Veil Application Questions

Hello, all. My first post here, though I've been lurking for a while.

I just received my Veil and Blinder. The Blinder installation will have to wait a few days, but I'm ready to go ahead with applying the Veil to the front headlights of my VW R32 (Mk IV Golf). I don't want to waste any of the product, so I want to ensure I'm applying it correctly.

The R32's headlight housings are a plastic (polycarbonate?). I plan to first clean them with rubbing alcohol, to eliminate any residual grime and wax and ensure adherence of the Veil. Good plan?

Second, the Veil instructions say to use "long brush strokes," then brush horizontally. Does this mean that you first brush it on in vertical strokes, then brush at 90 degrees (horizontally)? That's the way I'm reading it. I'd appreciate any clarification, though.

Finally, which is better for this type of application--the bristle brush or the foam brush?

I'm itching to get the Blinder installed, but since I'm a bit ham-fisted, I'll either need quite a bit of time to do it or I'll have to locate a professional installer in my area (western 'burbs of Chicago).

Thanks for the excellent forum!

Welcome to the board.

When I did my headlights I just used long horizontal brush strokes (bristle brush). DON'T go over the same place twice, because that will cause smudges and other ugliness. Cleaning with rubbing alcohol is a good idea. I think you should be OK because Veil sticks very well to plastic. My headlights are starting to pit but I think it's because they are glass.

Brick,

Good advice all around.

BTW, How long has VEIL been on your lights? Is the pitting signficant or minor?

Is the coating getting hit with any cold-weather package like wipers and fluid?

Winters tend to be the tougher months because of the extreme conditions to which your vehicle gets subjected.

Thanks.

The Veil Guy 8)

Veil Guy-
The coating has probably been on for three weeks now, or maybe a little more. I blame the scratches on the headlght wipers (cold weather package) but there is also some pitting that is not due to the wipers. I looked agian after work today and found some pitting on the plastic side-marker lights in addition to the glass. I would characterize it as minor, though. I think what's happening is I'm driving through sand that gets kicked up by other vehicles, and the impacts take little bits off. Once the roads are swept I'll see what kind of shape it's in, possibly re-apply, and see what happens. Cold weather might have been an issue as it was only ~50F when I applied. The LP cover is still pretty darn near immaculate and I coated that indoors.

Hey mike, use windex to remove veil, the amonia in it works much better then rubbing alcohol. Also windex is much cheaper then rubbing alcohol. I just re-applied some veil to my headlights today, after about 3 months. Cool thing about this was I took my car to a power wash at least 1 time a week, and when I removed it with windex, it took about 10 seconds.

I would tend to agree with your assessment.

The Veil that I have on the Bimmer (almost two years on some parts) was applied when the weather was warmer.

Its funny - if VEIL is applied at these lower temps and perhaps the temp drops to freezing or close to during the night when it sets up, it appears that the adhesion characteristics are effected somewhat.

If sand is blowing onto the outer coating - that almost sounds more like sandblasting instead of adhesion issues.

Do you notice vehicle lights that aren't treated to appear like they're pitted or sandblasted.

I tend to notice this on vehicles like Subaru's and Dodge minivans. Their plastic headlight casings seem [more] susceptible to this kind of wear-and-tear.

Now that the weather is getting warmer in our region, perhaps a recoat is in order - when you are ready.

Then let's see how we do. I am most interested in your experiences as I am always in position to learn something new from real-life experiences.

The Veil Guy 8)