Hey Everyone,
Most of these kits are designed for consumer use meaning they are pretty weak formula's so that the average do it yourselfer doesn't run the risk of damaging his/her paint, and surrounding areas. This is why your headlights are only mildly damaged, the kit will not work as well of produce the results you are looking for.
The damage you guys are seeing on your headlights is actually not peeling clearcoat, but rather heavy oxidation on the polycarbonate plastic which the headlight is made of. It is kind of like if you have ever seen a car with heavily oxidized paint that is bleeding through to the primer underneath. Here is a rough example of what I mean.
If left untreated, the plastic will continue to oxidize till it will be beyond repair and then will most likely need replacing.
Their are two ways to fix light to moderate, and in some cases severe damaged Headlights to an acceptable level. The first, and most common method involves basically color sanding the headlight to remove the oxidized top layer. Here is a quick rundown.
1. Tape off the areas around the headlight as to not damage the surrounding paint.
2. Take some 800 grit Wet/Dry Sandpaper, and a bowl of water. Dip the paper in the water, and sand the entire headlight till it feels and appears smooth and uniform. Pay special attention to the damaged area to make sure you knock down and smooth out the damage till smooth.
Note: Sanding the headlight will make it dull and hazy over the surface. This is normal and will be fixed in a later step.
3. Follow up by repeating the process with 1000 grit Wet/Dry Sandpaper to smooth over the surface better, and sand out any ultra light surface scratches that might have been left by the 800 Grit paper.
4. After the headlight is completely smooth, and dull on the surface, and the damage is no longer visable you are then ready to bring back up the clarity of the new lens. To do this your going to want to use some medium cut compound like those available from either Meguiar's or 3M. If you have a High Speed Rotary Buffer, or something like the Mother's Powerball and a drill, you can achieve better results faster do to heat and friction. If necessary, go back over the headlight a couple of times to perfect the surface area till the desired result.
5. After Buffing the headlight out, it should start to regain clarity and start looking like a newly refurbished headlight. Next will come the Glazing or (Polishing) stage. Again using a good Glaze Product like Meguiar's Show Car Glaze, or 3M Hand Glaze, you can either use your buffer, drill, or apply by hand using a clean microfiber towel folded into four. If by hand, apply a small amount of product to the towel and buff in small circles allowing it to dry for 3-5 minutes to cure into the plastic, and then wipe off using another clean microfiber towel. If you are using either a buffer, or powerball on a drill, buff the product on until the product is almost invisible and take a clean microfiber towel and rub the remaining product off.
6. Finally follow up with a good coat of wax, or Paint Sealant to protect the newly restored headlight. Follow up on applying a new coat once a month if you wash your car at home using recommended car wash soap. If you take your PT to a full service Car Wash, or wash it with dishwashing liquid, these types of Soaps are very high in PH Levels and will strip away all waxes, and other protestants from your paint, and other related surfaces, and your vehicles cosmetics will deteriorate within a matter of weeks and your paint, headlights, and everything else will begin the oxidation process all over once again.
The other way to fix oxidized headlights is to restore them by way of using a new baked on Gel Coating which I actually helped develop with a Chemical Engineer friend of mine who works for a large Detailing Chemical and Supply Manufacturing Plant here in So Cal. I at one time was going to get into business using this Gel Coat on Semi Truck Headlights which many Companies were actually throwing old headlights away and replacing them with new ones every six months or so due to oxidation, and damage from use and abuse from the road, and weather.
The Gel Coating is basically a flexible almost rubberized clear coating which bonds to the outside of the light assembly. After applying a special surface etching chemical which removes any damaged oxiation, etc,, the Gel Coat is applied over the entire headlight and protects the surface from any further damage from road salt, oxidation, and any other related type of damage from a harsh outside environment, and also respells rocks, and other debris from otherwise damaging the headlight as well. The biggest reason why the Gel Coat is better for this application is that unlike the color sanding method, this system doesn't alter, or change the surface thickness in any way which is more favorable from the Federal DOT when it comes to Commercial Vehicles. The big thing is I can fix the Truck Headlights fro half the cost of replacement, which when you look at Companies as large as Fed Ex with some 20,000 Tractors in service, that is a pretty significant savings. So far I currently have 40 sets of Headlights in trial with 3 Trucking Companies, and plan on offering this service in the near future if everything goes according to plan..
For small Automotive Headlights like those on the PT though, its much more cost effective to go with the Color Sanding Method as outlined above.
As always, I wish you guys the very best of luck, and if you ever have any more questions, please feel free to ask me anytime and I would be more than happy to answer anything as best I can.
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Go easy, and I will talk to you all later on.
Candyman