Hazy Headlights Fix with Chemical Guys Headlight Restorer

It’s a one step product that I am using - wipe on the lens and wipe off.

 

This thread motivated me to clean mine up. Method was

1. Spritz with windex and wipe clean with paper towels until the towel is no longer dirty or yellow.
2. Polish lightly (some generic polish, using a wet old gym sock and elbow grease). This takes off any dirt that was still tightly attached and maybe smooths out a few of the scratches. A buffer would do a better job.
3. Rinse off with water and dry.
4. Apply carnauba wax. Let dry. With a clean towel polish off the excess.
5. Repeat 4.

About 20 minutes, total.

This resulted in completely clear headlights. They were not perfect though, because the bigger scratches and divots are still visible under the wax. However, these don't deflect the photons passing through nearly as much since most of the surface irregularities are now filled with wax, which has a refractive index very close to that of the plastic. That's just by eye. Break out a magnifying glass and one can still see the mess on the surface under the wax. The only way to really repair that would be to sand off the defects, and I just didn't want to spend that much time on it now.

If I don't wash with detergent it should hold up for six months to a year.

 

I have read that the only lasting good clearcoat for headlights is what is used on the car's paint- often a catalyzed clearcoat.

One option would be to remove and prep the headlights then have a bodyman spray them the next time he's shooting a car. (great if you have a friend in the business)

Second would be to get a can of the stuff from a place like Eastwood. But that can is something like $50+ delivered, AND once it's activated you have to use it within a day or it will cure in the can (use it or lose it) AND the fumes from it are supposed to be really nasty so you really want the correct type of respirator and filters. This could be worth it IF you had 3 or 4 sets of headlights to do.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

2K clearcoat spray can

https://www.spraymax.com/en/products/product/clear-coats-and-spot-blender/2k-clear-coat/

USC SprayMax 2K Glamour High Gloss Aerosol Clear
$21.95 Amazon

 

I like the Sylvania kit, not the cheapest or easiest but works. Includes an essential uv clear coat that is wiped on as the last step.

 

The wipe on flows nicely. They give you a special lint free towel for the purpose. Sprays are not as easy with their potential for overspray and runs.

 

You can put a sealant on it once a month like with Meguairs Ultimate Liquid wax . No over spraying, no removing headlight

 

Agree. The Sylvania kit wipe on method worked very well. It held up for a couple of years on my Honda Civic Hybrid, which is about as good as it gets in a very sunny climate. I was able to extend the life a bit further using the metal polish and wax trick until the car was sold because of yet another failed IMA battery. Looking closely at the lenses with a magnifying glass there were a lot of small defects visible at the end, but no yellowing. Note that the Sylvania kit went onto the headlights after those had been wet sanded with a very fine paper and then polished. So I think that the accumulated surface damage was fogging things up two years later, not so much chemical and UV reactions per se. The UV damage probably did make the surface more susceptible to damage though - broken bonds are less strong than whole bonds.

The real long term fix is to put in new headlights. Generics can be had for $50-70 per side from RockAuto. It might be cheaper after 5 years or so to just replace them rather than to keep trying to fix them.