N_Jay

How much success have people had with the plastic headlight restoration kits and services?

What should I look for or look out for if I decide to get my headlights polished to get rid of a little fog.

They are Xenon, so replacement if cost prohibitive.

Unless someone know were you can get housings only and transfer all the parts from my existing working but fogged headlights.

TOGWT

TOGWT® Autopia Detailing Wiki - “Headlight Restoration” - http://www.autopia.org/forum/autopia...ml#post1506615

Mr Sparkle

I offer headlight restoration and the results are usually pretty impressive. I say usually because you can only correct the exterior surface. If there is damage to the inside of the lense there is nothing that can be done. Either way you typically see a significant improvement in the visual appearance and the light emitted.

With that said, many of the OTC kits are kinda lacking, or its a marketing goof, or the damage is beyond what an OTC product can offer. Severely damaged lenses really need a professional to correct them as it involves usually a few steps of wet sanding, then compounding with a rotary polisher. Most people are not familiar with wet sanding nor do they own a rotary polisher.

The real key is protecting the lense once its restored. Many people offer the 'scuff and buff' with no protection afterwards. Ultimately the fresh exposed plastic will turn yellow just like it did in the past. This is why I finish off all of my headlight restoration jobs with Opti-Coat as it offers long lasting protection. My new car preps also get Opti-Coat on the lenses to prevent this all from happening.

example of some headlight work. This took 3 sanding steps, then compounding with rotary & wool, polishing with foam

babyman1737

THIS.

There are many writeups online where people wet sand, then buff with a polishing compound (don't be cheap, not toothpaste please). Most importantly, protect what you've done using Opti-coat or a clear coat that some bodyshops use. Meguiars also has a new product out called Headlight Protectant, or something like that. This product may keep your headlights good with a semi-yearly application.

spratt22

get yourself a tin of brasso mix enough with a teaspoon of EUCRYL toothpowder for a wet paste clean lense first then with a dry rag apply rubbing in takes about 30 mins or longer for better results and a lot of elbow grease per lamp.i took 2 hours on my w211 320cdi and lights are like new.remember to wash of with hot soapy water a few times during prosess.give it a try you wont be disapointed

percyey8

Making up your own headlight polish is creative imo
Using toothpaste in the mixture is not a sign of being cheap.
Yes it is important to protect the finish product. But choosing a sealant based on a brand name might not be as important as choosing one with UV protection.