Headlight Lens Showing Age

[IGGGY]

I have an 07 HB. The leadlight lenses are starting to get a bit foggy. Anyone know of a product to clean/restore the lens?

[yarrr]

meguiar's plastx, or the whole restoration kit if you really wanted

http://www.meguiars.com/estore/product_list.cfm?sectionname=Consumer%20%28Meguiar %27s%20Brand%29%3EClear%20Plastic%20Care&sectionID=15101

[yaris-me]

I have an 07 HB. The leadlight lenses are starting to get a bit foggy. Anyone know of a product to clean/restore the lens?

When you wax your car, wipe a little on the lens. This will offer some protection from the sun.

[Vang]

meguiar's plastx, or the whole restoration kit if you really wanted

http://www.meguiars.com/estore/product_list.cfm?sectionname=Consumer%20%28Meguiar %27s%20Brand%29%3EClear%20Plastic%20Care&sectionID=15101

this 100%~!!
is it yellowish or is it water leaking inside and fogging it up?

[UTVitz]

if they are not too far gone and the hazing is on the outside Plexius is fantastic for plastic lens preservation. Availabe at most motorcycle shops it was invented for plexiglass on aircraft. It really works. Being your car is only a few years old I'd hope you don't need restoration yet. My '08 lamps look as clear and shiny as the day I bought it using Plexius after I wash the car. Hazing/yellowing of clear plastic headlamp lenses is normal-I have yet to see a car with plastic headlamps not do it after a few years-they all require something to keep them looking good. It's all a combination of engine heat, uv's, ozone slowly aging them.

[yaris2010RS]

best produst i have ever used is called plastex or soemthing. it makes the lights (and anything else plastic) look brandnew. it removes the glazing and yellowing and also rock chips. its really a great product. i can't wait for a few years down the road for when i can use it again! lol

u can get it at any canadian tire..... or for those unfortunate to not be canadian or near a canadian tire any auto store (auto zone and parts source)

[Betrivent]

Get any kind of polisher and just stick a cloth to it for a few minutes per lense. Worked wonders for mine.

EDIT: I say any kind because I used a metal polisher and it works fine, so pretty much anything will do.

[yaris 2sz]

meguiar's plastx, or the whole restoration kit if you really wanted

http://www.meguiars.com/estore/product_list.cfm?sectionname=Consumer%20%28Meguiar %27s%20Brand%29%3EClear%20Plastic%20Care&sectionID=15101

really good
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggO4G0iEcnk

[RedRide]

really good
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggO4G0iEcnk

The local Macco has a big sign hyping a "special" They will buff out your yellowed headlights for only $99.95! :eek:

I have found that best way to prevent yellowed headlights is to simply wipe them whenever you wash the car and sometimes when they are just wet due to rain as the "yellow" is mainly dirt build up.

I have followed this cleaning ritual with my '02 celica (that I got in '01) and the headlights are still crystal clear even though it is not garage kepted. :smile:

I have seen so many cars with shiny, well maintained paint and yellowed headlights. It seems to many that cleaning the headlights is just an after thought at best.

[Lucas13]

Headlight Haze is something very common on every vehicle knows days, no matter how expensive the car is. Car headlights are made of polycarbonate and they are protected by a silicone based clear coat which can last about 3 years or more depending the conditions, for example in Florida most of the vehicles after 4 years need headlight restoration. Why this Happen?

Acid rain, Oxidation, pollution, Saline environment and road debris cause that the silicone based UV coating starts to break and will expose the polycarbonate.

In some cases the headlights can be deoxidized with some of the kits available in local stores but sometimes the haze will re-appear after 3 months, when the UV coating is already broken its necessary to re surface the headlight. Is always good to keep in mind that the headlights condition depend on how you take care of them; I always recommend using some type of wax cleaner to keep all the contaminants away from the UV coating and at the same time to keep them sealed, using a good sealant will help them to last longer.

I own a headlight restoration business, and this how I make a living, I find that know days there are lots of kits available but none of them will offer a permanent solution, there are some places that charge a lot for this process but you need to make sure what they use because some of them including my local Toyota dealer use this kits and I think this is not honest from their part since it's not done with professional tools and products and the result is that the haze will re-appear within months. Real headlight restoration takes re appying the silicon based UV protectant coating, doing it that way will make the headlights will last for years without the maintenance.

This is very simple website I made so my customers can have a better idea of headlight restoration the importance and also there are some pictures of before and after. www.headlightexpert.com

[yarisboi]

once i've polished my headlights can anyone recommend a way i can apply a layer of this silicon based UV coatings? i'm sure there must be something i can buff on buff on or something but i've done a few searches and cant find anything specifically for polycarbonate (seen it for glass - would this work?)
thanks for the help!

[yarisboi]

ok i can vouch for the effectiveness of the metal polish
i used Autosol metal polish (the one in the tube) and it works wonders. Seriously effective.
I still need something a little more permanent which will leave a layer over the newly polished headlights so that they don't discolour so easily again.

[Lucas13]

once i've polished my headlights can anyone recommend a way i can apply a layer of this silicon based UV coatings? i'm sure there must be something i can buff on buff on or something but i've done a few searches and cant find anything specifically for polycarbonate (seen it for glass - would this work?)
thanks for the help!

You can try to find Renulite or similar product, it comes in spray.

[HTM Yaris]

Dude , wax works perfect . :thumbsup:

[bzinn 1]

www.griotsgarage.com their glass polish works perfectly on headlights,I have used it on about a dozen cars now.....all of them had plastic lenses except for one......then a coat of wax or polish once done and they are good as new.

[indepth2]

I have an 07 HB. The leadlight lenses are starting to get a bit foggy. Anyone know of a product to clean/restore the lens?

There are a lot of products and methods people use to adddress that problem but there are drawbacks to most. The use of abrasives is the most common but also the most damaging method to both the surface of the headlight lens and protective UV layer. The newer your headlight the less likely you need an abrasive cleaner. The safest and fastest way is to use an acrylic lens deoxidizer. It is a liquid non abrasive and will not harm the headlights protective Ultra Violet layer : http://www.ibc34.com/Onestep.html This won't work on a lens that is damaged and needs to be resurfaced but it is perfect for the instanteous removal of surface oxidation which is the most common problem with all acrylic headlight lens.

[MyzticZ3r0]

look at the OP's date.. thread resurrection!

[Killchain]

Use Flitz and elbow grease. Will not harm paint.

http://www.flitz.com/p-16-flitz-polish-paste.aspx

[YAR1S]

I swear by Plastx.