Just got my wife's car out of the body shop . The guy polished the headlights while he had it . Did an awesome job but I know it won't last . The owner said there was some products available but they don't last very long . Anybody have any experience with this ?
Headlight protection
- Thread starter nomas
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Keep them waxed or put some clear paint protection film on them.
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- Jun 8, 2022
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Once polished the factory UV coating is now gone. The best solution I have found is Meguires headlight sealer - which per its ingredients is more or less clear laquer. You will need to tape around them and make sure its clean and free of wax / oil / etc with something like rubbing alcohol. I have heard others using clear enamel, and someone on this board just recomended to me Upol Clear #1 which can be had on Amazon - but I haven't tried it yet.
A wax or 301 will help a little but eventually wear off. The clear plastic is not UV resistant on its own without a coating, which is whey they yellow.
A wax or 301 will help a little but eventually wear off. The clear plastic is not UV resistant on its own without a coating, which is whey they yellow.
This, clear film.
Yes, PPF works phenomenal for this. The original headlight on my Toyota has had PPF since day 1 and is still clear after 11 years.
However, if the lights were polished then the original UV coating is gone. I don't think film alone will provide enough protection at that point.
PPF, however though, you need to treat the PPF, as it will also yellow over time.
No amount of treatment will stop PPF from yellowing over time.
As mentioned earlier, Upol clear. Spay them with that and it should last many years. I remember Trav recommending it.
Yes... but they're not coming back, it seems...
Ceramic coating for plastic .
I restored my lights with sanding and polishing and then used Meguiar's spray coating. I apply ceramic wax every so often. The coating needs to be renewed in about two years. It can be removed using alcohol. I just use a polishing compound and respray. Takes less than an hour and good for another couple of years.
The real issue is the stone-age philosophy from the regulators. They're wedded to their "sealed beams" and think having assemblies with replaceable lenses will lead to death and destruction, because the process will compromise them.
Instead, the practial reality is that few owners will replace entire headlight units, especially the costly fancy ones, so a lot of cars run around out there with cloudy lenses and poor performance anyway. Polishing them to restore clarity destroys their UV coatings, and OTC preservation solutions are short lived, so the cycle gets repeated again. Or not.
It also gives the OEMs license to design assemblies to be non-seriviceable, leaving owners one avenue that again, few are going to pursue.
Neither side wants to acknowledge the practical reality.
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