Nick@autogeek

Headlight restoration is one of the most popular topics in the car care industry. I often receive PM's from members asking which is the best and/or easiest kit to use.

This thread is designed to make the process of selecting a headlight restoration kit easier for you, the consumer, along with the professional detailer.

The first kit that comes to mind is the Diamondite Clear Plastic Headlight Kit for Plastic Lenses. This kit was designed specifically to be used to restore cloudy, discolored plastic headlight lenses in three 3 simple steps. Once the headlights are restored and look new again, use the included protectant in the kit to protect the headlights from future discoloration. All this kit requires is an electric drill and a little bit of time.

This kit can restore on average 6-8 pairs of headlights.



The kit is designed to be used with an electric drill but can also be used with a rotary polisher right out of the box or a dual action polisher with the optional DA adapter.



For the professional detailer who will be restoring a larger quantity of headlights, this kit is available in a Professional Kit that has enough product to restore up to 25 pairs of headlights.



Another one of the more popular kits is the Wolfgang Plastik Lens Cleaning System. Like the Diamondite kit, this kit is designed to be used on plastic headlight lenses that are cloudy and discolored. This kit will effectively remove the haze and discoloration while also protecting the headlights with the included Plastik Surface Sealant.

This kit can restore on average 6-8 pairs of headlights.

The kit is also designed to be used with an electric drill but can also be used with a rotary polisher right out of the box or a dual action polisher with the optional DA adapter.


This kit is also available in a Deluxe Kit that can restore on average 12 pairs of headlights.



3M makes a very easy to use Lens Renewal Kit that's designed to restore 1 pair of headlights. Although this kit will effectively remove the cloudiness from dull headlight lenses, it does not include a lens sealant to protect the headlights from future discoloration.

Designed to be used with an electric drill and is also available without the masking tape. 3M Lens Restoration System.



Flitz takes a slightly different approach with their Headlight and Plastic Restoration Kit. Instead of using a sanding disc or foam pad to restore the headlight lenses, this kit utilizes Flitz's "BuffBall" that's designed to be used with a drill. The kit includes a tube of the Flitz Polish and a scuffing pad.



Meguiar's offers several headlight kits, the first one being the Heavy Duty Two Step Headlight Restoration Kit. This kit in particular is designed for moderate to sever oxidization and cloudiness on plastic headlight lenses. Similar to the 3M approach, this kit utilizes sanding discs and a plastic polish but also includes a clear plastic protectant to prevent future fading and oxidization of the headlight lenses.



If you're headlights aren't in too bad of shape and just require a little touch up to make them look new again Meguiar's has you covered with their Headlight and Clear Plastic Restoration Kit. This kit is very easy to use and will effectively remove mild oxidization and dullness from the lenses.



Mothers' take on headlight restoration utilizes their Powerball For Headlights along with their PowerPlastic Polish to remove discoloration and oxidization. Not only does the PowerPlastic Polish effectively remove the oxidization and dullness, but it also applies a durable layer of protection to prevent from future fading and dulling of the headlight lense.

For severely dull headlights, the kit also includes two sanding pads to remove heavy oxidization.



Most people are often hesitant when it comes to working with power tools to restore their headlights, but the above mentioned kits make headlight restoration simple and easy. Hopefully this guide will provide some insight and encouragement to those of you that have headlights that either need to be restored or just touched up.

fmanfrank

Thanks for the write up. It helped me on my research

Nick@autogeek

If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask.

smanzor88

Wow looking at auto repair shops these are the ones that they offer only. thanks for the write up! going with mothers!

bobgodd

For lightly discolored headlights, which of the above products do you recommend? A few seem as if they can do the job, but which is best based on effectiveness and ease-of-use?

sidwynder

Good information on those particular headlight kits.
I don't know if you are aware but for a definitive guide, you left out over a half a dozen Headlight cleaners, kits and systems that do not use a power drill.
Sandpaper, power drills and other abrasives are used for resurfacing while polish is designed for very fine abrasive surface cleaning, Deoxidizers are Non abrasive liquids that cause no UV or surface damage.
Most headlights only need cleaning and the less abrasive the cleaner the better.
Headlight cleaning is not a one time event, you will find a need to repeat the process over time and that repetition of abrasive contact creates surface damage on the UV layer or lens surface.
There are just as many women as men who have headlights that have clouded over.
Due to it's convience they are more likely to chose a non abrasive deoxidizer that just wipes away the oxidation on contact.

There is a whole new generation of non abrasive headlight cleaners that have moved away from the abrasive sanding method because they appeal to a smaller group of people.

You may have seen the "As seen on TV" ads for some of these products
Headlight restoration by sanding is considered by many to be a job for professionals and a last resort for the layman.
Most people don't trust sanding their headlights by hand or machine.
UV damage is a concern with headlight cleaning, so any product that does not take that into consideration is potentially damaging.

With the cost of headlight replacement at astronomical levels, You want to take every precaution available before attempting to clean your acrylic / plastic headlight lens with anything.