Headlight restoration - Before & after pics on an Acura TL

[jdoggg12]

Wow, I'm very impressed with how they turned out! Sorry the pics aren't better, I took them without much planning other than I wanted at least some sort of before/after record... it turned out so well I had to share my crappy pics, haha

I used this Meguiars kit to do the restoration after reading the generally positive reviews. The price of the kit wasn't much different than buying the items separately so I feel like it's a pretty solid purchase. The whole process took just over an hour, including taping and clean-up. Just make sure to tape around the corners of the painted parts; it's easy to bash into with the sandpaper.


Album with lots more picshttps://imgur.com/a/Fpi70


Before

After

I'm currently using Plexus to keep them UV protected but am thinking of putting some kind of clear coat on them for a more permanent solution - any good options I should consider?

 

[NutBucket]

There are a number of plastic sealants on the market. Plexus will work fine; I would reapply often (at least once a month). I had my lights coated with opti-coat when they (detailer) coated the paint.

I've been tempted to call a body shop and see if they have a clear coat they could apply. I mean, that's what done when these lenses are made.

 

[jdoggg12]

Yea, about 2 years ago I had a local car wash place do it and they did a shit job. They didn't tape the edges so there were swirl marks on my paint. They didn't do a good job at the edges, where the light starts to angle inwards at/under the body panels (basically the outer 1/2 inch of the housing looked untouched). 6 months later they were noticeably fading again... such a disappointment.

For the past year or so I've been waxing them when I wash my car. That sorta helps the haze but not for long. A permanent layer of sealant/clear coat is the only way to keep them looking decent, I think. Makes me wonder when gorilla glass will make its way into light housings.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I just sell the car and buy a new one.

 

[lsd]

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...eadlight-restoration-new-uv-sealant-idea.html

 

[C1]

You want the "Sylvania Headlight Restoration Kit". It's a $20 part & is available from Autozone. Consumer reports performed an evaluation on like six different restoration kits and Sylvania's kit rated #1 out front in terms of longevity. It is because of the lastability of the final coating that is supplied with the kit. I did my headlights nine months ago & they still look real good.


CR's take

All the headlight restoration kits worked to some degree on at least some headlights, but only the Sylvania could be used with all tested lenses. Further, the Sylvania product also provided the best and longest-lasting results.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/headlight-restoration-kits/buying-guide.htm

 

[bruceb]

I do my lights with Novus #2 Fine Plastic Polish .... clears up the cloudiness very easily

 

[RLGL]

Replace with Certafit products.

 

[Yuriman]

My choice has been opti-lens. It's kindof expensive, but it seems to be holding up far better than other sealants I've tried.

This is how mine look a year after restoring them:

Original headlights:

 

[jdoggg12]

I just sell the car and buy a new one.

I'd expect nothing less from a Ducati rider

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...eadlight-restoration-new-uv-sealant-idea.html

I saw that while doing my research... didn't feel like reading through 100's of pages of replies... if you have, is there a TL;DR?

Replace with Certafit products.

Replace what?

My choice has been opti-lens. It's kindof expensive, but it seems to be holding up far better than other sealants I've tried.

Very nice! Which sealants have you tried? How many times have you re-done your car? Was the before picture after multiple attempts with other products or is it a different vehicle?

 

[Yuriman]

Different vehicle. The first thing I tried was diluted spar urethane, but it faded in the harsh Florida sunlight after a few months. I tried a spray-paint style "non-yellowing" clearcoat, but it didn't ever come out really clear. Things were alright just reapplying Meguiars headlight protectant (looked great, headlights never yellowed), but it needed a new coat every time it rained.

My method for this set of headlights:

400 grit until I was through the yellow, then 800, 1200, 1500, 2000, 2500, then polishing compound. Clean with isopropyl, then apply a thin coat of opti-lens. Wait a few hours, then a second thin coat. It's incredibly thin, goes on like water (don't expect it to fill in any scratches you haven't already buffed out), dries invisibly, but it doesn't yellow. It's also supposedly impervious to solvents, and must be removed with abrasives.

The opti-coat manual says the syringe is one-use, but you can probably do 10+ sets of headlights with the amount included, following their instructions.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I'd expect nothing less from a Ducati rider

I was just kidding.

I owned my last car for 10 years and my last Ducati I put 16,000 miles on before I bought the Ducati I have now. I've had my Multistrada for a year exactly and I have over 7,000 miles on it (bought it new in December 2014).

 

[lsd]

Different vehicle. The first thing I tried was diluted spar urethane, but it faded in the harsh Florida sunlight after a few months. I tried a spray-paint style "non-yellowing" clearcoat, but it didn't ever come out really clear. Things were alright just reapplying Meguiars headlight protectant (looked great, headlights never yellowed), but it needed a new coat every time it rained.

My method for this set of headlights:

I did a set of lights a few years ago with the spray can spar-urethane. I wet sanded after the first layer and resprayed and polished after and it lasted for a long time (>1 yr) but I got rid of the car. I'm in FL too but the car was garaged when at home.

 

[jdoggg12]

400 grit until I was through the yellow, then 800, 1200, 1500, 2000, 2500, then polishing compound.

That seems like a lot of steps, the yellowing must've been deep. The kit i got was 1000 and 3000 grit and seemed perfect for moderate/bad fading.

I was just kidding.

I owned my last car for 10 years and my last Ducati I put 16,000 miles on before I bought the Ducati I have now. I've had my Multistrada for a year exactly and I have over 7,000 miles on it (bought it new in December 2014).

I tease - you should know by my post history that I've got nothing but love for my fellow riders, haha. I wish the Hyper/Multi were lighter, I'd probably jump on one if they were. I've put 14k miles on my WR250X since picking her up in July of last year. I love that bike more than any of my previous bikes, including my race-prepped R6! I think I've settled on a 690 Duke R sometime next year... if Yamaha would just release a WR450X or WR650X, I'd probably never need another bike!

 

[eng2d2]

I did the spar too and it lasted a long time under the desert sun.

 

[JulesMaximus]

That seems like a lot of steps, the yellowing must've been deep. The kit i got was 1000 and 3000 grit and seemed perfect for moderate/bad fading.


I tease - you should know by my post history that I've got nothing but love for my fellow riders, haha. I wish the Hyper/Multi were lighter, I'd probably jump on one if they were. I've put 14k miles on my WR250X since picking her up in July of last year. I love that bike more than any of my previous bikes, including my race-prepped R6! I think I've settled on a 690 Duke R sometime next year... if Yamaha would just release a WR450X or WR650X, I'd probably never need another bike!

That's my only complaint about it really... that and the wind roar from the air pouring over the top of the windscreen and hitting right under my helmet.

Not much you can do about the weight though. It weighs about as little as a big sport touring rig could possibly weigh really. Now if they made it smaller and based one around the 899 motor I bet they'd sell some of those! The generation of Multistrada that I have is a very tall bike. I'm 5'11" and I can't flat foot it. Lots of legroom though and it is easy to stand on the pegs and ride. If you get a chance to ride one I'd say go for it. I'd love to know what you thought of it.

Never been a big fan of KTM. I don't care how good they are, they're just plain ugly.

 

[RLGL]

Originally Posted by RLGL View Post
Replace with Certafit products.

Replace what?

The headlight assemblies, so maint is not needed every 6 months or so. They are not that expensive vs the time and expense to buff out

 

[MongGrel]

I ought to do that to the Mazda 3, the headlights look pretty crappy atm.

 

[jdoggg12]

The headlight assemblies, so maint is not needed every 6 months or so. They are not that expensive vs the time and expense to buff out

At $250+ per side NIB, it's worth spending an hour once or twice a year for me

 

[RLGL]

At $250+ per side NIB, it's worth spending an hour once or twice a year for me

What are you smokin? For a 2003, for example, it's 116.5 per side.

 

[jdoggg12]

What are you smokin? For a 2003, for example, it's 116.5 per side.

2005, not 2003. 2003 is, as you said, about half the price.
https://www.google.com/search?q=200...e=UTF-8#q=2005+TL+headlight+assembly&tbm=shop