Headlight lens restore products

Guys, maybe its me getting older or my lights getting dimmer, but I am having a hard time seeing at night or the road very well when its wet out. I noticed that my headlight lenses were becoming discolored and hazy and was curious has anyone used with success any kind of product to restore them? I would like to try this before going out and replacing the bulbs.

Thanks

 

Post pics of them for better ideas and replies.

 

I’d recommend the Sylvania. I’ve tried several: Griots (messy ineffective sealant), Sylvania (effective sealant), McGuire’s (no sealant), 3M (no sealant- best kit to polish). Used them on my 2000 Tundra. I found Sylvania lasted the longest without re-hazing. All polished the lenses to a crystal clarity, but for longevity there needs to be an acrylic type of sealant. 3M makes a good kit for a power drill but the best sealant came with the Sylvania kit.

Best kit for polishing ease/quality: 3M
Best acrylic sealant: Sylvania

Without the sealant they hazed over within 6 months when always parked out door.

 

Polishing compound and a towel.

If it's really bad and pitted, get the 3m kit, it takes a lot of material off the lense.

 

Any links for a DA and what products you recommend? Thanks

 

What about off with Deet 40?

 

Hand sanding and polishing using Micro-Mesh for surface restoration and Micro-gloss for final polishing
Amazon- Micro Mesh 9 Sanding Sheet Introductory Woodworkers Kit with a 2 inch by 3 inch Foam Sanding Block $16.00*
Amazon - Micro-Gloss Windshield Polish & Scratch Remover $9.95*
Sylvania headlight kit for plastic primer and UV clearcoat $19.99
and finally
Weathertech lampguards. LG0052 $49.95

This combination has worked fro me on several vehicles inc. my '05 Mazda3s and my '13 Tundra dc.

hth,
B

* These products were developed and are used in the aircraft industry for polishing airplane windows.

 

DEET from bug spray really does work well to clear up foggy lenses.
Also polishing with a DA or even by hand will help too.
The problem is that no matter what you do the fogged yellow look will always come back, and usually worse than previous unless you seal them up.
I would buff them with rubbing compound then a light polish. Then clean them really well to get all the oils and gunk off. Then spray them with a. Automotive 2k clear. A couple coats would be good. Once it cures then put the lights back on and be sure to use some kind of UV protection on them every couple months, you could use car wax, or a sealant, even 303. The key is that you have to put on some kind of clear coat, 2k is great stuff. You could use a lacquer of some kind. But the sealants that come in the kits jusy wont cut it long term

 

I have heard of using bug spray before. Never tried it myself though.

 

I used the Sylvania on my commuter car and it works good. The sealant is the key.

 

Deet will cause it to break down even more.

 

It eats the plastic even more

 

I had great results with good old fashion wet sanding, 2k clear coat. Has some orange peel but can be westsanded and polished for crystal clear like new lights.

 

The company I work for sells headlight restoration kits among other products. We tested about 20 different brands before deciding on what to stock. Overall, the 3M kit is about the best we have used. 3M's part number is 39008. Hope this helps.

 

Meguiars Heavy Duty restoration kit worked well for me. Like $22 on Amazon or a few dollars more at Walmart or autoparts.

 

I used the 3M kit to polish lenses and then coated with Meguiars headlight clear coat on my 2010. Still looking great 6 months out.

 

This is the permanent solution and likely looks the best.

 

This is @driverdog specialty...

 

Does someone want to clue the old guy in on what a "DA" is? I can think of several thing that match the acronym, but none are relevant here.

 

Dual Action polisher

 

Thanks! Now it's off to find a good one.

 

I love my griots garage 6" aka GG6. Plenty of power and very affordable. Porter Cable makes a good one as well for a good price. Stay away from the cheapo Amazon or harbor freight polishers. Keep an eye open for labor day sales at autogeek and detailedimage. They both offer package deals with pads and stuff.