Headlight Restoration – A Viable Business With Substantial Profits

The need to refinish headlights has skyrocketed in recent years due to the rising cost of replacing cloudy and foggy lenses. Ever since glass lenses were replaced by fancier designs made from plastic types, corrosion has been a nuisance. Headlight lens corrosion not only affects the aesthetic value of the vehicle, but is also a safety concern. Therefore, a headlight restoration service provides a cosmetic solution in addition to a mechanical solution. Providing a single solution to two problems has made headlight restoration a viable and profitable business with minimal upfront cost.

Those considering lighthouse restoration should consider how they will find customers, how much to charge, and what system and products to use.

Dealer service. Most used car departments pay outside vendors to do cosmetic repairs on their cars. Schedule weekly visits with used car managers. He typically stops by once a week, going through the used car inventory, noting cars that need repairs, including model, stock number color. Contact manager for approval.

Service retail stores, dealer service units, body shops, lube shops, etc. Arrange for them to sell the service at a specific price above your charge. Advertise these businesses to help sell your service.

Material cost per pair…$4.00

Working time: 10 – 40 minutes.

Used Car Dealer…charge per pair $50.00 – $70.00

Resale …per pair $70.00 – $95.00

(service units, retail stores, body shops, etc.)

Retail Charge…$99.00 – $200.00

Are all headlight restoration systems the same?

Do they really work in 5 minutes, as many claim?

Why don’t they work as well for me as in the demo?

It is true, all systems are not the same. Some just clean the lens, while others are just a cover. The best headlight restoration system is one that provides a new surface and is designed for professional technicians to perform a quality repair in the shortest amount of time. The fact is that repairs can be done in 5 minutes, but not on most lenses.

Much depends on the severity of the corrosion and the materials that were used to make the lens. Most lenses today are polycarbonate and it probably wasn’t what was fixed during a system demo you may have seen. To be successful, choose a company with easy information and support!

Choose a company that can provide you with the right tools for quick repairs, products to produce high-quality results, and support. :

INSTRUMENTS

– The right tools make the difference. Tools developed specifically for headlight restoration make repairs efficient. Even severely damaged vehicles can be restored in less time and with excellent results. Two important tools would be a sander and a polisher. An important feature in the polisher would be a small pad size, like three inches, to make it easier to polish small, recessed lenses. A three-inch pad would also be suitable for the sander. The best type of sander for the job would be a random orbital sander that doesn’t polish the lens. Using tools like these will make your headlight restoration not only quicker but will produce quality results.

PRODUCTS

A system should include a lens polish, a protective sealant to replace damaged factory sealant, and a cleaner that will adequately prepare the lens for adhesion of the new sealant. For maximum efficiency, the application of the sealant must be simple, fast and easy.

The company you choose must have great support. Some companies provide telephone technical support during a repair. This would be very beneficial for your initial repairs and for future work that may raise additional questions. Some companies may even provide marketing assistance, such as brochures that can be downloaded from their website, or other promotional items, such as t-shirts or business cards.

Your dealer should make it easy for you to learn how to restore your headlights. Do you need to travel to them for training or do they provide you with another means of training? Headlight restoration is fairly easy to learn and with the right system it’s easy to become a pro. Well-written paper instructions may be all you need, however, at least one headlight restoration company, Dvelup, provides an instructional DVD that has great demonstrations to learn from.

Do your research to find the right provider and make the headlight restoration business a success for yourself.