Anyone found a kit that works? I have tried two and neither worked very well.
Thanks in advance.
John
Rubbing compound. Turtle Wax, or whatever your flavor is.
Soft cloth and deep woods off skeeter repellent
It depends on how bad the haze is. On my wife’s van, I just ordered new headlight assemblies.
Depending on how bad the lenses are there ways to restore and maintain clarity to some degree. I buff the lenses with rubbing compound initially. May require additional times to get desired results. Then I buff with polishing compound. This may be an annual project to keep lenses manageable. One must understand that yellowing on the inside of the lenses and dirt within also contribute poor visibility.
There are kits to utilize but this has worked well for me. Good luck. MTG
Salvaged some w Scratch Out.
Mcguire's polish and wax and use your buffer.
Simple .
Just buy a set of replacement assemblies. Couple hundred dollars and I would think way less time.
It depends on how bad the haze is. On my wife’s van, I just ordered new headlight assemblies.
Yep
About 3.5 years ago I bought a 98 Toyota Camry for my daughter to run. The lights were pretty hazed up. I looked into compounds to buff them with then checked Fleabay for prices on new headlights. The new headlights weren't all that much so I just replaced them both.
Buffing just prolongs the purchase on new!
I use the Meguiars kit on cat eye Silverados. It seems to work acceptably. I refinished a set last fall, and they are still looking pretty good.
It depends on how bad the haze is. On my wife’s van, I just ordered new headlight assemblies.
Yep
About 3.5 years ago I bought a 98 Toyota Camry for my daughter to run. The lights were pretty hazed up. I looked into compounds to buff them with then checked Fleabay for prices on new headlights. The new headlights weren't all that much so I just replaced them both.
Yup. This is an ‘01 Sienna. Lenses were hazed full thickness. Got new ones on either eBay or the cursed Amazon. IIRC, it was ~ seventy bucks for the pair of OEM units.
I wet sanded mine with very fine, and progressively finer sandpaper, then sprayed with clearcoat.
If they're badly yellowed, use 1000 then 3000 grit wet/dry sandpaper to clean them up. Then finish with buffing compound. It made a big difference on my pickup. Then I switched to LED lights and really got some light out of them compared to the stock lights.
Just lightly sand the lense with 400 and than 600 sandpaper, Than clean thoroughly with alcohol, Next apply a nice light even coat of uv protecting clear coat urethane from a rattle can. Dry and done.
I wet sanded mine with very fine, and progressively finer sandpaper, then sprayed with clearcoat.
I'm to tight to buy new ones. I try to buff the haze off with Meguiar's PlastX $5 at Wal-Mart. I use a buffing wheel in a cordless drill. It will sling on paint so cover nearby areas with a rag. As stated above wet sand if buffing will not initially work. Cheap spray bottle full of water & some 2000 grit sandpaper. I have had good results with my tightwad method.
I've done it a couple times over the years. The last time I believe I used the Mother's kit and it worked well.
Soft cloth and deep woods off skeeter repellent
Howard nailed it; deet will dissolve the cloudy stuff fast and leave you with like-new lenses.
Don’t know if it’s necessary, but I scrubbed mine down w/ dawn dish detergent polishing to stop the dissolving action.
Toothpaste will work, but Mosquito dope works better.
As mentioned......rebuffing/polishing will only last so long...
New aftermarkets depending on your vehicle may be best choice
For example..my new to me '03 Lexus LX 470...
18 yrs in the Arizona sun.......I opted for new E Bay aftermarkets....$200 shipped
Nice & clean & bright
Just swaped some on my friends 98 gmc 2500. Cost 100.00 and here in 2 days. It was easy if ya can think of it some one has a you tube video on how to do it.
The backup cam on my 2011 F150 is hazy, wonder if any of this stuff would work on the lens cover?
I used the 3M headlight restoration kit, about $12 at Amazon, and was surprised how well it worked. One lens turned out better because I buffed it longer with the most coarse grit pad. I didn't polish the lens with less haze as long with the most coarse pad used in the first step, which was a mistake. I'd use the 3M kit again. I would suggest using a corded drill or you'll spend a bit of time probably charging batteries.
I've tried the kits available, they work okay but wet sanding with progressively finer wet or dry sandpaper worked better for me. Replacements were very expensive even considering aftermarkets, which incidentally mostly come from China.
I used the 3M headlight restoration kit, about $12 at Amazon, and was surprised how well it worked. One lens turned out better because I buffed it longer with the most coarse grit pad. I didn't polish the lens with less haze as long with the most coarse pad used in the first step, which was a mistake. I'd use the 3M kit again. I would suggest using a corded drill or you'll spend a bit of time probably charging batteries.
I used the 3M kit also. Worked very well. Have two more vehicles that need it now. Appreciate the Amazon tip. Bought mine thru the local NAPA. Paid about twice the price.
Headlamps are a wear item. Especially with no car payment, periodic maintenance should be well within your budget. I admire my new HLs every time I view them, and appreciate them on the road at nite.
AutoSol chrome cleaner. I know BS, but it works.. It will even take the scratches out of a plastic watch crystal. Go slow with a soft cloth.
Soft cloth and deep woods off skeeter repellent
Deep Wood is excellent. You can use any skeeter repellent, just make sure it has deet.
Depending on what vehicle you own, it might be better to order some aftermarket lights. I got some new ones complete with new bulbs for my 2001 Tundra and they were only about 80 bucks shipped. Some are cheaper, but I opted for ones with good ratings that were mid range.
The glass sealed beams on my 86 mustang have never glazed over, and can replace for about $10. ea.
My 2003 Dodge Ram 3500 got new headlights after messing with the kits and all of the aformentioned snake oils. Never could get them to come out so just replaced them with new, less than $100 and a few minutes labor.
I tried DEET bug spray this morning, it took some surface tarnish off, but far from clear.
The lenses on my Acura hazed over badly and they are far to expensive to replace just because of the haze. When I was at the body shop getting other work done I asked if they could do anything to improve the lens condition. They said "we'll try". When I picked the car up the lens looked brand new! Since I paid for the body work they cleared up my lenses for free. They actually sparkle like new.
yeselk;
Good afternoon, I hope that the day's as nice and bright in your part of the world as it is here today and that all in your world are well.
At one point in my working life I managed an auto detailing shop and one of the services we performed was freshening up plastic headlights.
When I left that work for my first crack at retirement, I bought a small air powered orbital sander and the pro grade cut polishes and finish coats to do it for friends and family.
Depending upon the age of the vehicle, the make and your sun conditions, it'll usually last for at least a year, sometimes more - again depending upon the same conditions.
If you don't put a UV resistant top wax coating on, it won't last as long in my experience.
I've seen YouTube videos where the restoration shop used a clear UV resistant plastic paint and if you can find some - I can't locally - it might be worth trying too, but I'm not certain.
As mentioned by other previous posters, new lights will give you a fresh start, just shop around a bit and find some OEM quality ones as there is definitely a difference in parts suppliers. I'd suggest asking a body shop you trust whose headlights they prefer. The body shop our detail department was attached to definitely had preferences depending upon the type of vehicle they were going into.
Hopefully that made sense and was useful sir. All the best and good luck with the project.
Dwayne