Headlight Restoration

[bruceb]

I use Novus #2 Plastic Polish when my headlights get hazed over.

 

[JCH13]

Just tackled this with my wife's Civic. Found replacement lights for $80/pair and put them in.

 

[NutBucket]

Yeah, ultimately it is probably cheaper/easier to find replacements.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Yeah, ultimately it is probably cheaper/easier to find replacements.

"Ultimately" if the damage to the lenses are beyond sanding/polishing, I suppose.

 

[NutBucket]

Yeah, if you don't mind polishing them every few months. It's not a permanent fix unfortunately, even with the best sealants.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Probably not every few months. Even if it were, most people who take care of their vehicles spend more time on many other routine maintenance tasks than this requires.

 

[NutBucket]

It is every few months. I use Wolfgang sealant too. I'm working up the nerve to try something more permanent like opti-coat. At that point I may just pay my detailer to do it.

 

[FeuerFrei]

I use PlastX as well. Not since I bought new replacement lamps though.
These days I just apply Plexus and park the nose of the car in the shade - working pretty well. Been a few years now - lights still clear.

 

[MtnMan]

Sam's Club does a headlight restore for $25, guarantees it for 5 years. Bought a 2000 Jetta, and the headlights were awful. Looked bad, and virtually useless at night on a dark road.

As a "quick fix" I had Sam's do their thing, before I explored replacing/glass lens/or other options. They do a wet sand restoration with two coats of clear coat. They are like brand new, and I'm no longer considering replacing them which would run $200ish and a lot of work.

 

[mindless1]

I've never needed to spend much money or time on this. If it's a vehicle that I receive in this condition then it may need some wet-dry sanding first, but otherwise or after that, just 3 minutes with plastic polish once a year, or two to three times a year if it sits out facing the sun. There's no way it is cost effective to me to apply a UV sealant (that you then have to eventually strip all the way off once it degrades), and buying new assemblies instead is about 20X the work, and you STILL have to either replace them again or polish them every so often.

Heck, once you get them restored the first time, you could even take a piece of cloth and toothpaste for a minute every time you wash and that will be enough. Besides you want to get all that bug and road tar off anyway when you wash.

I get it though, people like to feel that if they choose the most elaborate and expensive way to do something, that it must be better. Yeah you can spend 10X as much money and time to get a 5% better result, which makes less difference than how often you wash the road grime off, which again is a time you could have just used the toothpaste to polish while it cleans.

 

[NutBucket]

It just depends about how anal you are about your car's appearance.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I get it though, people like to feel that if they choose the most elaborate and expensive way to do something, that it must be better. Yeah you can spend 10X as much money and time to get a 5% better result, which makes less difference than how often you wash the road grime off, which again is a time you could have just used the toothpaste to polish while it cleans.

Very true. I might have launched into the whole wet-sand-with-three-grades-of-paper-polish-seal thing if I hadn't just said "what the hell" and tried the $7 and twenty minutes of time approach first.

Like the guy who wanted a watch, got onto some watch enthusiast boards, then went out and spent $1500+ for a piece of jewelry, it's easy to get caught up in the over-the-top attitudes that can (too) easily be found in online forums.

It just depends about how anal you are about your car's appearance.

Clearing the oxidation from headlights is far more than an appearance thing. My headlights cast a lot more light after polishing them.

 

[NutBucket]

I meant to what degree you take care of it. The guy with toothpaste vs. the guy that buys new lenses.

 

[mindless1]

^ A highly subjective interpretation. You'd have to practically be kissing my bumper to see a difference, and has nothing really to do with "what degree you take care of it" unless you apply a similar philosophy to every nut, bolt, and hose that doesn't look factory new, which I totally get for a show vehicle but for a daily driver, not so much.

I'd sooner argue that if a pristine vehicle is that important, it shouldn't be parked out(side) in sun for long enough to need anything done to the lenses, trim, dash, and all the rest that also ages from UV exposure.

 

[QueBert]

The Meguiars Perfect Clarity headlight restoration kit IMHO is one of the best, doesn't take long and the spray sealant they include's great. For $20-25 don't think it can be beat. Any method, even if it produces like new results will suck and start to look horrible again in a few weeks if you don't put some sort of sealant on after wards.

 

[Carson Dyle]

The Meguiars Perfect Clarity headlight restoration kit IMHO is one of the best, doesn't take long and the spray sealant they include's great. For $20-25 don't think it can be beat. Any method, even if it produces like new results will suck and start to look horrible again in a few weeks if you don't put some sort of sealant on after wards.

The sealant component of the kit is now available separately from Meguiars. It's just now coming into retail stores, or from Amazon. I believe MSRP is $9.99.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?65287-Meguiar-s-Keep-Clear-Headlight-Coating

http://www.meguiars.com/en/automotive/products/g17804-keep-clear-headlight-coating/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M4RVVX6