Starting to see lens fade on the headlights

[AlphaQup]

Today I claybar'd my whole car with Mothers Gold Claybar kit. My car feels and looks like the first day off the dealer lot. I decided to do the headlights as well and it got rid of the hazing. I think that'll do for now.

Thanks for the many suggestions though.

 

[97hb]

Aren't the JDM headlamps glass. Will upgrade mine soon and they are starting to dull.

 

[silverSEV8]

I put the Xpel protection on my headlights / fog lights over the weekend. The pieces have a good fit. I will take pics of the 4runner with them and my maxima 110,000 miles of driving with the same product if anyone is interested.

 

[03 Limited]

Aren't the JDM headlamps glass. Will upgrade mine soon and they are starting to dull.

wether if they are indeed glass, the problem still is that JDM headlights the light points the other way blinding the on coming drivers. This is because they drive on the left side of the road, so the lights from Jspec cars wont be so nice to other drivers.

 

[LetsGoHokies!]

While we're on the topic. I recently blacked out my headlights on my '04 and all went well until i sealed them back up with some clear silicone. Well the nut at home depot said i didnt need a caulk gun if i was only using alittle bit, so he said i could squeeze it out of thetube by hand. Needless to say it was hard as balls to do that and i ended up making a mess. Well, with this mess, i got some extra clear silicone on the headlight fronts. No sweat, right?

Well i put everything back together and decided to take some goof-off to the headlights to get off the silicone. Turns outttttt goof-off took off the shine on the headlight, lucky I only used alittle bit or else i'd have had one entirely dim headlight and one regular one. Check it out and let me k now if you all have any suggestings as to how to restore the clearness and shine.

I'm reaaaaaaaaaallly looking forward to your thoughts/replies.

 

[LetsGoHokies!]

another

 

[03 Limited]

another

It might of been a better idea to buy those blacked out headlights on ebay for $150 then to open up the factory ones and risk messing those up.

 

[LetsGoHokies!]

It might of been a better idea to buy those blacked out headlights on ebay for $150 then to open up the factory ones and risk messing those up.

To me, there is somewhat of a sense of accomplishment when you do something for yourself. It's hardly as fun learning about all these mods we can do to our 4-runners and then taking them to the shop to get it done. DIY stuff is much more enjoyable and gives me a better sense of ownership than those who get their shops to do all the work. Maybe i stand alone, doubtful...

So being the college kid that I am, i had free time this summer and there were several guides on this site on how to black out the lights. Easy enough to follow, they look good as hell and i'm more than happy. I spent 10 bucks on 2 different spray paints and got the same results. $140 bucks in my pocket is well worth the time spent and sense of accomplishment I have.

Back to the topic. Anyone have any ideas on how to restore the shine?

 

[atomic punk]

oh man, that sucks. I did the same thing to the dash of my jeep and nothing I tried worked. Discolored my dark grey to a light grey.... that wet sand/polish technique mentioned in one of the first posts of this thread might be your best bet at this point. (maybe first I would try toothpaste). You really have nothing to lose now.

BTW: toothpaste works great at removing dirt and grime from windshields, I do it all the time.

 

[03 Limited]

BTW: toothpaste works great at removing dirt and grime from windshields, I do it all the time.

That sounds abrasive to be using on windows. I just use normal bug and tar removed for the windows if i get something on there.

 

[atomic punk]

That sounds abrasive to be using on windows. I just use normal bug and tar removed for the windows if i get something on there.

That's the point. Using a mild abrasive really works well at removing anything in the visable and non-visable pits of the windshield. I'm not hijacking this thread though...

 

[Even Steven]

... Turns outttttt goof-off took off the shine on the headlight, lucky I only used alittle bit or else i'd have had one entirely dim headlight and one regular one. Check it out and let me k now if you all have any suggestings as to how to restore the clearness and shine.

I'm reaaaaaaaaaallly looking forward to your thoughts/replies.

Easy fix, but a lot of elbow grease required. You have two good options - get yourself either plastic polish (like Mother's, for example) or a swirl remover for clear coat paint. Both contain mild abrasives that will remove the damage done by the Goof-Off and make your lenses sparkle again.

You might even want to consider using a buffer if it gets to be too much work for you. The abrasives are so mild that it will take a lot of work to get back the shine, but it will definitely work. I've used this method to restore plastic lenses that were scratched and/or yellowed. Give it a try.