Headlights are easier to paint than an entire motor vehicle because of the difference of scale. Painting your headlights may add to the visual effects of a vehicle that you can use for a special purpose or function, such as a haunted house for Halloween or a crash derby. Painting headlights will render a car illegal, though, since doing so disables full use of headlights and therefore makes the vehicle inoperable.
Fill the bucket with the car wash soap and water. Mix it together to make a soapy solution. Wash the headlights of the motor vehicle with a sponge soaked in the soapy solution. Dry the headlights with a cotton cloth.
Clean the headlights with isopropyl alcohol. Then clean with wax and grease remover. Wipe them clean with a fresh cloth.
Attach the low-grit sandpaper to the electric power sander. Lightly sand the headlights. Clean the headlights off with the sponge and soapy solution. Apply the grease and wax remover to a cloth.
Clean the headlights thoroughly with the cloth and then wipe them clean with a fresh cloth. With the thick paper, cover any areas around the headlights that you don't want to paint. Use painter's tape to attach the paper to the areas around the headlights.
Spray the automotive primer onto the headlights in thin, even coats. Allow the primer to dry. Lightly sand the headlights. Clean the headlights with the wax and grease remover and isopropyl alcohol.
Spray the automotive paint onto the headlights in thin, even coats. Allow the paint to dry for fifteen minutes. Reapply in a second thin and even coat. Allow the second coat to dry.
Spray the automotive clear coat onto the headlights. Wait for the clear coat to dry for fifteen minutes. Reapply a second coat. Allow the second coat to dry for fifteen minutes.
Spray a final coat of clear coat onto the headlights. Take off the paper and tape immediately after the spraying this third coat. Allow the clear coat to dry for ninety minutes.
