My wife had a little deer damage on her car and one of the things they replaced was the headlight assembly. Just the one side. So now I have one really nice looking one and one crappy looking one. The older one has a film on it and is just sort of faded and cloudy. I think they make something to sort of polish this out don't they? Can you recommend a product or procedure to make the old one look a lot newer? Below are photos of the NEW headlight...and then 2 of the old one. Thanks!

 

What about this? I just saw this. Looks promising.

http://www.amazon.com/3M-Headlight-L.../dp/B001AIZ5HY

 

Generally if the headlight is in pretty bad shape, some type of abrasive procedure (ie-sanding) will be required to remove the top layer. If I went with a kit I'd go with the Meg's kit that has sanding discs.

http://www.autodetailingsolutions.ne...ation-kit.html



I did this procedure to my mother's Camry but I used products I had on hand.
https://www.f150online.com/forums/ar...ation-how.html

 

According to the details I've seen on the 3M kit, it comes with all the things you're talking about. The various sanding pads of various strengths, foam piece, etc. http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...glVT6TW45KZBbl

The local store has it for about $20.

 

Looks like it does. I'd say go for it, especially if you can find it locally. Should work just fine.

 

Heres our instructional video on using our 4" focus pads on a cordless drill to do headlight restoration. Hope that helps:

http://www.adamspolishes.com/t-Videos_DVD5_9.aspx

Before...









After...

 

I wish manufacturers would put more UV sealant on these headlights. Generally they last 2-3 years then get really bad. I suggest spraying your headlights with a clear coat after cleaning them.

 

Has anyone ever tried toothpaste to clean the headlights? I've read up on this and looks to be a good cheap alternative.

 

I have heard that it does work for very minor correction. But unless you really love the minty fresh scent, a small bottle of PlasticX is not expensive by any means. It also leaves some UV protection behind which toothpaste will not.

 

I use the heavy duty kit from Auto Detailing Solutions. Looks like it's not in stock which tells me he may not put any more together now that Megs has a heavier duty kit than they had before.

Anyway, you don't need to clear the lenses to protect them - you just need to use PlastX on them as part of your normal detailing routine.

In a nutshell, to restore headlights you wetsand them, then compound them, and then use PlastX to finish.

 

All done! This is what the light looks like now, after using the 3M headlight restoration kit. It doesn't look as good as new, but it's pretty close.



And both lights after cleaning. The brand new light is the one on the left and the 6 year old light I just cleaned is the one on the right.

 

Yeah you can see the UV protectant on the passenger-side. But you did an amazing job clearing it up!

 

Now you need to use PlastX on them to maintain UV protection.