Haze on top of Headlights

[4RunningDetroit]

Is anyone else getting a light haze on the flat, top portion of their headlights. My T4R is not garage kept, unfortunately, and I have noticed a haze forming on the top of the headlights. I am able to wipe most of the haze off with a damp cloth, but as soon as it dries, the haze returns. It appears to be on the outside of the headlight.

Anyone else experiencing this? Any fixes? "As Seen on T.V." headlight restore an option or does it work?

 

[nashman69g]

seems to be an issue...there's a thread on this...call Toyota and put in a complaint...hopefully there will be a TSB one day...Also some have had luck with their dealer replacing them.

 

[Antman]

Here ya go...

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/70979-potential-headlight-defect.html#post605014

 

[tyguy]

I was curious if those flat plastic pieces would become a hazing problem. Even vertical headlights haze over time, but a flat horizontal surface makes it even worse with more exposure to the sun leading to increased rate of oxidation. The dealer should take care of it provided you're not over the mileage warranty. If not, then you can purchase headlight restoration kits at any auto parts store and polish out the oxidation. Just be careful to tape off the painted metal areas around the headlight to avoid polishing damage. For preventative care after the restoration, I recommend a synthetic plastic-compatible wax/protectant applied a couple of times a year. I personally have used Klasse All-in-One for 10 years and have yet to oxidize a headlamp or any other plastic, and it does a nice job with the paint, too :thumb3:

 

[Antman]

A little bit of cleaner-wax takes it all off quickly. But- it comes back about a week later.

 

[harper7]

A little bit of cleaner-wax takes it all off quickly. But- it comes back about a week later.

I've polished them with Meguiars PlastX plastic polish so many times that the top layer on the plastic is about gone and starting to show a line.Only last a couple of days now!

It's getting more noticeable to me lately and starting to bug me. Since I have my lights retrofitted for HID's I can't(won't) warranty them so I'm going to have to come up with a different solution.I was thinking about making a template the shape of the top and covering with tinted urethane or window tint. Maybe even black vinyl like my hood. Either that or get a new set and just change the lenses.

 

[Antman]

I masked mine off and sprayed them with Plastidip on the top portions, Took about 15 minutes. I peeled it off after a few days though, not sure I liked the look. I was going to do a writeup and call them Antman Eyebrows...:lol:

 

[Jbahr]

Windex...

 

[ogden8]

I am so glad I have a '98 with glass headlights. They look brand new. I can't understand why these companies make the plastic headlights knowing they look like crap in just a few years.

I wonder how much they save going from glass to plastic.

I want to start a company that makes headlights out of glass for newer cars, or all cars for that matter.

Would you replace your plastic for glass for a couple hundred? I would!!! I hate that hazy smokey look on the pastic.

 

[SoCalBurt]

This is my headlight! I hate that i'm getting this and i hate it even more Toyota won't do nothing about it. They told me its normal wear and tear, yeah right!

Notice the top is all hazed up and in the lower left hand corner in the amber area you see it the worst. its one year old, our beat up 1999 nissan sentras headlights look better than mine. i hope someone finds a solution for this.

 

[azn-sensation]

So has anybody in socal been able to get a dealership to replace their lights? Ive been to 2 and no luck. Pretty much the same, "normal wear"

 

[kmiller8821]

Mine do the same. Stealer said it was due to the "high heat" these lights generate. No fix yet.

 

[O-tree]

Toothpaste will take it off.

 

[tyguy]

Would you replace your plastic for glass for a couple hundred? I would!!! I hate that hazy smokey look on the pastic.

Honestly? No. Errant rocks punctured far too many of my old glass headlights for me to want another vehicle with them. The old glass ones would fog over after a puncture and eventually turn scummy. No thanks.

I wonder if the 3M clear bra material, or similar, would prevent oxidation of the headlights and taillights?

 

[ogden8]

Honestly? No. Errant rocks punctured far too many of my old glass headlights for me to want another vehicle with them. The old glass ones would fog over after a puncture and eventually turn scummy. No thanks.

I wonder if the 3M clear bra material, or similar, would prevent oxidation of the headlights and taillights?

That has never happened to me or to anyone I know!!! You live in a rocky area? I am from upstate NY originally, but east coast my whole life. Never heard of headlights getting knocked out by rocks. Deer, yes, rocks, not so much.

 

[Socco]

When I went in for the first oil change, I had them record the condition on the invoice. They wanted me to "keep an eye on it." If by the next oil change it worsens they will replace them.

 

[4RunningDetroit]

I had a tinted film over my headlights and only noticed the haze on them when I removed the film last week. So, tinted film, while masking the haze, does not prevent it from occurring. Hopefully Toyota will come up with a fix.

It's a minor cosmetic issue, however it pisses me off as much as the tiny, tiny dent that was on the Shrockworks Sliders that finally showed last week after waiting 16 weeks.

 

[tyguy]

You live in a rocky area? Deer, yes, rocks, not so much.

Utah. We prefer to "salt" our roads with boulders in the winter. The cars I owned with glass headlights were 80s/90s vintage when I had them in the 90s and going to high school and college. Toyota pickup, a couple of Camrys, and an Accord. Each one broke at least one lens, and in the case of the 89 Camry, two of them.

Now I mostly drive a company car. It just turned a year old and has 50,000 miles, and the poor thing looks like it was hit with a sand blaster after a brutal winter.

Bummer the tint didn't prevent the hazing. That should have included a UV inhibitor, and if it did, makes me wonder if the problem is actually oxidation. Sure looks like it, though.

BTW: new member here. I'm shopping for a family-mobile with some attitude and fun factor, and the 4Runner is top of the list. It'll pull Waverunners, go camping, hit some of the easier Moab trails, get us up to the ski resorts, and haul the kiddies around. It'll be my wife's while I hammer the company car during the weekdays, and on the weekends she might let me drive it.

 

[bkgiii]

Dealership replaced mine under warranty....

 

[dekeman]

This is a warranty issue and every owner should demand it be fixed as such.
No one should accept anything less than total replacement.