circular” motion, only horizontally. The idea is not to neccesarily “sand” the lights down but to prepare the lens surface for proper adhesion of the UV protective coating.

 

Step 2: Rinse the lights

Wipe cleaner off of headlight. Rinse headlight with a water spray bottle. We recommend using distilled water. Wipe clean and thoroughly dry with microfiber or shop towel.

 

Step 3: Residue and moisture removal with alcohol wipe down

Wipe lens down with 91% isopropyl alcohol using microfiber or shop towel. Make sure to get around edges, ensuring lens is comepletely clean, dry, and residue free. Once dry it is normal for the lens to sometimes appear cloudy or hazy. The lens should clear up once the UV coating is applied. Headlight must be absolutely 100% clean, dry, & residue free before applying UV coating.          

 

Step 4: Applying the UV coating   

(Note: If the temperature is blow 50 degrees, slightly warm up lens with a heat gun or hair dryer before applying coating.)Lightly shake the Ice-9 coating bottle. Fold included applicator pad or blue shop towel in ¼. Tightly crease and use the smooth edge of the applicator pad. Remove cap from coating bottle and attach the included spout cap. Saturate the smooth edge of the applicator pad with coating. You want the pad saturated very well but not dripping. Carefully apply around the perimeter/edges of the healight first. Next, quickly apply coating from bottom to top/north to south. Re saturate pad and starting with the top corner of the lens, apply coating east to west from one side of the lens to the other with a slow, even, steady stroke. Use light pressure. Dropping down, repeat, overlapping the previous stroke by about 1/8th of an inch until entire lens is coated. As you work your way down, you will need to recoat your applicator pad slightly.  Quickly check for and correct any runs or bubbles by lightly recoating pad and lightly smoothing out that area. During application, reapply coating to applicator as needed. If you feel the applicator “dragging” it needs more coating. You have roughly 1 ½ to 2 minutes to get the lens completely coated and any runs touched up before coating begins to “set up”. Re applying or touching up any runs after 2 minutes will cause streaking.

 

Dry Time

Dry time is 25-30 minutes to the touch (drive off time is 20-30 minutes) in the sun or 25-40 minutes to the touch in the shop. Dry time can be increased by blowing the lens surface with a hairdryer on a low heat setting for about 3 minutes. Some heavily damaged lights may require 2 coats for best results. Wait a minimum of 1 ½  hours before applying a 2nd coat. Once finished, lens must stay dry a minimum of  6 hours. Do not wash vehicle for 24 hours.

 

Proper care of UV Headlight Coating

Unopened shelf life of Ice-9 UV coating is 12 months. Once opened, Ice-9 coating product life depends on oxygen & moisture exposure. Only open & work out of 1 coating bottle at a time. Your coating bottle comes with a regular screw cap & a spout cap. When not in use, the regular screw cap must be tightly secured on bottle at all times and bottle stored in stay fresh mylar bag. Store at room temperature away from  extreme heat and cold.