Just go down to a local auto paint store and buy 1 sheet each of 2000 and 3000 grit sand paper and some buffing compound. It's a lot cheaper than the kit and is the same thing. Wet sand them and finish with the compound and a rag if you don't have a wheel. You'll have to keep them waxed after that, though, because you'll have removed the hard factory finish, which just happens to be the part that turned yellow. The polishing won't last as long as the original shine. You might have to redo them once a year or so. That said, it really shines them up, removing all the yellow that kills the light. It worked great on my pickup. However, I was going to do it on our van but the haze was on the inside and impossible to get at. I got replacements on Amazon for something like $30 each. They're a couple years old now and work great.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
I just buffed mine out 10 minutes ago with some scratch remover polish. They will cloud up again in a couple months. I hear the solution is buffing, wax removal with alcohol, the seal with a rattle can of clear coat.
I got a RainX restoration kit at the Bargain basement about a year ago. NIB at a fraction of the retail cost. Though it just what I needed to rehab the headlights on wife's 01 van.
Followed the directions and the result was that it made very little improvement. After reading this thread, I figured I needed to start coarser, so I did.
Worked the lenses over with Comet cleanser, rinsed and hit them again with Bon Ami. Made a big difference. Might do that again and then try the RainX kit again.
If you take the time it takes, it takes less time. --Pat Parelli
American by birth; Alaskan by choice. --ironbender
I got a RainX restoration kit at the Bargain basement about a year ago. NIB at a fraction of the retail cost. Though it just what I needed to rehab the headlights on wife's 01 van.
Followed the directions and the result was that it made very little improvement. After reading this thread, I figured I needed to start coarser, so I did.
Worked the lenses over with Comet cleanser, rinsed and hit them again with Bon Ami. Made a big difference. Might do that again and then try the RainX kit again.
The plastic itself will yellow and that has to be removed. Cleaners won't do it. You have to use some kind of abrasive to sand the yellow off, as you found out.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
I got a RainX restoration kit at the Bargain basement about a year ago. NIB at a fraction of the retail cost. Though it just what I needed to rehab the headlights on wife's 01 van.
Followed the directions and the result was that it made very little improvement. After reading this thread, I figured I needed to start coarser, so I did.
Worked the lenses over with Comet cleanser, rinsed and hit them again with Bon Ami. Made a big difference. Might do that again and then try the RainX kit again.
The plastic itself will yellow and that has to be removed. Cleaners won't do it. You have to use some kind of abrasive to sand the yellow off, as you found out.
Yup. That's what the pads in the kit are - three grades grain size sandpaper. it just didn't start at a coarse enough grit.
If you take the time it takes, it takes less time. --Pat Parelli
American by birth; Alaskan by choice. --ironbender
I don't remember the brand name, but bought the one the guy at the parts store recommended. It brought the lenses back to near new condition on my 9 year old truck. It was worth the price to me.
Most people don't really want the truth.
They just want constant reassurance that what they believe is the truth.
water and baking soda. Make a paste, rub a bunch. They'll clear right up. The UV coating sounds like it might extend the time between massages. Here's a video to help explain everything for you.
“You never need fear a man, no matter what his size. When danger threatens, call on me, and I will equalize.” Samuel Colt.
�Common sense is genius dressed up in work clothes.� - Ralph Waldo Emerson
I bought a Sylvania kit because it received fairly consistent good reviews. I used it today and am happy with the results. It's straight forward- apply activator a couple different times, sand, sand, sand, polish and then apply the clarifying compound. If you use this kit, don't be tempted to "touch up" the clarifying compound unless you do it immediately. On the second headlight I think the towel used to apply it got too saturated and I had a run. I didn't smooth it fast enough so the second lens has a bit of streaking but still quite an improvement over how it was before.
I should've taken before pics. They weren't yellowing yet but were getting some cloudiness. Not terrible but figured it would be easier to do them now than wait til they had the look of the windows in a smoker's den. The second pic is the one I tried touching up but as you can see nothing is evident in the pic. The two horizontal lines that run all the way across the lens are part of the lens on the inside. This is on a '06 Tundra.