Headlight Restoring..

My headlight assemblies are bugging me, the yellow tinge-worse on top is really an eye sore. They lasted 12 years. I know putting new oem LED assemblies would be best, but I am cheap. Any cheap restore kits worth using or will I be re-doing them every 6 months?

 

I had a 2011 Honda Pilot and saw several youtube videos on using Meguires Mag Polish. Not going to lie, it worked.

 

Did it remove the yellow? Is it holding up?

 

The 3M Headlight Restoration Kit 39194 works well.

 

Mine were really bad “cloudy” and hazy. Don’t remember if it was yellow. Sorry. It’s called Mothers Mag polish. Watch videos on YouTube about using it for headlights. I was pretty impressed at the job it did

 

Mine were yellow. Lasted 12 years. I tried several youtube videos. Did nothing for me. Infact I made it worse.
Found a decent quality non OEM for about 100 odd dollars. Working fine for last 6 months.

Paint shops will restore them for you and make them quite good but the price would be close to getting a new non OEM unit.

 

You have to remember to keep them from yellowing again you need to get a ceramic coating- it can be a ceramic wax for UV protection. I put a ceramic coating on the 2011 Pilot and two years later there was no hazing or anything

 

If you are planning on keeping the vehicle. Just get a new assembly or clean used ones/.

The dealership restoration didn't last long on my Honda Pilot

 

Thanks. You happen to have a link for the assemblies you got?

 

Google is your friend. I got in touch with a local paint shop and he hooked me up. It was a little expensive that what I could source but was convenient.

Amazon has a brand called ACANII. Check them out. A pair goes for 170 odd.

 

I did a restoration on my daughters 2016 camry. They were really cloudy, much worse than the OPs. The procedure I used was

1. Tape off area around headlight
2. Wet sand with 800 grit
3. Wet sand with 2000 grit
4. Wet sand with 5000 grit
5. Polish with rotary polisher and polishing compound ( w/o any fillers)
6. Sealed with graphene coating

Still look great after 8 months in the Texas sun.

Note- The Meguiars headlight coating was a fail. The first coat was nice, the second looked terrible. If you're gonna use this, do it in one coat. It came off easily w rubbing alcohol.

 

After extensive googling, I used this on my 2010 Outback. It was a lot of work, but turned out great.

$23 SYLVANIA Headlight Restoration Kit - Long-Lasting Headlight Repair Kit for Restoring to Like-New Condition - Surface Activator, Exclusive UV Coating, Clarifying Compound & More - No Tools Required

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00429NKWK?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

Yes. Most of it is just using the right progression of grits, but the clear coat finish makes a difference. It's just like new.

 

Sanding is a great way to restore inexpensively I've done it to other cars of mine. I will definitely agree with the others above to go with a better coating like ceramic, clear coat, etc. Wax is fine if you wax your vehicle regularly but most dont and won't last long without regular applications.

 

I used the Turtle Wax kit from Walmart on my son's Camry. I figured for $10 and 15 minutes it was worth a try. They are not perfect, but they work substantially better.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Turtle-Wax-New-Speed-Headlight-Lens-Restorer-Kit-Heal-and-Seal/542782393

 

The problem with some of the lower-cost kits is that the plastic yellows in a year or two, so you have to redo them often.

 

Although if you're doing it every 2 years, you're averaging $5 and 8 minutes per year.

 

it's more complicated than that. Usually the first time someone uses a restoration kit, you are sanding away the factory top layer that contains the OEM UV resistant coating that is really hard to reapply correctly, so subsequent restore results will yellow and cloud quicker when the plastic underneath now are exposed to full force of UV rays.

 

On my 2017 4Runner trd pro the tops of the headlights were faded since I've had the truck. I've done several headlight restorations and custom halos etc. i use an 5" electric 3m da sander starting with 1500 grit trizact with spray bottle to wet sand. Then move on to 3000 grit foam backed trizact ending with 5000 grit trizact clean the lense then bust out the polisher starting with compound and a cutting pad then switching over to a fine cut pad and polish. As long as the fade is on the outside you can restore practically any headlight if inside the lenses 5 mins at 300 degrees in and oven and you can easily pull the lenses off but will be more time consuming as you'll have to do a lot of the sanding and polishing by hand but still works..make sure to add a sealer when done I use cerokote stuff

 

here u go - buy these two

$11 3" Sanding Disc, Drill Sanding Attachment, Wet Dry Hook and Loop Sandpaper Assortment 320 to 3000 Grits, Sand Paper for Wood, Metal, Automotive, with 1/4 Shank Backing Plate and Interface Pad

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CZLR7CLL

$12 Meguiar's Keep Clear Headlight Coating, Maintain Like-New Clarity of Your Headlights with an Easy-to-Use Formula and UV Protection that Lasts All Year Long, 4 Ounce Aerosol

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

 

I agree, sanding is the only thing that worked for me. Perfect timing to read this because we just did the sanding. Thanks for the Meguiar’s link! I hadn’t considered putting the special coating on until I read your post. I just ordered it.

My husband and I just went through this less than a week ago with our 2005 Sienna.
I had been trying various products for years but nothing was working. I was frustrated so I ordered new headlights from Amazon a few weeks ago. The headlights I ordered weren’t the same, though it specifically said they were for my van. So, back to the drawing board, more research. It appears the 2005 Toyota Sienna LIMITED (highest end model in 2005) came with HID headlights, and the other, lower end models didn’t. I wondered why I hadn’t needed a new bulb after 20 years - too funny! But… The price for new HID headlights… an unbelievable $500.00 (gasp). Considerably more than the ~$100 I just paid for the lower end headlights. I decided I could drive with dim, ugly, headlights.

Last ditch effort, we tried a kit specifically designed to sand headlights, but buying the sanding disks is probably much cheaper. The headlights look new. I wish I had taken a before and after photo because the difference is dramatic. They were much worse than the op’s.

 

Works like a champ…..

 

No Positive Site reviews
Discounted almost 50%
Hmm....

 

I used this stuff:

$18 CERAKOTE® Ceramic Headlight Restoration Kit – Guaranteed To Last As Long As You Own Your Vehicle – Brings Headlights Back to Like New Condition - No Power Tools Required - 10 Wipe Kit

https://www.amazon.com/CERAKOTE-Ceramic-Headlight-Restoration-Kit/dp/B084RQKLV8?sr=8-1

I am absolutely impressed with the results. Cannot speak for longevity yet as it has only been about 6 months since using.

Before:



After:



And my dumbass did not take a before photo of the 4runner, but here is an after:

 

Basically did the same process but 2 or 3 times polishing with compound and finished with the sylvania coating that backpacker linked. Lasted around 5 years in CT.

 

Before and after…make of it what you will….

 

I had dull, dingy looking headlights on my '05 Trailblazer, and after seeing too many headlight "restoration" remedies go not as planned. I looked on.. Rock Auto, found the headlight I needed for $75 a piece... no polishing with so so results, and I can see in the dark again! Well worth the money. I've seen some of the restoration kits work, but also seen some that were 'snake oil'. For instance a friend did one of the buff it kits and it looked great.. but once it dried I guess I'll call it, they appeared to be hazy again. So I guess to avoid the hassle and maybe get so so results I'll go for the new assemblies... and they are cheap OP.

 

Headlight restoration is really only going to be as good as the amount of work you want to put into it. And since you're taking off layers it's only going to last so long.

 

Best thing you can do after restoration is apply this:
USC SprayMax 2K Glamour High...

$27 USC SprayMax 2K Glamour High Gloss Aerosol Clear

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0082LJMC6?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

Agreed, this product works great. Also, the Cerakote Trim Coat Restoration is amazing.