WM offers lens polishing -- good deal?

[Benzadmiral]

There have been a lot of these "Headlight Hero" places popping up lately around here, but they are rarely open when I can get to 'em. Last Sunday Miss Linda dragged me to Walmart, and I spotted a poster for their headlight lens polishing service at the Tire & Lube Express. Anybody have this done, and how was it, and how expensive?

(Yeah, I know I could do it myself, but I don't have a buffer or any place to plug it in that'll reach the car out by the curb at my housing project. (Oops, meant my apartment complex.)

 

[sciphi]

You can do just as good a job using elbow grease. It does take longer, though!

For the amount of the kit, you can get 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit sandpaper, Meguiar's Plast-X and Future floor polish for about the same. It'll do a nicer job.

I wasn't impressed with how long the sealant in the kit lasted.

 

[DieselTech]

All you need with the Meguires kit is a drill. It comes with everything else you need. runs about 20.00 and I have done a few cars with the kit. Works great and is very easy to do.

 

[97tbird]

I think WM just uses the Crystal View kit.
I bought it for $20 and used it myself with very good results on my Tbird and wife's Elantra.

 

[nstuck]

we just started offering this service at my shop. i volunteered my truck as a donor for the "training" class the kit manufacturer came out and did. my headlights were nasty, yellow and cloudy. they now look brand new. for the price we charge for the service, you couldn't go out and buy the materials needed on your own. the final step (which most DIY kits do not include) is a polycarbonate spray that basically puts a fresh plastic layer on the headlights. this is really what makes the difference and makes the lights look brand new again. my headlights now look great and my lights shine much further at night.

 

[Sayjac]

Here's the thing, as 97tbird said, Wally uses the Crystal View Headlight Restorer kit in a bag, right off the shelf. It used to be ~19.95 in Wally auto dept., but last I saw the price had dropped to ~$16.95 in Wally and ~$18 in Advance. Around here Wally charges ~$39.95.

I have used it on my daughters 01Civic and it works well, IMO. It is an easy DIY, and requires no drill. The kit is worth the cost IMO, especially if you don't want to mess with a drill.

97tbird, has some good before and after pics on a detail board thread and my results have been similar to his, satisfied.

Bottom line, DIY.

 

[CourierDriver]

I have used MMO, ok, it works for me.

 

[postjeeprcr]

I have seen many of these kits at the local auto parts store recently. My dad restored the headlights once with just said paper and clear coat.

 

[Sayjac]

I checked Wally today and CV HLR is $16.95. There are other kits, I see where the 3M Kit is posted on the promo board for less with a rebate. It requires a drill, but if that's not an issue, then it should work. I've just had good luck with CV.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Then I'll have a look for the CV HLR kit. My headlights are nowhere near as yellowed as the ones in the videos sayjac posted, more like the way the lights looked after the initial polishing step, but a little cloudier. This shouldn't be bad at all.

 

[Vikas]

Marvel Mystery Oil was a joke, right? If not, I am waiting for somebody to recommend AutoRX

- Vikas

 

[CourierDriver]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Marvel Mystery Oil was a joke, right? If not, I am waiting for somebody to recommend AutoRX

- Vikas
I mixed a little mmo and stabil on a rag and it did clean the yellow off,,,,,sounds crazy, yes, did it work,it did for me,,did it melt the lens, no. Some times the best education is not from college, ps,,Ive got 2 degrees and now Im extra stupid...lol

 

[Vikas]

My lenses are all very clear and transparent but does have minor scratches and some pitting. Idea of wet sanding them does not appeal to me. I do NOT want to end up with worse than what I have now. I have used Meguiar M105, Meguair's plastic cleaner and polisher on them and they really shine but obviously the scratches remain.

- Vikas

 

[c502cid]

With any of the kits mentioned above, how long until the fogging on the lenses comes back?

 

[Benzadmiral]

I've bought the Turtle Wax kit from my nearest WM, which didn't have the Crystal View. Only $8.50. I'll give it a try and let you know how it goes.

 

[JustinH]

Keep a coat of wax on your good headlights guys. That keeps the UV from turning them yellow.

That is why a good amount of cars with yellow headlights are out in Florida.

 

[Mr Nice]

Tbird posted pics of the lens he did and you will be amazed at the before/after pics.

 

[L_Sludger]

I was a fly on the wall when I heard an irate customer stomp into a T&LE demanding a refund for a lens polishing done on her car that hazed up again rather quickly.

 

[truav8r]

Originally Posted By: c502cid
With any of the kits mentioned above, how long until the fogging on the lenses comes back?


I used the CV kit on my Jetta a couple years ago. Looked great at first, but the haze/yellowing came back within 18 months.

This time, I went with the 3M kit (using a drill) which worked great also, but then decided I'd try to head off the oxidation right away by installing the Xpel protection film on the lenses. So far they are crystal clear after about 6 months. If they still look this way in another year, I'm happy.

 

[sciphi]

Use the Future acrylic floor polish. It keeps them nice and clear, and you can impress the significant other at the same time with your civic-mindedness.