Please Offer Your Advice. Headlight Fogged - Honda Prelude Forum

JoeAbbott · 04-09-2011, 05:26 PM

Hey everyone.

I hope I've posted this in the correct forum section. If not, please forgive me. I couldn't find the troubleshooting/problems section.

Anyways, I own a 01 Honda Prelude, of which the headlight (driver side) has gotten foggy. It's certainly not as transparent as the passenger side light. At first I wasn't sure why one was foggy and the other wasn't, but then I took a closer look at the foggy light and noticed a small crack on the outside casing. I believe this crack has allowed moisture to enter the light. I've heard of people restoring their headlights with special DIY kits, but I've decided to take the route of simply replacing the light with an aftermarket light from an online store. I found two sites that I particularly liked, but I'm unsure of whether or not they are legitimate businesses. Furthermore, I don't want to fall prey to a scam. Has anyone purchased from either of these sites and can verify that they are a legitimate business? The following parts match the OEM number of the one I need. Thanks in advance.

Headlamp Combination Assembly - 2001 HONDA PRELUDE - lh
or
1999 Honda Prelude Light > AutoLightCenter.com

Afesposi · 04-09-2011, 07:15 PM

id just get DEPO brand off ebay. one of the best OEM replacements IMO

indylude18 · 04-09-2011, 09:19 PM

^x2

Be warned, to swap the headlights you have to remove the front bumper cover. That can be a pain to put back on, and it's easy to break the tabs on it.

Ludechk · 04-12-2011, 04:40 PM

I also have an 01 Prelude. My headlights were awful (coincidentally the driver's side was worse than the passenger side). I tried a couple of the different "miracle creams" that didn't work very well at all. After researching alot of "processes" I went with one recommended by a guy that works in a body shop and it worked GREAT!! If anyone wants the details just let me know.

jshields · 04-18-2011, 09:58 AM

Details please. Is it just wet sanding and then getting a clear coat from the body shop?

Ludechk · 04-19-2011, 08:44 AM

Here are the details. I did mine by hand as opposed to using a buffer. I didn't remove the headlights..just used painter's tape to protect the other areas. I had to purchase 3 different packets of sandpaper (auto parts store) because they didn't have a multipack. I spent about $25.00 total, but it was well worth it considering the fact that a new headlight runs close to 300.00!!

(I copied these verbatum so any references to specific brands, etc. is from the original post)

Tools needed:
800 grit sand paper
1000 grit sand paper
1500 grit sand paper
Some sort of wet-sanding liquid (water, instant detailer, a light degreaser)
Cutting Compound of your choice Polishing Compound of your choice

Optional tools:
Machine buffer, Rotary, or DA with pads (I used a PC7424 with 2 different levels of CCS pads)... Power tools will cut down on work time/effort required by exponential amounts
Various assortments of Torque (T25, T27) if you will be removing the headlights/bumper-cover
Some sort of paper-tape if not removing the headlights/bumper-cover

Step one:
If removing the headlight is not an option, be sure to tape around the lens to protect the paint on the vehicle (we will be sanding). Save yourself some time and effort by taking this step

Step Two:
Begin wetsanding the headlights using the most course grit first (I started with 1000 grit but 800 grit would have been better). Be sure to go in a back in forth or up and down motion, DO NOT MAKE CIRCLES!

Step Three:
Progressively move towards a finer grit of sand paper until you've reached the finest grit you have (I finished with 1500). The headlights will begin to haze over. DO NOT BE ALARMED, this is good. We will buff that out later

Step Four:
Use a rubbing compound to slim down on the scratches/haze that have developed as a result of wetsanding. Again, go back and forth, DO NOT MAKE CIRCLES. (I used a PC7424 with Lake Country CCS pads (yellow and orange) and Pinnacle XMT#4)

Step Five:
Use a polishing compound to get the finished look. (I used the PC7424 with a Lake Country White CCS and 3M Finnesse-IT2 Finishing Polish)

Hope this helps...

prepreludesh · 04-19-2011, 10:07 AM

Or you could just order "optical restorer" from Summit Racing for $9.99 and it will come with 5 abrasive pads and the drill bit attachment. 5 minutes later with a bottle of water, it will be crystal clear and you won't have to go through 1.2 billion steps as the guy above me posted, ha.