Refinishing headlight lense vs buying new/near new headlights?

[firebird1999us]

I'm at 265k miles and my headlights have taken a beating on my 2009 hatch... Atlanta construction means I might as well be driving on a gravel road!?!

I'm in the process of revamping the front end of the car and adding Xpel after the paint work. A shop owner told me they could sand down the lenses and then clear coat them for like $120 and they'd look like new. Is that worth my while or should I hold out for some ones that don't look like someone spent 7 years throwing rocks at them???

[ern-diz]

I didn't have a ton of pits in mine, but they did cloud over a bit. I had them polished and clear coated by my body shop while they were doing some paint work for me and was super pleased with the results. This was a while back and they've held up.

[tarkus]

I've had my headlamps polished and the result looks great. The plastic material is still slightly more yellow than original, but perfect otherwise. If your roads are that bad, I would recommend not wasting money on new lenses.

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[firebird1999us]

I've had my headlamps polished and the result looks great. The plastic material is still slightly more yellow than original, but perfect otherwise. If your roads are that bad, I would recommend not wasting money on new lenses.

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I'm adding Xpel covering over them which will help against a lot of the smaller stuff... granted nothings going to fix a bolt flying at the car. But it should greatly improve chances of surviving without getting busted.

[tmontague]

I've sanded, polished and then clear coated my headlights on both my card and have had no yellowing or clouding come back. If you do it properly it will work for a decade. The key is to re coat with a non yellowing uv resistant clear coat with multiple coats applied. The sanding strips off the faxtory coat which is why the yellowing and clouding happens.

Like you said, not much will protect against rocks and bolts though.

[tarkus]

I've sanded, polished and then clear coated my headlights on both my card and have had no yellowing or clouding come back. If you do it properly it will work for a decade. The key is to re coat with a non yellowing uv resistant clear coat with multiple coats applied. The sanding strips off the faxtory coat which is why the yellowing and clouding happens.

With the lenses newly polished by a professional body shop, I found a very subtle yellowness compared to a brand new lens. But this is really subtle and wouldn't be noticed without placing a brand new one right beside. Overall, I highly recommend repolishing.

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[dogsridewith]

what does Toyota dealership parts want for brand new 07-09 shells? any aftermarket? brands?

[tmontague]

With the lenses newly polished by a professional body shop, I found a very subtle yellowness compared to a brand new lens. But this is really subtle and wouldn't be noticed without placing a brand new one right beside. Overall, I highly recommend repolishing.

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I haven't compared my results to brand new lenses but I sand them with various grits for about 3 hours and the whole process takes me about 5 hours. I suppose a professional could also use power tools to speed it up but generally time is of the essence with them so it could be possible that they didn't take enough off. Or it may not be possible to get them the same as brand new lenses.

[M4One]

I don't know how bad they are, but if you have the time, you could just do it yourself. Much cheaper. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEJbKLZ7RmM

[tmontague]

^that's the process I did, just make sure you spray the water on the headlight when its cloudy after sanding to see how they will look when finished. This makes it easier to see any areas you missed and to show you how it will look when polished and clear coated

[Exiwolfman]

2000 grid sandpaper
Wet sand in back and forth direction no circle motion till all is removed use plenty of water, water spray btle works best
Dry it off after use wax and best to use waxing buffer if possible or elbow grease, wipe clean and repeat with wax sealer.
Your light will look new and it takes about 30 min total.

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[SirDigby]

yeah. do it yourself for $20. you'll feel awesome that you made your car look new and you saved $100.

[tarkus]

Or it may not be possible to get them the same as brand new lenses.
I believe that to be the case, as it looks like the clear plastic has slightly altered in color over time all the way through - its a 2006. Keep in mind that the lens is subjected to a lot of heat from the halogen bulbs, from the inside. But you wouldn't know without directly comparing to a brand new lense.

The body shop who did the job are family friends of mine, and their standard of work is phenomenally good.



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[firebird1999us]

2000 grid sandpaper
Wet sand in back and forth direction no circle motion till all is removed use plenty of water, water spray btle works best
Dry it off after use wax and best to use waxing buffer if possible or elbow grease, wipe clean and repeat with wax sealer.
Your light will look new and it takes about 30 min total.

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I don't think I can use a wax/sealer underneath the Xpel stuff. I'm under the impression it needs to be a bare (painted) surface.

I could sand it down myself and reclear it... anyone have any suggestions on paint that will work? Although the cars already going to be in the shop for paint work so I'm inclined just to have them do it and avoid the hassle. I've got a newborn so time comes at a real premium at the moment....

[othater]

I've sanded, polished and then clear coated my headlights on both my card and have had no yellowing or clouding come back. If you do it properly it will work for a decade. The key is to re coat with a non yellowing uv resistant clear coat with multiple coats applied. The sanding strips off the faxtory coat which is why the yellowing and clouding happens.

Like you said, not much will protect against rocks and bolts though.

Hi, What brand clear coat with UV protection did you use?

[tmontague]

I can't remember the brand, I just went to my local Canadian tire and grabbed a semi gloss or gloss clear coat that was if resistant and non yellowing as per the can. They only jade on brand that matches these requirements.

[miiser]

I can't remember the brand, I just went to my local Canadian tire and grabbed a semi gloss or gloss clear coat that was if resistant and non yellowing as per the can. They only jade on brand that matches these requirements.



American accents.


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[miiser]

Hi, What brand clear coat with UV protection did you use?



It's American accents


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[miiser]

Also check chrisFX channel. In one video he uses this product over a Chrysler I think and he shows the whole procedure


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[Motzking1]

This may sound crazy but I have seen it done and it does work. Buffing the lens with bug repellent that contains DEET bug repellent. I know sounds crazy but it works. Now I cannot say this is going to last as long but it works fast and easy. I have seen it done and 6 months later they still looked great. Maybe combining this with some of the other methods to make the job quicker. Just a thought.
https://youtu.be/9-jtpzzFoNo
Here is a demo video.

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[B.B._07]

If your headlights are only a little hazy than you can use any mildly abrasive compound. That usually means a rubbing or polishing compound meant for car finishes but many people get away with using toothpaste. Toothpaste works because it's a very mild abrasive compound (whiting toothpaste is more abrasive and works better). If you have really yellow or clouded over lenses than you need to go with the wet sanding & polishing route or wet sanding & clear coating. The clear coat method is the best for long term durability as the polished lenses with go back being hazy after about 6 months unless you're very diligent about waxing them every couple months.

You can use any old spray can clear coat that's sold at Walmart, Home Depot, etc (Dupli-Color, Kryon, and Rustoleum are the most common). The most important thing when clear coating is to sand and clean the surface as the clear coat doesn't bond well to a super smooth or dirty surface. A 2K clear coat is the best for ultimate durability but they are generally only sold in auto body supply stores and are much more expensive than the common 1K clear coat.

[esteban]

Sanded down my headlight and clear coated it. it looks great. It is still slightly more yellow than the brand new headlight on the other side, but its barely noticeable. I even forgot about it completely until I remembered that the other day.