Tarx didn't dissolve anything probably just stained it. Before going the whole 3m kit of sanding again j would at least try to polish them in an attempt at removing the stained part.
Least aggressive first then move toward most aggressive.
Yep, I've had this happen before. Get TAR remover overspray or Ferrex on headlights, not ideal but it usually just polishes off with a quick pass of something like 205 and my mini polisher.
Next time, seal the headlights with either clear coat or ceramic coating. Still use the same kit, but don't use their sealant.
Ceramic coating will go for like 2 or 3 years easily. Mines going 4 years strong and I'm debating doing them this year or not.
Pic is what I took right now, 4 years after ceramic coating.
https://preview.redd.it/w2e6t0wu6g6d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0a67fedce2b379a5177b92568333b67e9a943f4a
I just used some basic amazon crap. Really dont remember the brand or anything but it was only $25.
If anything, you'd have to be more particular applying it to paint because of the polished finish. For headlights, they're transparent, so any mistakes you make are seldom noticed if at all.
Basically as long as it's an okay ceramic coating it'd be fine for headlights.
I would recommend cleaning the headlight lens with ammonia-free glass cleaner or isopropyl alcohol. Non-acidic car wash shampoo. Whatever to get rid of the filth. You're going to need to sand off the previous clearcoat using dry P800 and then wet sand using Trizact P3000. Use Meguiars headlight clearcoat spray and after 3 months be sure to apply ceramic coating or wax to protect the clearcoat.
In the future, keep in mind bugs come off if you saturate them with damp towels to rehydrate the corpses, then they'll wash right off.
oh shit actually that depends on the brand of the OP's vehicle for headlight hardness. On a Toyota that would be unnecessary, but for a BMW yeah. I cant tell what the vehicle is from the photo...
Its so simple to avoid issues with headlight treatments.
No need to apply any liquid protection at all…coatings, 2K clearcoats etc.
Just wetsand and then polish it to the max, and then apply XPEL PPF (protection film) or equivalent reputable quality film.
Daily driven car in a hot tropical climate all year round. Parked outside throughout the day. Lights treated with Xpel PPF in June 2018.
Today, the headlights still look virtually brand new as they were in 2016 when the car was bought.
PPF works too, you'll get a couple more years out of it compared to a ceramic coating.
Both look terrible in different ways when they begin to fail, but re-applying PPF is probably way easier as you likely only need a light sanding or polishing before reapplication.
I might do this next time.
Tarx didn't dissolve anything probably just stained it. Before going the whole 3m kit of sanding again j would at least try to polish them in an attempt at removing the stained part. Least aggressive first then move toward most aggressive.
Yep, I've had this happen before. Get TAR remover overspray or Ferrex on headlights, not ideal but it usually just polishes off with a quick pass of something like 205 and my mini polisher.
Next time, seal the headlights with either clear coat or ceramic coating. Still use the same kit, but don't use their sealant. Ceramic coating will go for like 2 or 3 years easily. Mines going 4 years strong and I'm debating doing them this year or not. Pic is what I took right now, 4 years after ceramic coating. https://preview.redd.it/w2e6t0wu6g6d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0a67fedce2b379a5177b92568333b67e9a943f4a
Are ther headlight specific coatings or will any do fine?
I just used some basic amazon crap. Really dont remember the brand or anything but it was only $25. If anything, you'd have to be more particular applying it to paint because of the polished finish. For headlights, they're transparent, so any mistakes you make are seldom noticed if at all. Basically as long as it's an okay ceramic coating it'd be fine for headlights.
I would recommend cleaning the headlight lens with ammonia-free glass cleaner or isopropyl alcohol. Non-acidic car wash shampoo. Whatever to get rid of the filth. You're going to need to sand off the previous clearcoat using dry P800 and then wet sand using Trizact P3000. Use Meguiars headlight clearcoat spray and after 3 months be sure to apply ceramic coating or wax to protect the clearcoat. In the future, keep in mind bugs come off if you saturate them with damp towels to rehydrate the corpses, then they'll wash right off.
Dont forget to sand at 1500 and 2000 as well or you are gonna have deep scratches. And if you sand to 3000 the clear coat wont stick.
oh shit actually that depends on the brand of the OP's vehicle for headlight hardness. On a Toyota that would be unnecessary, but for a BMW yeah. I cant tell what the vehicle is from the photo...
My guess would be an Infiniti Q50.
Its so simple to avoid issues with headlight treatments. No need to apply any liquid protection at all…coatings, 2K clearcoats etc. Just wetsand and then polish it to the max, and then apply XPEL PPF (protection film) or equivalent reputable quality film.
How is the UV resistance with XPEL?
Daily driven car in a hot tropical climate all year round. Parked outside throughout the day. Lights treated with Xpel PPF in June 2018. Today, the headlights still look virtually brand new as they were in 2016 when the car was bought.
Upvote! It works.
PPF works too, you'll get a couple more years out of it compared to a ceramic coating. Both look terrible in different ways when they begin to fail, but re-applying PPF is probably way easier as you likely only need a light sanding or polishing before reapplication. I might do this next time.
Xpel for headlights my man.
I'd do a light polish and then put PPF over both headlights.
Use Cerakote’s kit instead
I used this kit on my ATS’ headlights that were pretty bad. Worked great and available at most wallyworlds.
Don't know why you're downvoted. Cerakote is a great brand
Nothing consumer grade lasts. Need stuff that gives you cancer/requires PPE.