i put this on right when i got my car: WeatherTech - Headlamp Headlight Protection, LampGard by WeatherTech

hopefully it won't yellow/haze up in a few years. but at least it protects against rock chips.

Very True. if you want to completely "be rid" of your headlight oxidation, get another pair (OEM or whatever). If you don't mind buffing the plastic regularly, go for it then!

Realize the 3rd gen headlights are very "flat" so manufacturing glass covers is very easy. The 4th gen headlights are very curved so making a glass "replica" would be incredibly difficult to do. Plus plastic is much cheaper (i would imagine)

I used the TurtleWax Headlight Restoration Kit ($8 on sale at Target). It worked perfectly and took about 10 minutes per headlight. My 03 hadn't been taken care of prior to me, so the oxidation was horrible. Now they pass as new.

Wow, just $8? Is it one of those one step kits, or do you have to sand with several different grits?

Any before/after pics?

On my first go round I used the 3M method involving polishing compound and 3-5 different polishing discs. Outcome was great and after 45min per headlight they both looked like new.
Unfortunately after 9 months oxidation quickly started to set in.
So I hesitantly took the advice from the kid at the auto parts store to use the CV Headlight Restore kit Headlight Restoration | Headlight Cleaner in the silver bag. I was skeptical but thought it was worth a shot and still cheaper than new headlights.
WOW... I was really impressed! Where the CV kit differs from all the other kits on the market is that you apply a sealer to fill in all the tiny pits and scratches in the lens. The sealer REALLY made the headlights look like new and hardens so they are impervious to future pitting and scratches.
Just this past week we sold this vehicle and got a 4Runner !!!
So over 12 months after I used the CV kit on the headlights they still looked like new. For the money and the time you will spend, which was much less with the CV kit, it is the only way to go in my mind.

Yea but can this or any of the other suggestions be used on tail lights as well?

on what kind of car did you use the CV Headlight Restore kit?

The headlights were on a Ford contour. My understanding is the plastic is the same for all the vehicles regardless of headlight or taillight.

No, sorry no before pics. It was the multi step. Compound, heavy grit, medium grit, light grit wet sanding, compound, sealer. Sounds like a lot of work, but it wasn't bad at all and the difference is immediate. The kit should last for multiple sets of lamps, but the sealer is only comes as a single "wet nap" type wipe. Compound is plentiful and the small sandpaper pads didn't take much abuse.

I decided to go ahead an buy some of this. I've been using the Meguiars Plastix headlight cleaner but it doesn't last very long. I did a search for the CV restorer mentioned in the thread trying to find the cheapest place to purchase it. I noted that advanced auto sells it for $22.99 but what really stuck out were the reviews. Like our t4r colleagues, everybody loves this stuff.

The best price I found was from a new eBay seller: $15 shipped. I just ordered a kit.

So I used the CV headlight restorer over the weekend. Wow! This stuff works great and the headlights look better than they ever did using the Meguiars. I took a before and after pic. The headlights really do look new.
I think it is the sealant that really does the trick.

I followed the directions but here are a couple of tips.

• Open the hood and use tape to mask off the paint. A few times my hand slipped when using the sand paper.
• The CV #2 is a liquid comes out Fast! (CV 1 is a paste).
• You can get an idea of what the headlight will look like towards the end when you clean it with water. The CV #2 fills in the microscopic gaps like the water does when you clean the lens.

Before and after pictures

Attached Images

     

This was done to my 4R but it's starting to happen again. It's not as bad as it was yet, it's been about a year, but it's getting there....

Just thought I'd post a follow-up. It's been more than 3 months and the headlights still look new with no change from when I took the pictures above. If anybody want's to solve the headlight oxidation problem permanently, this is the solution.

i used one and it only lasted about a month or 2 and ended up ordering new headlights

A follow-up to my follow-up. All in all, the fix lasted about 1 1/2 years before I had to use the plastic polish. The 4runner was always parked outside and never garaged. Rather go the CV route again, I just purchased new OEM headlights and installed them - just a couple days short of the two year mark when I first posted my results from using the CV headlight restorer.