Headlight restoration

Hey all, just curious if anyone knows of a good video on how to do a possible rather fast headlight restoration? I know that I have a drill to help make the process fast, but I honestly don't know what other accessories that I would need to buy in order to complete the process faster than hand scrubbing the headlight with sandpaper.

 

I count no less that 23 videos that pop up on YouTube by just typing "headlight restoration". Not trying to be a jerk, but do your own research.
EDIT: I have had good results with Chemical Guys products. But, it isn't fast or easy. Then again, is anything that ends with a good finished product?

 

Get the 3M Ultra Headlight Restoration Kit. It's about $20. All you need is a drill which you said you have. Easy enough instructions in the kit. Will take about one hour to do both headlights. And then you really want another hour to let the clear coat dry.

 

I used the Cerakote kit and am apply with the results, my lenses were pretty bad and they’re very acceptable now. I did three cars at the same time with one kit. There are some of the fine line/deep cracks that are still visible but not bad at all.

 

OP,

There are so many Youtube videos on just about anything. I don't always think about Youtube and I give a lot of weight to what advice I receive on discussion forums, so I can see you asking here first.

Scotty Kilmer on Youtube has a video on what you seek though. I haven't personally tried doing it.

I have this same job coming up but I think I might just go for a set of replacement headlight assemblies myself. Car-part.com seems to be a great source of OEM junkyard parts.

 

My dude. Anything you do will need to be redone in 2-3 years. Don't do it. If you're not careful and don't tape things (even if you do tape things) you may sand thru or damage your paint. It just isn't worth it.

I'll never polish another headlight on any 1st gen I buy knowing the cost of replacing your existing housings with a solid quality, CAPA-certified housing can be had for $35-50 per side, and that includes all new quality OSRAM or similar name brand light bulbs inside ... you almost can't even replace your existing bulbs for that little $$ these days.

Don't waste your time or money on temporary fixes. Just get new housings. For your 2001 RC or AC specifically, these two would work nicely and are only $35-36/ea, which cost less than two headlight kits but will last 10 years longer:

Driver: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=12447613&cc=1375365&pt=10762&jsn=634&optionchoice=0-0-11-1&_nck=NLfk/b23dbK3C+VjVxouZpZF0LxRm+kji8tpaBJBJqr0q9SlR8gqXGdhOocEqITqjDQg1Fl7RZvljp+/5HaVkP+GYJeWwnr6TRHJysWC+StPfqKtPMxxfQMp1+OerEMEJcRYW+JEnJ18KV8DrNGMPN3OxdVkx8SRoPH0D/O9mhI4/5JR739OSEdBUl3B4UFpINhCAz/tZa0qnHTW7z57RYUiRUy9B+/Sd27ajQxkYu6xJ0XxFjVUftZk86Rk6xa99/3N09a7yyBQXhfs0WSHhUk2uTGUiqC8JcKWkt8oEGeFamgCs/9UfA==

Passenger: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=12447617&cc=1375365&pt=10762&jsn=635&optionchoice=0-0-11-1&_nck=NLfk/b23dbK3C+VjVxouZpZF0LxRm+kji8tpaBJBJqr0q9SlR8gqXGdhOocEqITqjDQg1Fl7RZvljp+/5HaVkP+GYJeWwnr6TRHJysWC+StPfqKtPMxxfQMp1+OerEMEJcRYW+JEnJ18KV8DrNGMPN3OxdVkx8SRoPH0D/O9mhI4/5JR739OSEdBUl3B4UFpINhCAz/tZa0qnHTW7z57RYUiRUy9B+/Sd27ajQxkYu6xJ0XxFjVUftZk86Rk6xa99/3N09a7yyBQXhfs0WSHhUk2uTGUiqC8JcKWkt8oEGeFamgCs/9UfA==

Don't forget the 5% off coupon code, or visit RetailMeNot.com for a 5% off code with these guys, and know where you need to stick the coupon (in the "where'd you hear about us" box)

Make sure you see "CAPA CERTIFIED" in the top corner before adding to cart, else DO NOT buy it.

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Do what Shifty says - get replacement housings from Rock Auto. I tried 3 different restoration kits (all highly recommended) over the years before seeing one of Shifty's posts on replacement housings from Rock Auto. Replacement housings are a much better option.

 

Nothing sucks worse than what just happened on a car I was helping a neighbor out with.

I got her headlights polished perfectly. Then used the 3M clearcoat wipes. Never had it happen before, but the clear spidered on me.

I had to re-sand and re-polish them. Then I went to lay proper clear down, from a rattle can which I used to, quite successfully, paint match my TRD sports grille. I know how to paint, dammit! Once again, one of the lower layers of clear started to show spidering as I was laying down the 3rd layer of clear coat, within the recoat window.

So I re-sanded and polished ... AGAIN. This time, I made the apparent mistake of assuming there was contaminant and spraying them with paint prep, which melted the acrylic. And at that point, I gave up, and whipped out my Novux polishing kit and polished them down to a shine and treated them, then told the owner "Go buy new housings".

I'll never do that again. CAPA-certified housings may not be equivocal to OEM, but the vast majority of the time you're going to get something that lasts just as long, which is better than non-CAPA-certified housings which are a 50/50 chance.

 

This is THE ANSWER. It is Permanent If the Instructions are Followed to the T - 3 steps - the Last one is the Absolute Most Important to Follow (wipe last step on only ONCE and all will go Great). About $17 at wally mart or Amazon.

 

Megs rubbing compound and a wool buffing pad, it's temporary as stated but that is the quickest and easiest method that I have found.

 

Part of the problem here is that the OP wants a "quick fix". Not sure if this is generational due to the world we live in, but IMO there is NOT a quick fix for headlight restoration. This shit takes time, often with less than optimum results. The quickest fix is as @shifty` suggested and just buying replacements. As soon as mine haze over again, that's the route I'm taking.

 

Coincidentally, I was looking at my headlights to decide on the best way to restore them. Saw several videos and if you look carefully, none of them come out that well, just better than they were. The micro-scratches, even with clearcoat is going to affect the light, as the light waves are transitioning between two mediums. It's just physics. On top of that, the insides of mine were less than shiny as it seems the rubber boots were missing. Coulda cleaned them, but see my first point.

I elected to just get CAPA certified replacements from Rock Auto. They should get here today as it happens.

 

Yup.

Cerakote kit: $20-30 with 2-3 hours work, and hope the result is good, or it'll be more work, and you're still on the same old bulbs, and you may need to re-treat in a couple/few years.
New CAPA housings: $75-85 with 15-20 minutes work, and you won't be touching your headlights again for at least 5-7 years in most cases.

If time is money, then the choice is clear. Given this is a sub-$100 affair to go for the longer-term option, and the number of times you'll buy re-treat kits may last you the length of new housings ... I don't see how this is even a question.

Yup. That's the other factor. "Best case scenario". What you see in real life versus what you see in a YouTube video is sildly different. And if you've never done it before, you must consider your result will probably NOT be perfect, and may not pass muster for you.

But important to consider "collateral damage" and "pre-existing damage" also. I've seen too many cars that are sanded down to the metal around the perimeter of the headlights because someone doing the lenses got careless with their sanding. And the reality is, you may get screwed like me, @Dakillacore and others have, where you go and sand yours down and polish only to find your OEM housings have little hairline cracks in them, and will never get truly clear... Then you just wasted even more money.

 

Hey all, so I just wanted to clarify on something. When I mean a 'quick' fix, I do mean using a drill to speed up the process. Of course using my hand to use sandpaper on the headlight will naturally take A LOT longer. Also I did some research and apparently Walmart is willing to put a small discount on the 3M product if they use their own peeps to shop for it, which I don't have an issue with that.

Also getting this done in an hour is definitely fine with me. I just don't like how people edit their Youtube videos to make it seem like doing a headlight restoration is less than a 10 minute job when I know its not. I'll admit that at first I wasn't finding the right videos and I'll take the blame on that.

Now here's my only question from here: I noticed where one video showed using Meguiar's liquid polish at the end to help protect the surface vs using a spray on can (ChrisFix's video). Is there any real big difference between the products or is it really more a matter of personal choice when it comes to a protective coating?

 

Yeah, it's not a 10min job. To do a decent job you're looking at 1-2 hours per housing if it's your first time.

If you're smart, you're going to spend at least 10-20 minutes alone, just taping off critical body panels so you don't scratch the shit out of your paint as you work your way around the headlight, especially if you're using a drill, you're gonna eat into any paint edge you touch with that drill without realizing it.

You'll need to pass through 2-3 grits of sandpaper with most kits, per headlight, working your way back and forth for full coverage, and spraying with water bottle as you go. It usually takes me about 10 minutes per pass/per grit of paper. I can typically get one headlight fully sanded out to a point it's ready for polish in about an hour. Two hours for both. Then cleanup to get get all the cloudy plastic and water that dribbles all over your bumper and other stuff, will take another 10-20 minutes. I've done this on several sets of headlights, and it takes me that long each time, with all that experience, to do the job right.

Then you make a choice: Am I clearcoating this, which will last 1-3 years, or am I polishing it, which will last 3-6 months? If you choose clearcoat, you need to properly prep the headlight for clearcoat. Most clearcoats will require 24-48 hours dry time before you drive the truck. And if you don't lay them down correctly, or the base plastic isn't clean or cooperative, it'll wrinkle, haze, or have inconsistent finish.

Look man, I'm not trying to dissuade you here. I'm just being honest with you. The videos make it look easy. Tons of people here have done the process. It's not fun, it's not hard, just tedious. I know this is not what you want to hear, but the truth sucks sometimes.

 

PS - you DO NOT want to wax the headlights after clearcoating. You need to allow the paint to offgas.

I would only polish if you are using a compound to get th headlights shiny after progressive sanding (i.e you won't be clearcoating). But again, your shine is only going to last 3-6 months. Headlights are coated from the factory to help fend off oxidation. You'll be stripping that coating when sanding. Polish will technically create a temporary seal, but it's not going to offer the UV protection that will prevent rapid oxidation from coming back.

 

I have used 3M kit a few times on a few vehicles with excellent results.
After watching Project Farms video on headlight restore kits, I'd be open to trying other ones too. Sylvania and Cerakote came out on top in his testing

https://youtu.be/kyVCEbfrU-c?si=G9XDmsGSTP6TUlKt

 

Hey man just a little heads up, im not gonna be leaving the housing in the vehicle. I'll definitely be pulling it out just to understand what kind of difference there is between having it out of the vehicle vs keeping it secure. So far most videos I've seen have the restoration done connected to the vehicle, so I'm fully aware of what else I'll need to buy in order to protect the vehicle.

 

I mean, if you're going to have the housing out anyway ... I realize money can be tight for everyone and all, but $20 shipped or local purchase for the cerakote kit ... that's awful close to one entirely new housing.

All I can say is, hope you don't end up like me, and get your housings out, then do all that work to find a bunch of fine cracks hidden beneath the haze, which only served to diffuse the light worse after polishing.

If you want tips on the process and tools you can buy to make it easier, and you don't want to risk laying down a clearcoat, here's what I'd offer up as an alternative to the kits, no clearcoat required: https://www.tundras.com/threads/foggy-headlights.71680/#post-1845354

But sadly, this is what was hiding under the haze on mine, which is what others have found hiding behind the fogginess on mine. I noticed the larger crack before starting. I didn't realize how bad it was until after, and how much it was impacting my light output.

I hope you don't find the same. Especially if money is too tight to spend $35/side on new CAPA-certified headlights. Any money you spend on tools and the kit to do the job is going to be lost, minus the tools which you can hopefully use again later.

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Nice, I would have thought they would be way more expensive. Thank you for posting that. I don't think mine are cracked yet, but they are getting pretty beat up looking.

 

it's meh at best. My shit went foggy after a year.

just get some new headlights lol

 

Always best to confirm with your specific year/cab type, but generally speaking, average range I see is $30-65 per housing for CAPA certified units. It's typically DEPO or TYC brand who are the good bang vs. buck quality option.

 

I just put my replacements in today. Fit like a glove. I went with the TYC's. A little pricier than the Depo (at least for my DC), but still very reasonable and as I had got the TYC fog lights, decided to stick with the brand.

The only issue is that I didn't think I needed to do the turn signal housings. But now they look crap compared to the shiny new headlights, so just placed the order for those. No biggie as they are less than 30 bucks each for TYC CAPA certified.

For my original headlights, a fair bit of dirt/dust had got inside them due to the missing boots and the reflectors are not as pristine, so this was another factor in favor of just replacing them, but I think after approx 20 years, the seals were probably going anyway.