Rainy Day - Thinking Next Items to Tackle

[elav]

Raining here - so thinking about the next projects to tackle on the Boxster. I noticed that the top of the driver's side view mirror is no longer captured in the rubber seal. Do I simply loosen the fasteners, slide it back in the rubber and tighten the fasteners or do I need to order a new plastic triangle piece (or new mirror assembly)?

Also, when I got the Boxster, the headlights were really fogged over. I used the Cerakote kit and got it to this stage, but there is still a LOT of yellowing. Do people feel if I wet sanded the headlights, I can get it completely clear or do you think this is as good as it gets (or perhaps this yellowing is on the inside of the lens)?

[tonythetiger]

Full sand on the headlights does miracles. It’s a little scary at first, but work your way through the grits with a power tool. Pull them out and work on a bench. Be ready for the “sling” of white stuff that gets everywhere, so it’s an outside thing in your overalls. It takes time, more sanding than you think. I spend about an hour per light and have restored all my headlights as well as some for friends. Check the threads for replacement material on the rubber surround, if needed. I bought a 50 foot spool of the stuff for a few bucks that worked perfect. The OEM stuff is next to impossible to find and prohibitively expensive if you do. A kit that makes this easy is the higher-end 3M restoration one, about 20-25 bucks that you use with a cordless drill. Worth it, especially for a one-off job.
Take your time and post the results. FWIW, I didn’t coat them after, just rub them down every 6 months or so with compound, then wax.


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[dghii]

+1 on the sanding. Make it easy on yourself and remove the assemblies from the car so you don't have to mask anything or worry about your paint.
The way your headlights look, I'd start with 800 grit and go up from there...1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, 4000 and then polish and protect. It sounds like a lot but each step is 5-10 minutes.

You'll love it!

[Seal1968]

That yellowing looks like the lens on the inside being burnt by the halogens.

That you cannot buff out from the outside.

[elav]

Thanks, I understand that the inner lens is burnt and there is little that can be done about that (other than replace what is there) but this is more about the outer plastic has yellowing too and I think it will go a long way in making the car look more presentable.

Originally Posted by Seal1968

That yellowing looks like the lens on the inside being burnt by the halogens.

That you cannot buff out from the outside.

[WhiteyII]

I just did the mirror repair, google 986 mirror removal theres several youtube videos. Theres a plastic mount behind that breaks when the mirror is hit from back to front. I JB Welded and it and clamped worked perfectly. Another hint the top mounting screw under the weather stripping I used a finger cut off a nitril glove with a small hole in the end for the screw to go thru and an extention with torx bit so the screw cant fall in the door. Tighten the mounting screw then just pull the glove out.

[dsallean]

Last set of headlights I sanded was for the conversion to LEDs. To do so would require removing the lens and the inner burnt lens. But since I had a spare set of headlights I wasn't too worried about ruining them (well, maybe a little) and I only used two grits of sandpaper then switched to wet sanding with Abralon pads. What a huge improvement the Abralon pads were. They are expensive but I had them left over from another project and I used up to 2500 with the Abralon and it was amazing how fast and easy those pads are in getting the job done. Good luck.