MB500

After driving my 2003 W211 for nearly 4 years under the California sun, I've began noticing that the headlights are not as clear as they used to be. They haven't exhibit any yellowish discoloration yet but there is certain dullness and cloudiness present in the headlights' outer plastic cover.

Has anyone ever tried to revitalize the headlights? What is the best approach? I've tried using regular wax but it didn't help much. I've also bougt Menguard's Plastic polish but it didn't deliver any noticeable results either.

Is there any way to change lens cover only on the headlight assembly so it looks brand new?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

lasvegas99

Good question, I am lucky that my lights are still in great shape. With regards to polish, not sure. I just swapped out my headlights with OEM Xenons from an E55 and asked if they (MB techs) could switch the front lenses. There response was that the front is glued into the assembly with a seal that is not meant to be separated. So the answer to that is it is possible but not recommended. Good luck.

Flash Gordon

The dullness may be due to the dust deposit on the inside of the plastic cover. Some years back, I had a Volvo and it had the dullness on the plastic cover. I had the dealer cleaned the inside of the cover and the dullness was gone. Try to clean the inside.

Clinton Horn

This is pretty common in the southern U.S. The NAPA stores down here carry a kit to improve the cloudy appearance. I have not tried it. Vehicles that spend lots of time outdoors appear to be particularly afflicted.

dtrentr

good article in last month's Auto Restoration Magazine about how to renew discolored or yellowed headlights. The process involved a lot of wet sanding with progressively finer grit and then sealing with one of the commercially available products. Google faded headlights, lots of choices.

JDM_SXE-10

I was going to suggest the same thing.