2 Minute EASY Headlight Restoration

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This is the same 07 Honda Accord from this thread were I was able to clean and save the interior...


Another area that needed attention on the Accord was the headlights. All yellow, oxidized, hazed, etc... The car is too old, has too many miles, and is too rough to be replacing headlights. Just not worth the $$$. I have tried a lot of the kits out there in the past to restore headlights but any that are any good and/or that last more than a month require buffing, sanding, and even clear coating. Many are kind of pricey too at $15-$30+. No thanks.

A while ago I came up with this combo of products that works amazing and is cheap and about as easy as it comes. Unlike the thread above I remembered to take before and after photos so you can see it really does work. I kid you not in 2 minutes you are done with a light. This won't remove pitting or scratches but it removes the hazy, oxidized, yellow look and makes your headlights clear again. All for about $9 using products that can also be used elsewhere unlike the headlight kits. No muss. no fuss, no masking off headlights, etc...

So, I started out with headlights like this (yes the bumper cover is trashed - a snow plow sent a whole wall of snow up and over the car last winter cracking it all to heck and the previous owners didn't fix it - I will here shortly). You can't really tell from the photo but they were extremely yellow in addition to being all hazy and oxidized. You could barely see at night with the lights on they were so bad...

KkryT3B.jpg


Step I - spray the headlight down good with LA's Totally Awesome All Purpose Cleaner ($1 at the Dollar Store). Mere seconds after spraying the headlights watch the yellowing begin to run off (it is grime and grease). Wipe clean with paper towels. Repeat until all tar, bugs, dirt, grease, etc... is gone. They will look hazy and cloudy but the yellowing should be gone along with anything else on them.


Step II - clean the headlights with glass cleaner (I use Sprayway foamy cleaner) to be sure they surface is nice and clean and no residue is left.

Step III - use Bluemagic Metal Polish Cream (yes you read that right metal polish cream - it isn't abrasive so don't worry) and apply like you would a wax or polishing compound. Use a clean paper towel with a small gob of it and wipe it all over the headlight lens. No need to rub super hard just wipe it on and keep wiping (I did circular motion like wax) until you feel it getting a little tacky then stop. Let it sit for about 30 seconds or so. Using a clean paper towel wipe it off and polish the headlight. Takes about the same effort/elbow grease as it does to wax the car. Once it was fully wiped off I used a soft piece of old t-shirt for a final polish.


That is it DONE! For a really bad headlight you may have to repeat the Bluemagic polish treatment for best results. Again, it won't remove pits and scratches but it makes the headlights clear again so you can see your headlights. The polish also leaves a silicone protective coating so it will last a while. You could use some good car wax over it if you want.


This is way easier than any of the headlight kits and it actually works and will last 6 months to a year+. IF they get bad again 2 minutes and they are once more good to go.

Hope this helps...

uKErx94.jpg
 
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The real secret is you need to give it a good coat of UV clear coat paint to protect it for longer than 6 months(after polishing). Otherwise you will be polishing every 6 months.
 
Hmm, it turned the LH into the RH headlight? you trying to baffle us?

I am suspect about the cleaner that dissolves the yellow oxidation...seems weird as all the oxidized plastic I've ever seen is not yellowing from grease and grime...
 
Originally Posted By: SOHCman
The real secret is you need to give it a good coat of UV clear coat paint to protect it for longer than 6 months(after polishing). Otherwise you will be polishing every 6 months.


Eh, for 2 minutes of my time it isn't worth the hassle of painting them.
 
Originally Posted By: KGMtech
Hmm, it turned the LH into the RH headlight? you trying to baffle us?

I am suspect about the cleaner that dissolves the yellow oxidation...seems weird as all the oxidized plastic I've ever seen is not yellowing from grease and grime...


No, I did one side then took the photos before doing the other. Why would I try and mess with people when clearly I am trying to help?

Don't care if you believe me or not. As posted is 100% as it occurred. The yellowing on the headlights dissolved and ran off with the cleaner.
 
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Excellent results and thank you for posting. I do have the LA's Totally Awesome Cleaner on hand. It is very strong and reading the bottle it says to dilute it at various amounts depending on the job. So using it straight should provide some decent results. Also have a nice, new bottle of Sprayway glass cleaner, so two for two so far.

Blue Magic has some good products including their metal polish. One of the best carpet spot cleaners is made by them also.

Will you be cleaning up the white paint by detailing it? The 05-07 Accords are a top-notch car so might consider keeping both. Parts should overlap a lot which will come in handy. Thank you for sharing.
 
Wow. NHHemi might become a verb!

Yo! Your heads lights are all foggy. You need to NHHemi them!
 
Let's see the 05's headlights also. From the other thread.
smile.gif


Interior pics would be nice also. This generation Accord is the best imo.
 
That sounds good. I use Off Repellent. Spray it on and the yellow runs off. Wipe it clean with a coarse rag. Finish it off with a coat of synthetic wax.
 
I just did mine Saturday. My vehicle is a 1999 Solara they spent its life in Florida sun. I used meguiars headlight restoration kit, that comes with the Uv protectant pant. It worked very well. Product claims the headlights are protected for 1 year. For only $17 I am happy with the results.


 
If ya guys don't have or cannot get LA Awesome, any high PH caustic degreaser will work, I use Zep Industrial Purple and it seems to work much better than Awesome but obviously costs more.
 
Eh, I have a Rotary polishing buffer and a bunch of pads for paint detailing, so it's easy for me to run thru the headlights with a proper plastic polish. Takes the same 2 mins. I obviously don't let my headlights get anywhere NEAR the oxidized, yellow garbage you guys are driving around with. Yuck. How can you even stand to look at that front end EVERY DAY and not have a desire to do something about it?! Craziness.

Sealing the plastic with a ceramic coating keeps the pores protected from the sun, dirt, grime, etc for much longer then exposed bare plastic. Applying wax or some other type of "sealant" is temporary and you'll need to buff the headlights again soon. I prefer a once and done approach, personally but to each his own I guess.
 
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Excellent results and thank you for posting. I do have the LA's Totally Awesome Cleaner on hand. It is very strong and reading the bottle it says to dilute it at various amounts depending on the job. So using it straight should provide some decent results. Also have a nice, new bottle of Sprayway glass cleaner, so two for two so far.

Blue Magic has some good products including their metal polish. One of the best carpet spot cleaners is made by them also.

Will you be cleaning up the white paint by detailing it? The 05-07 Accords are a top-notch car so might consider keeping both. Parts should overlap a lot which will come in handy. Thank you for sharing.


Yes, I will be detailing the outside of the 07 at some point here too whether I keep or sell it. I won't be keeping both. Only need one and only have room for one. Being disabled I can use the extra money from the sale as well.

The exterior is always my last step in cleaning up a new used vehicle. I work inside out and I get any mechanical stuff done 1st too. The car was/is just a mess in and out. Got a lot of paint touchups to do before I can do the exterior detail plus I need to get that front bumper cover replaced as well.

These people I got it from just don't care about their vehicle's appearance. They do all the maintenance religiously but are content to drive around in a dumpster on wheels that rots out from under them. They then throw the car away and get another. They aren't dirty people either (clean house and they are always clean but their car = ewww!
lol.gif
).

I am NOT looking forward to doing the exterior. I don't think it has been washed and waxed, or even taken through a car wash in about 5 years.
33.gif
 
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Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Let's see the 05's headlights also. From the other thread.
smile.gif


Interior pics would be nice also. This generation Accord is the best imo.


There is nothing wrong with those. They are fine and I have not had to clean them.
 
Originally Posted By: Artem
Eh, I have a Rotary polishing buffer and a bunch of pads for paint detailing, so it's easy for me to run thru the headlights with a proper plastic polish. Takes the same 2 mins. I obviously don't let my headlights get anywhere NEAR the oxidized, yellow garbage you guys are driving around with. Yuck. How can you even stand to look at that front end EVERY DAY and not have a desire to do something about it?! Craziness.

Sealing the plastic with a ceramic coating keeps the pores protected from the sun, dirt, grime, etc for much longer then exposed bare plastic. Applying wax or some other type of "sealant" is temporary and you'll need to buff the headlights again soon. I prefer a once and done approach, personally but to each his own I guess.


Well, only speaking for me, I just got the car. I would not have let them get to the state they were in if I had it before.
 
If you do not use a UV top coat, and you clean them every 6 months keeping them clear, will the UV rays eventually tear apart the plastic where you would not be able to get them clear anymore?

What do you suggest as a top coat? I've used Rustoleum clear with UV inhibitors from a spray paint can but when I needed to do it again, it needed to be sanded off though it was peeling but that was 2 years or longer down the road. I was afraid to use paint thinner which I feel would not have worked on "old" paint, and definitely did not want to use lacquer thinner as I feel that may have melted the plastic headlight.
 
I'm really puzzled why we continue to have threads every few months on the same topic regarding headlight lenses.

A simple search uncovered a bunch of them over the past year.

What's even more puzzling is how headlights are left to get to the point where they are virtually "blinded" by years of neglect. It doesn't take much effort to keep them clean/clear. Then again, some folks rarely wash or wax their cars, which might explain it. I'd never buy a car with headlights like that either, as it points to other potential poor maintenance.

My wife's car is 5 1/2 years old, and we recently sold our 18-year old car as a trade-in on a new SUV.

NEITHER VEHICLE HAS YELLOWED HEADLIGHT LENSES.

We posted a photo of the 5 1/2 year old car here - noting that other than washing and once-in-a-while spray wax treatment kept it looking like new - nothing extraordinary or complicated.

Example of simple headlight maintenance results
 
Originally Posted By: HYUNDAIFAN0001
I'm really puzzled why we continue to have threads every few months on the same topic regarding headlight lenses.

A simple search uncovered a bunch of them over the past year.

What's even more puzzling is how headlights are left to get to the point where they are virtually "blinded" by years of neglect. It doesn't take much effort to keep them clean/clear. Then again, some folks rarely wash or wax their cars, which might explain it. I'd never buy a car with headlights like that either, as it points to other potential poor maintenance.

My wife's car is 5 1/2 years old, and we recently sold our 18-year old car as a trade-in on a new SUV.

NEITHER VEHICLE HAS YELLOWED HEADLIGHT LENSES.

We posted a photo of the 5 1/2 year old car here - noting that other than washing and once-in-a-while spray wax treatment kept it looking like new - nothing extraordinary or complicated.

Example of simple headlight maintenance results


Well aren't you lucky?
 
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