This guy knows his stuff.

 

So I didn't have time to drag out the buffer and really detail the lights but what a difference 5 minutes and some elbow grease makes! I was so happy I slapped some on my '06 TSX too lol. I was surprised at how much the oxidation degraded the light output.

 

'06 TSX's? How hard was the swap? Details please!

I used to have clear lens TSX w/ washer mod.. I really loved them.

 

<br />Well I use the Sonax stuff for my car, its a paint sealer and is really unbelievable, the beading action on it is better than any wax I've used. I figured if it worked on paint it should work on my headlights. I had restored my headlights multiple times and never really realized I was missing out on sealing them. I would just sand and polish with m105/205. My process for my headlights last was wet sanding, polish m105/205, sonax, followed by blue magic headlight sealer, and I may have put a wax over it. I'll try to take a pic of the headlights I had restored later on, they have held up perfect without any fading over the last few months in Texas sun. The stuff is amazing for paint though, I'm going to do it on my GS once I polish it in the next few weeks.

 

No no, no swap here. Everything's stock. It is something I want to do though. An owner here from TRS did them on the 4GS and he said the cutoff was killer. I'm just not confident to bake these headlights yet. I did a retrofit on my old Sequoia and it came out great, but those headlights are cheap in the event I mess it up.

 

Came out pretty good. What did you end up using ?

 

Great! I have to give this a try! I have been getting discouraged with the yellowing returning within a few months, I guess the boat stuff I have isn't so great, 303 Aerospace Protectant? Maybe it doesn't last. I will have to give the SONAX product a try! Thanks!

 

I used PlastX. Basically the same thing as ScratchX. I'm still looking around for a UV blocking sealer. Thinking of trying Sonax.

 

Ah, lovely plastic lenses....

I tried everything on an RX330. I gave in eventually. Car was in for work at the shop.
I stripped the headlights, buddy [same shop] simply sanded them down/taped off the backs, cleaned them up and hit it with fresh clearcoat.

Built in UV blockers [as it is the new style paint, water based], and very "flexible" aka, resistant to chips.

Now the problem is more obvious, being an 04 the lenses have seen more abuse with time. But you can see [happens to ALL older lexii with time], the HID systems actually form small cracks & internal haze on the lenses. Some are more lucky with this issue based on climate. I'm in Canada, the car sees dust/dirt, 40*c, as well as slush, ice scraper, -40*c [occasionally]...

All in all, either polish properly and get some GENERIC ebay clear vinyl over the lenses. The GS should be easy, last I saw the lens is smooth with no protrusions/projector bubble...

Or, have them cleared.

 

I have a write up in the detailing forum for headlights on my experience so far with sanding them and using a 2K clear. So far this method is the only method I have tried that has lasted for several months. Once headlights yellow and you have to sand them to get them clear in my experience it does not take long for them to go back to cloudy even with a good wax, sealant, or product like Opti Lens. I have done a few cars and some last longer then others with wax or Opti coat, it really depends on the shape of the light, how much sunlight they receive, how long they are outside, etc. I have seen some headlights on certain models that even have crazing and are very difficult to restore. The only product so far that I have experienced that will work on sealing headlights for several months and last is a 2K clearcoat like Spraymax or Eastwood, a 1K clearcoat won't do much over a good wax/Opti Lens especially headlights exposed to more sunlight, it needs to be 2K to last in the sunlight and to be protected from chemicals.

For what I did, I wet sanded my headlights to 800grit, might have done a little light wet sanding with 1000 grit because I was concerned 800grit was too rough. At this point your headlights will look really bad, pretty much totally white and non transparent, but once they are clearcoated they will turn crystal clear with maybe a slight bluish tinge that will go away. You will have to tape up around the headlights and protect around the front bumper, under hood front sides of the car because the over spray will stick to your finish. You will also need to wear a respirator when using a 2K clear, they can be found for $15-20 online. Spray can be a little tricky, don't move too fast but don't go too slow either, don't try to correct drips, just add more layers and wet sand any remaining defects once you are done and it has dried. I would practice first on something you can throw away to get your technique down and results you are happy with. Compared to many products it is actually not very expensive, the aerosol cans are about $20, they only last a few days once they are mixed, putting the cans in a freezer extends the pot life.

If you can just polish out haze, I would just do that first until the headlights require monthly polishing/waxing/sealing/or wetsanding to stay clear before going with the sanding/2K unless you really just want to do it once and have it last a long time.

I have not even heard of that sonax polimer net sheild, normally I am pretty up do date on detailing products, I might have to look into that especially with the claimed 6 month durability.

 

You have to use a 2K clearcoat like Spraymax or Eastwood for it to last and be more or less permanent on headlights or fresh paint. A UV protector, ceramic sealant/coating, or even regular clear coat you buy at auto stores or Wal mart won't last very long though it does depend on the headlight design and how long the car is parked outside/sunlight it receives. I have tried many products for headlights and only a 2K clear lasts for several months so far on a car exposed to a lot of sunlight.