What did you do to ur Gen III Prius today????

Valid question NeilPeart. The response is:

I was at WalMart here in town because it was 10:00pm and I was bored. I looked at the isle and noticed there was a selection.


I used to clear headlights in the past at my job using 800, 1200 and then 1500 grit sand paper and a DA Orbital along with a buffer with a wool pad and ICE cutter which works really well. It worked very well and could clear headlights like nobody's business...

I opted for this setup because it came with the small pads and it was cheap.



My hands cramped because the pads are too small, hard to wield and just not cool. After sanding with 4 progressively smaller grits I wiped their polishing compound on the lights with a microfiber cloth. Results were not satisfactory. I ended up grabbing my orbital 10" buffer wheel and Meguiars Mirror Glaze (fine grit) to finish the job.



After polishing with the little pads, running my buffer over it and then using the "sealant" that comes with the $9 kit the lights look reasonable now.

Before:


After:

any horizontal lines are from my roofline reflection.

and my wife's car which is basically new (13K miles):



All of this and I still ordered these from amazon:


If I'm not concerned with my hand cramping I tend to do a better job. I can make the plastic so clear and smooth it's invisible if I have the right tools. I'll be using the TurtleWax Spray Lubricant to lube the pads for the drill and I'll be using their buffing compound until it's empty as well. It's a finer grit than the Meguiars and lots cheaper.



Hopefully this is a satisfactory answer.
I've written so many DIY tutorials for the internet across multiple forums and boards that it's natural for me as I'm a natural instructor for things I know how to do. My first DIY was clearing and blacking out headlights in a 2003 Subaru WRX.


I also have some OEM fog light kit arriving this coming Wednesday that I'm hoping to have a pain free install of them.

 

Thanks for the very detailed response, Dyjital! I will be following this process for my own 2010. Does anyone know why headlights get cloudy? Exposure to UV, elements, plastic out-gassing, etc?

 

UV light and wind. The top side should have more discoloration than the bottom because of how air picks up particles and blows them over the lens. 90% UV 10% debris.

Look at cars in parking lots and you can see the airflow design over headlights. It helps to visualize why lights discolor in patterns.

Some but not all just have crappy plastic.

One of my paying jobs I did many years ago. 2003 Ford Focus. The driver side was 4x worse to start.

 

Dyjital,

If we (well, me, at least) wanted to do a premium-level job at restoring our headlights, can you point to a detailed how-to with recommended tools/supplies? There's such a wide range of kits, etc. that I have no idea of where to start, or when the job is good enough, or what would be a waste of money. Personally, I'd prefer working with power tools rather than doing things by hand, but I don't know what's overkill, either.

 

Installed JBL 6x9's and some sound deadening on the front doors. I did the same on my old Prius and I forgot how much it reduced road noise. The JBL's sound good too.

Also installed Hotchkis Rear sway bar. The car feels more planted and firm now.

 

GASPEED #PARTOUT

Due to some unfortunate events that happened to my family back home in the Philippines, I have made the difficult decision to part out my Prius to help my family. My family is my priority right now. Pretty much everything is sold including my Aimgain front bumper and complete Air Suspension. The only item left for sale are my 19" Aimgain G II M wheels that were built specifically for the 3rd gen Prius. Details of the wheels will be posted in the Private Sales section if anybody is interested.

I will be keeping my Prius and I will still be active here and in the Mod Parties with Team HybridPit.

 

Had a backup camera installed in my 2014 Two and while they were at it I had them change to constant reverse beeping to a single beep.

 

I may or may not have been the one who claimed the bumper and air ride

 

Sucks to see such a clean looking Prius go back to stock but family first!

 

#familyfirst

 

Wow... hopefully your family is all well at the PI. Luckily my family only had a brownout.

 

Same ...my Babi momma had a brownout first!

Family and Trd first!

 

Had to get the ugly blanks replaced in the front bumper. I'd have been happy not doing the wiring kit just to fill the hole.



Later today when the part arrives I'm replacing the blank spot under the radio with a dual 2.1A USB plug. While I have my personal Lightening cable for my iPhone under the arm rest, I wanted a spot to connect other stuff to that's of lower priority. Down the road it may be re-wired for constant power for a "leave device in car to charge" theory.



The way I figure I have a total of 10A worth of current I can draw from the power outlet line as stated, so with 4x 2.1A charge ports I'm pushing the 85% mark of all 4 were being used.... doubtful ever.

Turns out the front outlet is on it's own 15A fuse for 120W total and the under arm rest is on it's own as well (120W). Looks like front was blown for some reason so I need to pick up some extra fuses for the car.

Excuse the scratch on the left side, previous owner idiot bump. Positive line on backside of the outlet (socket) is black, negative is white... just incase anyone wanted to know.


May disable the LEDs at a later point.

 

Jason, who you sell your air too?

 

Oh shhh...got low....details to follow soon...hint...profile avatar updated.

 

This why I only trust u to work on my car!

 

Hey Sean what about just using nut inserts?...Blind Rivet Nut Hand Tool | eBay

 

I can't believe you still don't have any plates.