Quick and Easy Headlight Restoration | 2006 BMW x5
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- čas přidán 24. 08. 2024
- Hello everyone! In this video, I'm doing restoration on a 2006 BMW x5. This customer had used us for a few different vehicles of theirs, and it seems like they buy different vehicles once a month. These headlights were perfect for me to show you the difference between old clear coat, and where the headlight is completely oxidized. I apologize for any audio issues, it was pretty windy out. I did also cut the parts where the customer came out and spoke with me. I didn't want them to feel uncomfortable with me filming them. Skip to 9:20 to where I start talking
I sanded with a 320 to break through the old clear coat, moved onto a 400 to remove the scratches from the 320, and then finished with a 600 before applying the clear coat. Older BMW's are pretty easy compared to the newer ones (2017+)
Overall, I'd give these headlights a 4/10 in difficulty.
Kits I use: NextGenHeadlightSolutions.com
Use coupon code "SRH" for $15 off a single restoration kit.
Want to Start a headlight Restoration business? visit
StartRestoringHeadlights.com
Hi Brad my biggest problem is when to stop sanding. The 320 grit is easy to see when all the clear coat is gone but it’s the 400 and 600 that I just guess and hope I’ve sanded enough also all I’m thinking about in this video is that driveway and getting old clear coat on it. I once did a headlight from hell that took me forever and I looked down and there was a puddle on the driveway luckily the customer didn’t care
When in doubt, sand longer with 600 lol. When you start seeing the water repel off the lens when sanding with 600, you're good to go. For the mess, you can always pour water on it, and it should dissipate. I always do this to clean up a little. Luckily, its not permanent, and won't stain the driveway :)
I use a 3 inch orbital sander with 1500, 2000 then 3000 grit wet sanding. It takes me 10mins per light. Done.
Brad is being to humble . I started doing headlights almost 2 years ago and luckily a friend had a garage with lots of junk cars that I worked on till I felt like I was good enough to start charging. I started out using 3” pads with 500 then 800 then 3000 trizak pad and not only was that crazy time consuming compared to wet sanding but it was costly then on top of that your constantly having to change batteries. Do yourself a favor and watch all of Brads videos but the key to it all is his spray nothing compares to it! Not wipes or meguiares spray , nothing ! It’s lasts years and it has fillers !!!!. So unless you enjoy spending 2 hours trying to sand out all your scratches just make life easier for yourself and follow brads method and stock up on his spray ! Eventually Brad will become a big shot and stop selling it !
Haha thank you! I will never talk bad about another method, only the difference in efficiencies. I'm so glad we were able to help with a faster method! Thank you so much for the feedback Tommy!
@@StartRestoringHeadlights … don’t worry I can talk bad about it. It sucks. I don’t want it to suck and I wish it was a better way but it’s just not !!!
@@grandmastert01 Haha Headlight Restoration already has so many self-proclaimed professionals (i.e. baking soda, bug spray, WD40) I try my best to avoid conflict hahank you!
@@StartRestoringHeadlights lol
All that work for 90 bucks, I just don't get it. You have no competition up there you can charge much more. We get 160 min for a BMW light.
It's really not much work at all. I'm sure your area has a lot more money than mine, but honestly, with our volume, we're content with our price point. We'll be getting another location West here pretty soon, and may increase after that.
@@StartRestoringHeadlights It's not the income levels in the area!! It's your worth, you are selling yourself short, and it's a race to the bottom in this business. I WISH we could get Texas and Tennessee money those guys are making bank, they start at $200
@@browardheadlightrestoration I appreciate the recommendation, you've made me think a lot about it last night. Considering that we are growing very fast with employees and fleet cars, it may be time to evaluate the charges. Are you a quote-by-quote base for your customers? Also, if you don't mind me asking, how busy are you? Totally fine if you don't want to answer, I completely understand
@@StartRestoringHeadlights You are a good guy brad, I'm going to call you one night this week.
For the rest of you in this chat.................., If you do this long enough, you KNOW the problem car makes, example, BMW and KIA/Hyundai You know without seeing the car the factory clearcoat is TOUGH!! We surcharge those cars right off the bat. You can do 5 camrys a day, easy cars. You can't price a Sonata the same because its 2x or 3x the time etc.
Love this content, the POV is awesome! I really am considering using your method. It’s so much simpler than my current method and much less time consuming. My only hold up is cost. If I use your method, each can would cost me $28 bucks (if I buy in bulk). Each can last 2 pairs of headlights so my cost would be $14 per vehicle not including all the other costs like sand paper, tape, etc. have you ever broken down your costs to actually see how much you are profiting per job?
Thank you! I appreciate that. So on average, you can get between 2-3 vehicles with 1 can, depending on the size of the headlight. We'll, say 2 vehicles per can for this breakdown. At $130 for 4 cans = 8 vehicles. Say you're charging $100 a vehicle, that would be $800. So $800 - $130 = $670. Sandpaper is maybe $1.40 a vehicle, $1.40 x 8 = $11.20. $670 - $11.20 = $658. profit. Let's factor in your pay. So we can get 8 vehicles done in about 4 hours (30 min a vehicle). I'll add an additional hour for traveling, so 5 hours. That comes down to $131.60 an hour for a 5-hour work day. Tape, I haven't factored in since I'm not sure how many vehicles we can get done with 1 roll, but I know its definitely more than 8 vehicles.
@@StartRestoringHeadlights thank you brotha. This is extremely helpful!
I have a question about pricing a job. How do you determine the cost of the restore? Is it base on both headlights or by headlight? Does complexity come in to play when doing a restore?
It's all the same price, while most charge by the vehicle, we charge a simple flat fee and give the option for extended warranty. It's not often a job takes us more than 30 minutes to do, regardless of how bad it is. As long as you know the starting grit, you can do it fairly quickly
Thanks for responding. I was trying to determine the pricing to include the average material used when doing a restore. Also including the drive time and the mileage. Need to make sure you can cover the cost of car maintenance. When you start looking at the cost of supplies, and car maintenance, registration, and labor is needed for determine what it actually costs to be in business.
@@mikerash1116 This method is significantly cheaper on overhead when it comes to others. There's no need for multiple batteries or power tools, different wax or polishes, etc. You just need 3 different grits of sandpaper, masking paper/tape, and the spray. I would recommend starting low first to get your experience, and portfolio up. The better your restorations are, the more you can charge. A lot of things people oversee is the quality of your brand. If you have a crappy website, social media, and other stuff, people will assume your cut-rate, but if you invest money into it, and treat it like a commercial business, you'll scream "premium" when people are searching for you.
Is there any downside to using two coats of your clear coat?
I haven't tested double coating, to be honest. Only downside from my experience is using more clear
So could i just use gloss clearcoat from rustoleum or do I have to buy the 65 dollar can of clear from that website?
No, the clear coat from Rustoleum, isn't made for headlights, and it wouldn't come out clear. Yes, Or you can purchase multiple other items like drills, polishing compounds, and different wax products for more.
I've noticed you don't use a 1000 grid or higher to remove some of those fine finishes. Why is that
The clear coat has filling properties in it, allowing you to apply the clear coat at 600. This gives the clear coat something to grip rather than resting on a slick surface. Its also for longevity too.
I appreciate it, I was learning & taught a certain way. At times i deal with lights all scratched up. I guess i need to up my fee for fixing someone's mess up. Thx Sir
I don't do this all the time, but i charge the client $25 for light bulb replacements. Of course they pay for the bulb, if I buy it , i charge 20% mark up. My time, fuel
@@arthurrodriguez180 I understand, times are changing! Technology is constantly improving, and other inefficient methods will eventually be phased out. But yes, I understand fixing someone else's mess! Wait till you get someone who used bug spray, it solidifies and eats up the lens :(
@@arthurrodriguez180 Thats a great Idea. Headlight restoration is a great way to get your foot in the door, and from there everything an easy upsell.
How much do you charge for your services
We charge $90 with a 3 year warranty, and $150 with a lifetime warranty.