Headlight Restoration

This in my opinion is the best way to do it, only thing different is id get automotive clear put in a spray can since it has uv protectant then simply take care of them same as your paint.

 

I have the same Maguires kit. It worked well. I just did the flat surface in front of the light to get me through the winter. Now that the weather is warming up I'll polish the whole lens and spray the uv sealer on. I considered the xpel film but I'm too cheap to spend $82 for the precut kit for both the headlights and fogs. The lamin-x kit is $59 for just the headlights.

 

I use to use Turtle Wax headlight cleaner and restoration..it worked okay buy it had to be done every 3 months at least.I just used CeraKote ceramic headlight restoration kit....The results are excellent.It is supposed to be a permanent fix.They look great and the customer service was very good.After I finished they need to dry for at least one hour.Unfortunately a few drops of water got on one lens. I tried to wipe it off with a microfiber cloth and it left a smudge.I emailed CeraKote and they overnighted me more of the product and directions to correct my mistake without any charge....It is the best $25.00 that I have ever spent!

 

Will be curious to see some before/afters and a longer term review, @roadking1

 

They even ask you to take before and after photos......I did not!!....they look new. hopefully the ceramic coating lasts.I will update in a few months.

 

Mine looked about that bad it should work just fine

 

I used to work for a company that made automotive exterior lighting. Specifically, the one that made the headlights on our trucks. The lenses are polycarbonate and after polishing, they must be clear coated, or they'll dull and yellow again.
PC has good clarity and good impact and heat resistance, but it has poor UV stability so they are clear coated at the factory. This coating is thin and eventually stops doing it's job.
Regular fine buffing compound works really well on the plastic, but you have to re-coat them or you'll be buffing and cleaning them a couple of times per year.

 

I've got some cheap Turtlewax fine buffing compound that I use. You can do it by hand or with a buffer, just be careful you don't burn the plastic.

 

Here are a few before/after I had saved.
I’ll try to get some more later of the almost 2 years.
I have used the Turtle Wax kit. The last one I used was the 3m kit.

 

Meguiars sells a heavy duty version of their headlight restore kit. I expect it would fair better on lenses this yellow and cloudy.

 

Looks great!

Scotch brite, + meguairs ultimate compound or plastix with wool rotary will do the trick as well.

Don't forget to save your work and use a good carnauba wax to seal the lense and waterproof it. You won't be restoring them as often if you wax them.

 

3M - Amazon - 10 bucks - 1hour

 

What's a good protection coating to put on them after you remove the hazing?

 

Meguiar's sells a clear coat spray. I've used it and it works well.

 

FYI - after polishing, the lens now lacks the very thin protective coating that contains anti-UV agent. The frost look and yellowish appearance will come back in a few months depending on exposure to sun light. At certain point, the yellowing will progress through the lens thickness.

One solution is to apply PPF (Paint Protection film) because it has anti-UV coating meaning the clarity is preserved and, as a bonus, it's chip resistant. If damaged, the film can be easily replaced. My friend who is an installer did this to several of my vehicles. Below are the example on a '7 Toyota Matrix that had 280k miles. Both headlights had the same frosted look.







The after-polished photo is before application of PPF which boosts the shine. The film was applied and hand-cut on the lens without cutting the lens itself.

 

Gotta say, I’ve never seen the headlights this effective. The speed limit sign 3 blocks up the street from my house is even illuminated. The reflective lettering and edging on stop signs are almost too bright. Best 20 bucks I’ve spent on the truck.
I did the fog lights today and they actually do illuminate the road directly in front of the truck. They do need to be yellow, though.

 

After driving last night I find it hard to believe people spend 300 dollars on changing their headlights.

 

I think some of the problem comes from those who pull the lenses apart to paint the inside. Then they don't seal up 100% and the inside of the lense starts to get moisture and fogging, and without pulling them apart again make it very difficult to get that oem clarity.

 

On eBay, I can get replacement headlights for my 2013 Taco for $115. They're obviously not OEM, but unless you have projector beam headlights, it doesn't matter much. My experience has been is that the aftermarket lights are nearly as good or just as good as OEM since all they are simply plastic boxes that hold light bulbs.

I've found that the headlight restorations don't last very long... I had to re-polish my lights every few months and they weren't even that bad to begin with. If you don't mind spending time every year polishing your lights (time = $$$), then stay with the polish kits.

It's a bummer that there are no glass options out there like there are for European cars. Glass lights don't have hazing issue.

 

Liked the glass much better, never had problems with them. Uncle Sam (gov.) had a better idea. Can't use glass, you may cut yourself in a crash. Thank you Uncle Sam for protecting me.