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Old 02-09-2015, 12:24 PM   #1
bairjo
 

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Head lights getting hazed from abrasion?

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?
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Old 02-09-2015, 05:44 PM   #2
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Plastic will haze. It's normal.

I think UV Rays are the #1 responsible for that.
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Old 02-09-2015, 06:14 PM   #3
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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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Old 02-09-2015, 08:28 PM   #4
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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.
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Old 02-10-2015, 09:38 AM   #5
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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.
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Old 02-10-2015, 10:37 AM   #6
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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...er-works-best/
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Old 02-18-2015, 05:19 PM   #7
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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.
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Old 02-19-2015, 09:20 AM   #8
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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...
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Old 02-19-2015, 09:22 AM   #9
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But Im going to try TWWC on my wifes 05 Camry thanks!
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Old 02-19-2015, 10:54 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Betrivent View Post
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.
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Old 02-19-2015, 06:37 PM   #11
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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:

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Old 05-06-2015, 03:59 PM   #12
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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.
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Old 05-08-2015, 11:46 PM   #13
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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.
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Old 05-16-2015, 05:40 AM   #14
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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.
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Old 05-22-2015, 11:17 AM   #15
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Originally Posted by bronsin View Post
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?
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Old 06-07-2015, 04:21 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by ABSPLASTIC View Post
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.
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 .

Last edited by RedRide; 06-08-2015 at 04:31 PM. Reason: spelling
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Old 06-15-2015, 01:53 AM   #17
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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
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Old 06-16-2015, 10:31 PM   #18
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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.
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