konradl

It hasn't bothered me at first all that much, but the other day I really looked at them and realized that the yellowing headlights are kind of ruining the front look of the car. Do many of you guys deal with this issue? Mine is a 2007 and has been a northern car all it's life and I assume this is a more frequent issue with the northern state owners, rather than southern, due to salt, sand etc.

Has anyone tackled refurbishing headlights? If so, is there a 'best' method to get rid of the haze and restore them to near original shine and transparency? I've wet sanded and buffed headlights a long time ago on another vehicle and after a few weeks the haze much worse than originally, so I don't want to repeat that with these.

Any input is appreciated - thanks.

BT3100

There are many products out there to address this issue.
I had a 430 and used several in an attempt to permanently fix the cloudiness of the light covers.
While some products work better than others none that I have found are permanent. The best way seems to be to go to a body shop and have them sand and polish the covers. Once they do you need to treat the covers with UV protection. The sun's UV rays are what clouds up the covers.
If you do it your self I've found that the Harbor Freight kit has worked the best followed by the 3M kit.
There is also a Maguries rub on/off product that will clear them up without sanding. But it only lasts a week or two.

roadfrog

Lots of good products out there that make short work of yellowed/hazed lenses. The trick is to top off with a UV protection and do so regularly. I use 303 Protectant.

I just accept that I will have to do this job every few years. Fortunately it's simple and not time consuming, so no big deal.

konradl

That's really unfortunate that this happens on a luxury car like the LS, and you're right, there is not permanent fix. Just have to try to find the longest lasting product I guess.

Which product(s) do you use to clean them, or which have you found to work the best? I'll take a look at the 303 Protectant.
Also, I know the idea is to remove the hazing by scuffing the plastic headlight, then either polishing it and sealing or clearcoating it in some way. However, doesn't the headlight deteriorate more after each time it is scuffed up?

I've been reading some reviews and researching and the Meguiar's Perfect Clarity Headlight Restoration Kit is getting some really good reviews. It has been released at the end of 2014. It's only a two step process - scuff and clearcoat/protect.

kitchamp

I like 3M's kit with the adapter to use with a power drill. It saves a lot of time/elbow grease, just be sure to take it slow and mask the edges really-really-really well, otherwise you will also "restore" away some of your paint.

Echoing the others, after taking off the haze, maintaining the clarity with some kind of sealant is key. Otherwise, the haze just comes back, but at an even faster rate. After I did mine, I had clear bra film installed over the headlights. My thought is that the film might perform the same as the original UV layer from the manufacturer. Not totally sure tho, check back with me in 6 months

konradl

Thanks for the feedback. What kind of clear film did you have installed? Was it a shop or a custom fit type? I've read up on X-pel and I'm debating whether to go the clear film way or the clear coat-ish way.

Shibumi1

I see these threads all the time.... have a bodyshop sand them to a non yellow point then scuff an clear them with car clearcoat.... 1 time fix!!! all that reapply crap is for the birds. I did my Gs lights ONCE... it lasted +10yrs til i sold the car... 1st mod i did on the Ls was clear the head an fogs.... 4yrs ZERO issues... spend the $75-100 once an stop belly aching.. as u said its a high end car.... get the high end fix.

Nospinzone

There's a sticky in the Automotive Care and Detailing forum that has a ton of info.

I once tried to do the headlights on my wife's car by hand, way too much work for so so results. Then I got a dual action polisher, much easier and much better results.

konradl

I actually stopped by a body shop on my way home from work yesterday, explained to them what I wanted to do and the guy looked at me kind of funny and said... 'sure, we can try'. Needless to say, that's not the assuring response I was looking for. But, I totally agree - if I can find a body shop that knows what to do in this regard, that is what I'd do. Actually, I don't even think I'm going to bother with any other gimmicks and just try to do it the right way. I'm glad to hear yours lasted that long. That makes me want to do it even more now.

Do you maintain the headlights by waxing them along with the rest of the car to prolong the life span? Do you know which type of clear they used? Was it just the regular paint clear coat?

I've seen that post, read it from the first page to the last, but it mainly talks about the temporary fix, which again, is only temporary. There was a guy or two on there recommending the same procedure that Shibumi mentioned above. I guess for a few dollars more it's worth getting it done the right way and save the hassle of reconditioning them often.

Thank you all for chiming in.

roadfrog

I guess I'm having trouble understanding what the big deal is. I spend maybe a half hour every couple of years to bring them back to life with a kit that cost less than 20 bucks and last for several treatments. Add to that some 303 or other UV protectant and your done. Less work and hassle than vacuuming my car. FWIW I used the Turtle Wax version of these treatments.

konradl

I think my main concern with the shorter term solutions is that every time I would go back and 'restore' the headlights, I would scratch at it more and more. I may be mistaking, and I'm not an expert detailer by any means, but I imagine the plastic surface would deteriorate more each time. So in theory, the less frequently it needs to be restored, the longer it should last.

I may actually just try the Meguiar's Perfect Clarity kit. It's also around $20 and seems to last a while from what I've read on the reviews. Wonder how that compares to the 303 protectant.

CRowe14

As I just purchased some 303 per Road Frog's experience with it (though I have not used it on my headlights but will start to) from reading this thread as well as understanding what 303 is, 303 is only a UV protectant. It would only be something you spray onto a cloth and wipe onto the headlight from time to time for UV protection, that's all. Its not a polish or anything like that, just a liquid protectant. If im not mistaken the Meg's Clarity kit is an actual process to get the lenses clear and clean. Once that is done and the lenses are waxed/sealed/polished. you can wipe the lenses with 303 for quick protection...i'd guess every few weeks or so, maybe even more.

roadfrog

Precisely. As for how much material is removed when using restoration products, there is very little risk of that. All your doing is sanding off the actual oxidation. For example, the Turtle Wax product I use has three levels of abrasive pads that you use to wet sand the surface and then top off with the provided polish and then I simply apply 303 every few washes to keep the UV protection in place. I did this process over a year ago and my lenses are still crystal clear.

Shibumi1

On my Gs headlights i only know he used a fast drying clear... on the Ls they used Glasurit clearcoat... an no theres no real upkeep just normal washing an drying..but wax maybe applied to them if your already doing the body...after all its the same type of clear....

as for lesser methods that need more upkeep.. who has the time.. I'd rather drive my car than 30 mins here an there to fix a reoccurring problem when a simple solution is already available... do it once... do it right..an "fa-get-abaw-dit" for less than $100 and an afternoon... why not?

kitchamp

I used X-pel, custom cut and installed.