Head lights getting hazed from abrasion?

[bairjo]

We have 4 Toyotas in our family and 2 of them have developed a haze on the headlights from my guess is abrasion. My Yaris has not developed this condition yet and i know this is not just a Toyota issue.

Just a hot tip for a quick fix to this if your Yaris starts this...I used a wet rag with tooth paste to rub it out. Worked pretty good, but not 100%. I know they sell products at the auto stores for this but don't know if they are any better. Just thought I wouls pass it along if there was not already a thread on this.

Do any of you have this issue with your Yaris?

[IllusionX]

Plastic will haze. It's normal.

I think UV Rays are the #1 responsible for that.

[WeeYari]

Yes, mine have yellowed considerably. I've done the toothpaste thing with so-so results. Same with baking soda on a wet rag. My last attempt to clear them was with Turtle Wax Liquid Clay. That worked very well and they are staying clear considerably longer than with my household product attempts.


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[bairjo]

Yes, mine have yellowed considerably. I've done the toothpaste thing with so-so results. Same with baking soda on a wet rag. My last attempt to clear them was with Turtle Wax Liquid Clay. That worked very well and they are staying clear considerably longer than with my household product attempts.


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Well I'll try Turtle wax Liquid Clay next time....never would of thought of that.

[Betrivent]

An option would be just to just full on sand them down with 1000 grit wet and get a body shop to clear coat them.

[sheekeebut]

Yarises, much like most modern cars, have a factory coat on the lenses that resist haze and yellowing. They'll naturally wear off with age and use, say around 5-7 years or 100k km.

Through lots of googling, you'll notice that those headlight restoration kits offer not only a good polish, but some kind of coat to protect it. Lasts much less than factory coat, but much better than the few months or so you would go with just toothpaste, rubbing compound or what have you.

A good clear coat applied correctly may last longer, but that's too risky for me.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/g1470/which-headlight-restorer-works-best/

[MUSKOKA800]

I used Maguire's product. It included that felt like a cross between liquid wax and polishing compound and a buffing wheel/pad for a drill. Instructions were to tape off the painted areas surrounding the lights first. I did it after four years of oxidization/stone blasting and it worked like a charm, has lasted two years now without a re-do and still remain crystal clear.

[bronsin]

In NJ near Philly there is so much reflected light or whatever its not necessary to use your headlights while driving at night. (to see...but you need to BE seen so don't try it!)

I worked second shift for many years and saw many many cars driving without headlights. I wondered about this and tried it myself coming home at midnight. You realy don't need them TO SEE.

That must be why so many don't turn them on...

[bronsin]

But Im going to try TWWC on my wifes 05 Camry thanks!

[ern-diz]

An option would be just to just full on sand them down with 1000 grit wet and get a body shop to clear coat them.

This is what I did. Turned out great.

[justjesus]

An option would be just to just full on sand them down with 1000 grit wet and get a body shop to clear coat them.

I wouldn't clear it after doing this! I'd follow up with finer sand paper (like 2000 or 2500) and then have it polished.

Mine were looking pretty nasty as well, until they were wet sanded and polished. No clear coat applied. The work was done early December of 2014. Still looking good. Here's what it looked like AFTER that was done:

http://i711.photobucket.com/albums/ww116/JustJesus_Video/MC6_zps6059db47.jpg (http://s711.photobucket.com/user/JustJesus_Video/media/MC6_zps6059db47.jpg.html)

[WeeYari]

Just had mine done at my local dealership for $50.

Figured why not. Restoration kit would have cost me at least $35. I gladly ate the extra $15 for the sake of convenience.

[bairjo]

3M offers a head light protective film...clear bra style. It may be worth looking into if you have had issues and had them temporarily repaired.....the issues will come back. Just a thought.

[ABSPLASTIC]

Meguiar's Plastx works well, but eventually your headlights haze and yellow again within a few weeks. It's a routine touchup job, but no way in hell am I paying $$$ to get new headlights or have them professionally done for $100. Just take 10 minutes of your time to polish with Plastx and you're good to go.

[2009Toyotoad]

In NJ near Philly there is so much reflected light or whatever its not necessary to use your headlights while driving at night. (to see...but you need to BE seen so don't try it!)

I worked second shift for many years and saw many many cars driving without headlights. I wondered about this and tried it myself coming home at midnight. You realy don't need them TO SEE.

That must be why so many don't turn them on...

Hmmmm...... No DRL?

[RedRide]

Meguiar's Plastx works well, but eventually your headlights haze and yellow again within a few weeks. It's a routine touchup job, but no way in hell am I paying $$$ to get new headlights or have them professionally done for $100. Just take 10 minutes of your time to polish with Plastx and you're good to go.

It's UV sun light that hazes them.
The headlights come with a anti UV coating on them .
The problem is, this coating starts to wear off after few years and it starts hazing.
Then, when you polish them for the first time to remove any initial haze, you are also removing any remnants of the anti UV coating still on the light.

It's not that it really hazes faster after an initial polish, you mostly just notice it more when the lights are crystal clear again.
So, you of course have to re-polish them occasionally.
However, if you never polish them, to begin with, the haze will just keep building up and become increasingly difficult to remove.
So, it's six of one and a a half dozen of the other.

I also use Meguiar's Plastx and polished my headlight on my '09, for the first time just last week and, they are now crystal clear. :smile:
I should add that my Yaris is not garage kept.... so, I can't complain.
You should see the horrible condition of some of mat neighbor's headlights .

[justjesus]

I'm at six months since mine were polished and they still look good

Too bad, cuz Meguiar's has a fairly new product I'd like to try out. For 20$ I just might have to find a test subject.

Link to Perfect Clarity (http://www.detailing.com/store/meguiar-s-perfect-clarity-headlight-restoration-kit.html?gdftrk=gdfV28273_a_7c2854_a_7c11652_a_7cM EG_d_G2000)

[CoryM]

Another user of the PlastX kit. I've done maybe 100 cars with it with mostly good results. The biggest thing is longevity though, and I can't really comment on that as I haven't done it on my own vehicle. The UV protectant is a MUST no matter what system you use or it will quickly end up hazed again.

[justjesus]

The UV protectant is a MUST no matter what system you use or it will quickly end up hazed again.

What have you done for UV protection?

The Meguiar's Clarity kit, per one vendor, "Meguiar’s proprietary coating prevents re-oxidation for up to a year!"

[CoryM]

I've just been using the Meguiar's "Headlight Protectant" which comes in the cleaning kit. That being said, I think we had a car come in today that I did a few months ago and it was already looking pretty bad. I will find out for sure if it was the car I am thinking of and post. If it only lasts that long, I think I will stop doing it (I don't want to charge customers for a temporary fix).

[CoryM]

So yes, unfortunately the car was the one I was thinking of. The headlamps were fogged very badly, and now 2mo after being polished and coming up decent, are looking bad again. Maybe 1/2 of what they were before. The polishing is easy to get good results, the UV protection... not so much. I did a friends car that is now garage kept, and it looks good after several months. The boss is going to look into what the pro detailers use and we will give that a try next.

[justjesus]

Keep us posted!

Thanks

[KCALB SIRAY]

I used bug spray on my Saturn and it worked pretty good. The Deet is what clears it up

[hatchbackkid82]

I used bug spray on my Saturn and it worked pretty good. The Deet is what clears it up

Well, well, well, look who it is. :biggrin:

[KCALB SIRAY]

Herbie!! :wub: lol

Well, well, well, look who it is. :biggrin:

[elladka]

i used paint thinner on mine, worked miraculously. But be careful as thinner eats plastic which the lenses are. By eats i mean when i did mines it left a few lines like scratches, then i put clear coat and now they are perfect.

[RedRide]

For those who use" PLASTX" (as I also do) don't forget to also give your tail lights a little love with it. :smile:

Grime and haze might not show up as much as with the clear headlights but, it's still there.

[David C]

I use NuFinish car wax and I get pretty decent results. Most car wax will do. I simply use a microfiber mit, rub a few minutes, maybe 3-5 times a year, when I happen to be waxing the car. Headlights are 11 years old. I also do the tail lights.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170622/e4ead643554d355d0ee057172363d250.jpg

[beowulf]

I used this about 2 weeks ago on my Yaris. It has 2 grit levels of sandpaper to sand by hand and a polishing wheel to use with your drill. After sanding and polishing, there is a clear coating that is applied to provide protection "for up to 1 year".

It took less than an hour to do both lights. I was quite pleased with the results. Headlights were like new.

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G2980-Heavy-Headlight-Restoration/dp/B01M2D763D/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1526762705&sr=8-3&keywords=meguiars+headlight+restoration+kit

[Kalispel]

I had the 3M UV/Scratch protectant clear film installed on my Yaris headlights shortly after purchase almost 3 years ago, while having my windows tinted at same time. It has worked great for keeping my headlights looking brand new & crystal clear even with the super harsh sun, UV & grit/sand/dirt out here in Phoenix. Most cars around here have hazy looking headlight thanks to the elements, after only a few years. Putting that film on restored headlights would work equally as well for maintaining that restored/clear look without further effort.

[dogsridewith]

Some of mine (on the likely original 2007 unit) looks like condensation, and whatever goes with that, on the inside of the lense?
(Headlight haze toyota yaris)

[MadMax]

Regular maintenance will keep your headlights clear. Don't pay exorbitant rates to clear them up if they are fogged, some plastic cleaner and a little elbow grease will fix them right up. I do all our cars about once every three months...

[BennyLava]

Subscribed for when I do mine.

[06YarisRS]

I refinished mine using 1500 grit wet sanding followed by compounding with my dual action polisher. They came out good and clear, but I can already see slight yellowing occuring despite applying acrylic sealant - Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze - the most durable sealant I'm aware of and it has UV protection.

Here is a link to my attempt at refinishing them (about 1/2 way down the page).

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58936&highlight=renovations

I am going to be painting my car soon and may clear coat the lights when I spray the clear. I'm not fully decided as several years back I had the headlights of a wagon I had sanded and cleared at a body shop. A few years after I sold it, I saw it in a parking lot and the clear coat was blistering off in big chunks. Maybe it was rushed through with inadequate prep, but maybe not.