Starting to see lens fade on the headlights

[AlphaQup]

How many of you guys have had, or are having the same problem with the headlight lens? I just noticed today the top edge of my passenger side headlight is developing lens fade. How do you cure this problem? I don't want to be driving around like some cars around here with faded yellow headlights that barely emit any light.

 

[tkr128]

Check out these threads over at autopia:
http://autopia.org/forum/click-brag/94740-headlight-restoration.html
http://autopia.org/forum/click-brag/94765-headlight-polishing-30-minutes-spoiled-man-inspired-me.html

You probably won't have to go to these extremes, but a light polish should get the clear again. I clay my headlights and use a mild polish on them every year, followed by a few coats of Zaino. Works well at keeping them looking new.

 

[owen4runner]

I had these installed three years ago and headlights look the same when they were new (no kidding).
WeatherTech

FYI! The LampGard that I received were 4 pieces (2 Headlights and 2 Fog/Turn).

 

[Jacobzky]

use Meguiare's PlastX

 

[AlphaQup]

Thanks guys.

 

[jimsi]

warranty???

Wouldn't this be covered under the comprehensive new vechile warranty?

 

[03 Limited]

I suggest getting Meguires plastic cleaner and then apply a 3m headlight overlays afterwards, it actually protects it from fading or getting nicks in the lens. When the overlay gets all faded and tired just peel it off and reapply a new one, youll notice that the headlight never actually aged one bit while that overlay was on.

I discovered this on a Demo 350Z we have here on our Nissan dealer, it sits outside all day for the past 4 years, the headlights had Aerotect's headlight clear overlay on it since day one in 2003 and it started to stain yellow from all the sun, so we peeled it off to see if the headlight was faded also. To our suprise the headlight was as clear and clean as new, despite the hard weathering in the Califonia sun and rain. It had no nicks or fading at all.

Just a suggestion.

 

[rook]

I posed this question a few months ago because of concerns I had, this being the first vehicle owned with plastic headlight lenses. Even first year Gen 4 owners said their lights look ok.

I notice a slight haze on the upper ridge, but it appears to be on the inside, like some sort of wierd condensation. You may want to double check to see if it is on the inside.

I would hold off wet sanding and polishing, because from then on, you will need to do it often. I'm no plastic expert, but there apperars to be an outer coating to provide gloss and weather resistance. When I sanded the covers on our Jetta, there was an outer layer that sanded off first. This layer had become checked and discolored over the car's first 4 years. Now re-poslishing is necessary every few months.

 

[AlphaQup]

rook,

It's definately on the outside, top ridge like you stated. I'm probably going to hold off on sanding it, however I did polish it a bit with the polish I have and it seems to have helped a little bit.

Now about the warrantee question, does anybody know if it's covered?

 

[03 Limited]

rook,

It's definately on the outside, top ridge like you stated. I'm probably going to hold off on sanding it, however I did polish it a bit with the polish I have and it seems to have helped a little bit.

Now about the warrantee question, does anybody know if it's covered?

It should be covered under the bumper to bumper 3/36K warranty. I know the Nissan cars do this often and we warranty those headlights all the time no problem, alot of G35's and 350Z's do that oxidized plastic thing.

 

[silverSEV8]

I have a maxima with that full front clear bra coverage (headlights / fog / full bumper/ 1/4 hood / mirrors). I must say, I am very impressed with the product. It did not show any signs of drying out or discoloration unitl 90,000 miles. I got it done when the car was new. It really does keep everything looking like new and it does not fade the paint diffeently than the rest of the car. I would recommend it to anyone looking for protection.

I used http://www.xpel.com/

It isn't cheap, but it does work. I have already bought the headlight / fog light kit for a do-it-myself project. I hope to get the rest of the front done soon.

 

[greasefingers]

All plastic head light lenses are made out of CPS (cheap plastic shit) In order to protect the lens from the sun, it has a very thin film clear film over it. This does a good job, but all lenses will fade. Ever look at the head light lens of an old Ford Taurus? I have been to GE Plastics and DuPont, where they develop the clear thin film. They are constantly working on a better film and testing these outside. Glass was durable but not very moldable and plastic is very moldable (stylish) but suffers greatly from the suns rays.

If you remove the thin film then a coat of wax and polish is absolutely necessary. Otherwise it will speed up the fading!

 

[rook]

It should be covered under the bumper to bumper 3/36K warranty. I know the Nissan cars do this often and we warranty those headlights all the time no problem, alot of G35's and 350Z's do that oxidized plastic thing.

As far as a warranty item, it will depend on the dealership and how their warranty claims are audited. If you go back to the dealer where you got the truck, you may have better luck. As we have seen, some dealers are easier than others. (e.g the cat converter sulfur tsb some dealers do it right away others claim ignorance and others still make it difficult for you) I think that the soft approach may work better than the PITA customer approach. I'd approach it by drawing an analogy to paint. If the paint started fading, they would be obligated to repair the area.

Good luck.

 

[kimboy]

I heard using toothpaste does a good job removing some of the haze that forms on head lamps.

Do you happen to wash your vehicle often? SOmetimes heat off the block will cause the water to accelerate the hazing effect on your headlight.

 

[AlphaQup]

I heard using toothpaste does a good job removing some of the haze that forms on head lamps.

Do you happen to wash your vehicle often? SOmetimes heat off the block will cause the water to accelerate the hazing effect on your headlight.

Toothpaste? thats a first for me. Have you tried this technique yourself yet? haha

And yes I wash my truck once every 2 weeks, which I think is perfectly normal. However, I don't understand what you mean by heat off the block? What does it have to do with how often I wash my truck? I mean, the water gets dried right away with my microfiber towels after every wash.

 

[kimboy]

Using toothpaste was recommended on another forum I used to belong to. ALso, they mentioned its use on motorweek (pat goss'es garage?). DOn't quote me on this as I have not yet used the technique. But, i'm sure it works in some capacity, and can be a lot cheaper than dropping 6 bucks for a bottle of plastic cleaner at pepboys.

HEat off the block... I used to wash my 2000 maxima religiously. Sometimes the humidity and heat coming out of the engine bay accelerates the hazing on the headlamps. I couldn't figure out why this was happenging, but that's my honest assessment.

It's not that I would drive for a while then park my car and wash it, but, its perhaps the result of evaporating water being the cluprit of your problems.

 

[Uneek]

Toothpaste might work, since there is some amount of abrasives in it. So it would probably work like a polish. I know as a kid when we got scratches on the plastic lens of our watches, we put a tad of tooth paste and grab a piece of felt and buffed it out.

 

[rook]

Toothpaste might work, since there is some amount of abrasives in it. So it would probably work like a polish. I know as a kid when we got scratches on the plastic lens of our watches, we put a tad of tooth paste and grab a piece of felt and buffed it out.

Interesting, but hold off doing anything until you see if the stealer will warranty the part.

Many of todays polishing compounds contain micro-beads to remove scratches and haze. I would stick to a dedicated plastic polish, and a micro fiber towel or a Mothers power-ball that goes on the end of a drill to preserve as much of the outer layer greasefingers wrote about.

 

[Uneek]

Interesting, but hold off doing anything until you see if the stealer will warranty the part.

:iagree: don't try what's used for teeth on delicate plastics and such. I was merely trying to explain why toothpaste might work. Just as one wouldn't use detergent to wash their car, it's important to use the right tool for the job.

 

[kimboy]

test it out on a corner section. Let us know what the outcome is.