Tried Cerakote headlight restoration kit and it didn't disappoint

I mean it's so easy to do once you do it one time with the sanding in the lighter sanding and the polishing in the whatever then once a month I just use that McGuire's plastic lens restore BS wipe it on like wax really well and then wipe it off as I'm wiping off the rest of the front end and that pretty much is the end of messing with your headlights generally speaking so anytime I wash off the car that McGuire stuff is sitting right there on the shelf next to my hose and I just zap the front and rear headlights and tail lights real quick just takes a minute literally and that keeps up and the head of the nonsense is trying to come back

 

I purchased 2 brand new headlights for the Prius on Ebay for- $95

 

There are a million techniques to quickly make headlights clear.

There are a handful of ways that keep them clear for a small number of years. (For instance, the Sylvania kit.)

There are two ways to keep them clear for a large number of years: replace them or get them sprayed with 2K clear coat. These are in a way the same thing - a good 2K clear coat application. I wouldn't spray 2K clear coat myself though, as that stuff is very toxic and I don't have the gear to do it safely.

The aftermarket headlights look good, cost much less than OEM ones (assuming those are even still available for a particular car), and they certainly aren't hazy. However, I saw a test somewhere or other (can't find it now), and it was at least 10 years old, which said that they actually do not illuminate as well as the OEM ones. There may be something to that since none of the aftermarket headlights I have seen include in their advertising evidence that they are as bright, focused, or well aimed, as the OEMs they replace. There are a lot of comments that the water seals on at least the TYC brand start to leak after a few years.

I find that in many cases a quick polish once to remove the worst surface irregularities and then a surface layer to fill in the tiny scratches and pits (for instance, wax) which is renewed 4 times a year or so, is good enough. I had been using paste wax for this, but it was attracting too much dirt. (It is very dusty where I live, YMMV.) So for the last half year or so I have been using Nu Finish instead. It seems to be as good for matching the index of refraction, and it definitely does not attract as much dirt. At some point I will strip that and polish these a little more aggressively, as under a magnifying glass the surface still has a lot of tiny scratches and pits, and those scatter light. No yellowing yet.