My dentist gives me two tiny tubes of headlight polish a year. Makes the garage smell minty fresh.
Headlight Lens Restorer Report
- Thread starter MolaKule
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I know what you’re referring to. Let’s face it, how many times have we done this job? Me, four. So the sample size is not large enough to know everything.
My hunch when the result is what you describe? It’s the application of the sealant.
Because step 1 is a miracle (extracting the oxidation where cloth turns yellow), step 2 looks cloudy (sanding), step 3 makes it look clear as new.
The first time on my wife’s I put more ceramic than needed on the first headlight and it wasn’t as pristine as the other.
The other thing is headlight shapes are different. My wife’s is harder to apply perfectly (surface area totally different has horizontal into the fenders).
I’m just surmising as again I’ve done 2 jobs twice, on two cars. Hardly makes me an expert…
There is not a real solution other than making sure your housings are maintained.
When they hazer over, you just replace because the chemicals are just buying some time. The issue is within the polymers or plastic layers, its sort of like trying to put an additive in an engine with bad rings... The damage is done and can only undone one way.
The products that have a "sealer" as they say, is really just a spray on clear coat. That clear coat will create more issues down the road and that time period will get shorter and shorter until its lasts just a few weeks. One of the reasons it makes the issue worse is due to the first steps scarring the heck out of the plastic lens, sure it gives you the perception of removing and leveling the deformed plastic (haze) but its just because its stripping even more away (including any needed OE coating) and leaving even more uneven surfaces, through scratches. Then your "clear coat" fills in the scratches for a period of time, in that its not buffing or polishing away the unevenness... It's filling.
Remember guys, there is no chemical solution for a mechanical problem.
This then gets me to the original point of all of this, for me its about safety... Therefore I just replace instead of decreasing the safety over time and creating more work.
I always thought the haze at the top was due to increased heat from the under the hood coming down onto the lights.
I also see that someone mentioned one light hazing faster than the other, you may be finding that one of your lights was replaced due to an accident and they used an aftermarket part that doe snot have the same lens treatment as the OE.
If you are working on an older vehicle with square plastic housing, you might be able to E-CODE housings for it, which will be glass. I used to do this to my XJ's and it was an amazing upgrade.
When they hazer over, you just replace because the chemicals are just buying some time. The issue is within the polymers or plastic layers, its sort of like trying to put an additive in an engine with bad rings... The damage is done and can only undone one way.
The products that have a "sealer" as they say, is really just a spray on clear coat. That clear coat will create more issues down the road and that time period will get shorter and shorter until its lasts just a few weeks. One of the reasons it makes the issue worse is due to the first steps scarring the heck out of the plastic lens, sure it gives you the perception of removing and leveling the deformed plastic (haze) but its just because its stripping even more away (including any needed OE coating) and leaving even more uneven surfaces, through scratches. Then your "clear coat" fills in the scratches for a period of time, in that its not buffing or polishing away the unevenness... It's filling.
Remember guys, there is no chemical solution for a mechanical problem.
This then gets me to the original point of all of this, for me its about safety... Therefore I just replace instead of decreasing the safety over time and creating more work.
I always thought the haze at the top was due to increased heat from the under the hood coming down onto the lights.
I also see that someone mentioned one light hazing faster than the other, you may be finding that one of your lights was replaced due to an accident and they used an aftermarket part that doe snot have the same lens treatment as the OE.
If you are working on an older vehicle with square plastic housing, you might be able to E-CODE housings for it, which will be glass. I used to do this to my XJ's and it was an amazing upgrade.
I recently was detailing one of our cars and noticed the headlights had some light haze,no yellowing. I was using Turtle wax 1 and done prep cleaner on the car. So I dabbed some on the head lights and ran the buffer on them for a few minutes. Very clear. Followed up with TW graphene hybrid and buffed for a few minutes. Lights are crystal clear .Should be good for at least 6 months.
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All fine, but at what cost? If $16 buys 3 years, would that be more reasonable, than for one of my cars:
$1,694.69 list per side, $1,071.89 internet price, $805.99 aftermarket, plus labor to replace a headlamp--lasts 10 years once done, very good.
The other car is $1,680.81 list, $1182.27, and I don't see any aftermarket as this is a Japanese car. Times 2 on a 2006 car.
OR
$16, labor, lasts 3 years
I would also say nice cars should be garaged. I have 3 nice cars and only one space for them to be garaged. that means 2 get cloudy.
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Sylvania kit, hands down. I had used the Cerakote kit, and while very nice results, the lights got ****ted up again after about a year. I got the cheaper Sylvania kit with steps 1 and 3 only - the activator and the UV sealant only. I had my own wet sand paper. I also used more grades in between the ones that they provide/recommend in the full kit (2x price). My CR-V headlights came out better than new IMO. I keep them protected with some Adam's CS3 regularly.
In my experience the best is wet sand 400 to clean clear plastic, 600 to smooth out the 400 scratch, then spray 2k clear. No need to sand any finer than 600 but you can go up to 1000 if you want. No polishing or anything and they’ll look new for years and years.
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I went up to 3000 grit as the final step on mine. Completely worth it, but not absolutely necessary. It’s mostly just because I had it up to that grit. 1500 as a final grit would suffice in most cases. I have never had any luck with clear spray - then again, I didn’t use 2K Clear or anything specific to plastic, so probably that was why.
That’s all fine if you have a car where the headlight assembly is $100 at the parts store or Rockauto.
But most modern vehicles have VERY expensive headlight assemblies… so cleaning it is, in most cases, a preferred option over replacement.
It’s not cloudy so no reason to mess with it now, but, for example, on my 2017 Bolt, a quick Google shows that each side is about $450+ and most people don’t just have a cool grand floating around with which they can afford to change out their headlight assemblies. And that’s on a Chevy economy car with replaceable bulbs. Imagine the cost on a premium vehicle or one where the whole thing is an LED assembly!
Yeah any of those krylon or whatever type clear sprays won’t hold up. If you don’t have spray equipment you can get spraymax 2k clear in aerosol. You pop a tab on the bottom to release the activator before spraying it.
I use toothpaste works fine
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I'll plug the product again. Cerakote. For $16 and 3 years, I don't see any need to quibble and "wonder." I just never did look into the lifetime warranty. It lasts 3 years for me. The other car, 2. And I believe it's the shape of the headlight and the ability to apply the ceramic in one pass. This car is a 2006, never garaged since 2016.
I just used the Cerakote kit. Also considered the Sylvania kit; the two are #1/#2 in that fast talking YouTuber's channel, but it wasn't as readily available, and the Amazon listing was occupied by 3rd party sellers.
All in all, easy enough to use, and well suited to the average vehicle owner who can get good results even if they aren't detail(er)-oriented.
The abrasives and polishing compounds in such kits aren't anything extraordinary, it's easy enough to use toothpaste, plastic polish or some wet-sanding paper from other sources to do the dirty work.
The secret sauce is really in the final protective coat that needs to replace the original hard coat. The Cerakote LSP wasn't as unforgiving (or oderous) as I expected, or suggested in the instructions (one-pass, single coat application). Maybe the cooler conditions I was working in slowed the curing rate, and helped in that regard.
Neat stuff, though. Self-levelling and once-cured leaves a clear, silky-smooth surface to the touch. They should offer a "pro" kit with just the prep solvent and final coat for those who already have the abrasives on hand, like Sylvania does. I'd consider it.
The true test will be to see how long it lasts. It wasn't my vehicle, isn't garaged, and the only washes it sees are automated drive-throughs.
I have little doubt that the OEMs would have moved toward polycarbonate lenses anyway, since they allow for more complex shapes at lower cost.
But the DOT did consumers no favors when it stubbornly adhered to its arcane philosophy that headlights should be impenetrable, sealed units, and can't have replaceable parts, like the rest of the world allowed, including lenses.
As a result, owners are left with the two options to address worn, or failed fixtures -- these restoration kits or replacement of the entire fixture, which is costly. Isn't hard to predict which routes most people take - ignore the issue, and have impaired seeing, or use these kits.
All in all, easy enough to use, and well suited to the average vehicle owner who can get good results even if they aren't detail(er)-oriented.
The abrasives and polishing compounds in such kits aren't anything extraordinary, it's easy enough to use toothpaste, plastic polish or some wet-sanding paper from other sources to do the dirty work.
The secret sauce is really in the final protective coat that needs to replace the original hard coat. The Cerakote LSP wasn't as unforgiving (or oderous) as I expected, or suggested in the instructions (one-pass, single coat application). Maybe the cooler conditions I was working in slowed the curing rate, and helped in that regard.
Neat stuff, though. Self-levelling and once-cured leaves a clear, silky-smooth surface to the touch. They should offer a "pro" kit with just the prep solvent and final coat for those who already have the abrasives on hand, like Sylvania does. I'd consider it.
The true test will be to see how long it lasts. It wasn't my vehicle, isn't garaged, and the only washes it sees are automated drive-throughs.
I have little doubt that the OEMs would have moved toward polycarbonate lenses anyway, since they allow for more complex shapes at lower cost.
But the DOT did consumers no favors when it stubbornly adhered to its arcane philosophy that headlights should be impenetrable, sealed units, and can't have replaceable parts, like the rest of the world allowed, including lenses.
As a result, owners are left with the two options to address worn, or failed fixtures -- these restoration kits or replacement of the entire fixture, which is costly. Isn't hard to predict which routes most people take - ignore the issue, and have impaired seeing, or use these kits.
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I do the same thing on my beater I just follow up with a coat of wax Meg's ultimate liquid wax
I just tried some FLITZ polish this past weekend and it is the CATS A DOUBLE S! I have tried all the various methods and FLITZ has them all beat. No kidding. Drop about 5 bucks for a tube and try it. Just use a soft cotton shirt and rub it on and into the lens gently. I'm gonna use the Sylvania kit's protective layer but the FLITZ is just WOW!
f355spider
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I have been using the similar Autosol metal polish. Works great on my Tundra, but I have to redo it every 4 months or so. I have been using this for about 5 years now.
I bought one OEM headlight for my 2010 Scion XD and am saving the money to buy the other. Despite polish and sealing the plastic is cracking internally and diffusing the light in a very unsafe manner. They are clear but with many tiny cracks that diffuse the light. Bit the bullet.
