cleaning headlights
Senior Member
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 485
Likes: 31
From: Concord, CA
'13 E350 . M276
I could only give you my experience with products, which did not turn out well. On this forum I was recommended NOVUS plastic cleaning product. That one actually made my headlights worse and caused more haze. I also used Sylvania, recommended by Consumer Reports (CR), but improvements to my headlights were very minimal. Here are the 4 products CR tested:
1. Sylvania Headlight Restoration Kit ($21).
2. 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System 29008 ($15).
3. Turtle Wax Headlight Lens Restorer ($9)
4. Fast Brite Auto Headlight Restorer Kit ($17)
Here is a quote from CR about the results:
"All the headlight restoration kits worked to some degree on at least some headlights, but only the Sylvania could be used with all tested lenses. Further, the Sylvania product also provided the best and longest-lasting results. 3M provides similar performance at a lower price, but it carries the risk of scratching painted surfaces abutting headlights and should only be used by those comfortable with using power tools. Turtle Wax is the bargain-basement product of the bunch, at less than half the cost of the top-performing Sylvania. But neither Turtle Wax nor Fast Brite lasted as long as the others."
I did not have the patience to be sanding for 30 minutes straight, maybe that was why they did not turn out well. I will be looking to hire someone to do them for me, some guy nearby is doing them for $50.
1. Sylvania Headlight Restoration Kit ($21).
2. 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System 29008 ($15).
3. Turtle Wax Headlight Lens Restorer ($9)
4. Fast Brite Auto Headlight Restorer Kit ($17)
Here is a quote from CR about the results:
"All the headlight restoration kits worked to some degree on at least some headlights, but only the Sylvania could be used with all tested lenses. Further, the Sylvania product also provided the best and longest-lasting results. 3M provides similar performance at a lower price, but it carries the risk of scratching painted surfaces abutting headlights and should only be used by those comfortable with using power tools. Turtle Wax is the bargain-basement product of the bunch, at less than half the cost of the top-performing Sylvania. But neither Turtle Wax nor Fast Brite lasted as long as the others."
I did not have the patience to be sanding for 30 minutes straight, maybe that was why they did not turn out well. I will be looking to hire someone to do them for me, some guy nearby is doing them for $50.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,365
Likes: 61
2006 E320 CDI 2014 C63 507 Coupe 2012 E550 4M 2016 E63s Wagon
I never had too much of a problem on my W211 I just polished them when I polished the car 2x/year and they stayed clear, but my dad had some terribly yellow/faded on his Audi that I corrected using what I had laying around my garage. I taped the bodywork around the lights (open the hood), wet sanded them with fine (1000-2000 grit) sandpaper, then machine polished them with polishing compound, and finally sealed them with a paint sealant.
