Best Headlight Restoration Kit?

Redstar2112

Redstar2112

New member
Hi all,
My headlights on my '04 sport are showing their age, and before dropping money on a new set I thought I'd try a restorer kit first.

From my research, the Meguiar's G3000 Heavy Duty Headlight Restoration Kit seems to have great reviews, but Amazon no longer carries it - only the G2980 version, and I can't find a comparison review.

Do you folks have any particular kit you recommend that also includes a clear coat sealer?
 
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Any plastic polishing will work.

Or just get compound and a buffer and you will be fine. (Repeat steps every 6-12 months lol)

If it isn't that bad, then use glaze compound.
 
The main factor is that you have the right speed polisher. I have a craftsman 6 in disc with a buffing pad and it does great. You can get the cheap headlight polisher compound at wal mart and be fine. Infact, you can try car wax and that may suffice.

Remember, the less you do, the better. I would do just enough to make it look ok and repeat every 6 months. If you have crazing, that will take more aggressive polishing compound and work.
 
If you want to do it the hard way, get a Mothers or Meguiars headlight resto kit with the sand paper discs/polish in one kit. Easier way would be to use a machine with a gritty compound then polish. I polished mine the hard way then put Lamin-X film over them so they still look good. The Lamin-X comes with a UV resistant spray so I just touch them with it every now and then but its sure to last longer than previously faded plastic.
 
Most all of the headlight kits share similar components (micro-abrasives). It's the final wax/sealant that really differs from each other.

I use 1500 and 2000 to wet sand if its really bad, then buff out with M205 and DA polisher. Used to throw a layer of Collinite over the lens, but I stumbled upon Meguiars headlight spray for $8.xx on amazon. So far seems to work pretty good and has good coverage. Have topped off 6 sets of headlights and the can is still 1/4 full. Will see if it really lasts as long as its advertised.
 
I have a corded polisher but used the Sylvania restoration kit with the included sandpaper and it worked well on my mom's Sequoia.

The important part is using a UV resistant clear coat or you will be polishing the headlight every year (I speak from experience). The Sylvania kit has this that you wipe on and while it has only been on the Sequoia a few months, it gets awesome reviews on Amazon.
 
like Invi4drz mentioned, youll want a good clear coat or else these kits or w.e. you do will fade back sooner than you'd like. i used a turtle wax on one of my headlights and it looked kickass after - super clear. about a month later and it deteriorated again or began to anyway. i have tried kits and wax for various vehicles on tired headlights and never found any that worked well for a long period of time. i have rockauto TC replacements that i'll
throw in when i get a chance...a multi step wetsand and buff + clear might work but when all is said and done a replacement light might be a better option.
 
I did Chris Fix's way. Looked great for a year or so. Now the clear is coming off, go figure! May have not but enough on, or polished too much off? I need to redo mine.
 
Don't get ANY restoration kit. However you WILL need a way to protect the plastic when you are done rubbing it with Mother's Mag Wheel and Aluminum polish. Costs $5 at Walfart. Anyway, get a terry cloth and rub away. Using a buffer/drill helps a lot. After you polish off the yellow/nasty and left with a clean/clear plastic, you will need to apply SOMETHING to protect it. Spray on clear coat, whatever, as long as it has some sort of UV protectant in it.

Where I'm pointing is where I manually buffed (about 5 min, so half assed). Only the high beam. It's NOT perfect, but with a buffer/drill, I'm sure the results will be better. Cost me $5. I had some NuFinish on my shelf to protect it (I know, it is NOT adequate but it will due until I get some clear coat something or other)

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S p a r k y said:
I did Chris Fix's way. Looked great for a year or so. Now the clear is coming off, go figure! May have not but enough on, or polished too much off? I need to redo mine.
Click to expand...

A lot of folks have complained about long term failure with the chrisfix method. Scotty Kilmer (can't stand the dude) has a video out in response to chrisfix that started somewhat of a youtube mechainc's war. Ironically, in that video, Scotty backs the Meguiars spray I currently use.

I used to lightly buff the headlights as part of every vehicle detailing session yearly with the DA and seal off with Collinte or JetSeal. Been doing it for many years until now as "maintenance", but I no longer have the time being a new father. Decided to try the Meg's spray and will see how long it'll work without any touch ups.
 
cut/paste from the 5 other threads:
Chrisfix solution is decent, but it is also 4+ tools vs 1/2, and about 5x the time/effort

I doubt anyone takes my recommendations, but this https://www.amazon.com/Duragloss-681.../dp/B0007IJR18

+

a MF towel and elbow grease will get you good results.
Better results (30 seconds) if you have a friend with a rotary polisher and old cutting pad.

+ clear tint/film from a tint shop = $10

No more haze indefinitely.
 
i have been restoring headlight lenses for about 15 years, since i was in the vw scene and on perhaps 3 or 4 other vehicles up to now. i have tried a handful of products, meguiars i remember being one of them. i truly think these products are brilliant money makers, but they dont work aside from initially. i believe i used some krylon fusion clear coat after one attempt on the gti. none of these products are a long term solution, but you will think its great after the initial buff, wasting your time and money. buy some replacement headlights and save yourself the headache of the haze creeping back on you in no time - just make sure if you dont buy oem headlights they are highly reviewed for aftermarket.
 
I had a clear bra, including on the headlight lenses, on my 2006 Lexus that I sold last year. The clear bra was essentially a clear ceramic film that a tint shop installed. When I sold the car it no headlight discoloration at all. It supposedly deflects UVB rays. I can't say it works all the time for any vehicle, but it sure worked on that car.
 
btownie said:
I personally like the 3M kit. Better if you have an electric drill though.
Click to expand...

I agree with that. The last one I did with my cordless drill and two batteries. Went through the batteries far too quickly. It took longer than it should have. Corded drill. I can't imagine trying to do it without a drill. I have an orbital as well, but don't think it would work well with this project.
 
My right headlight assembly got replaced after an accident many years ago, and made the left one look terrible. For ~$50-$60 (?), I got a high quality (as good as oem) aftermarket replacement headlight assembly online. It was pretty easy to install, and I don’t have to buff it every 6 months or buy a polishing kit. It was worth it to me.

The aftermarket part had some aftermarket parts quality rating that I don’t remember. Something like “certified replacement auto part” (CRAP, haha!).

I don’t know, or want to know, the price of an OEM headlight. I have a 2004.
 
I would replace the old headlights with a new kit. It makes so much difference in appearance and visibility
 
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