Headlight Restoration Kits

kevman65

kevman65

Hooked
My Mom has a 2012 Equinox and the headlights are so cloudy you can't see through them in the day time.

I know nothing about these kits, never used one.

What is the best kit to use?

I figure some of them are just snake oil and might last a month.
 
I bought a kit and it worked well. Problem was that they clouded again fast. I ended up buying a set of headlights on EBay

The polishing kit I used had a foam ball you chucked up in a drill
 
She's 85 years old. Drives twice a week at most, in the daytime. Buffing the lenses out is probably the least expensive way to satisfy her since she doesn't need headlights. 🍻

I'll look at the Blue Magic at Oreilly's, thanks.
 
kevman65 said:
She's 85 years old. Drives twice a week at most, in the daytime. Buffing the lenses out is probably the least expensive way to satisfy her since she doesn't need headlights. 🍻

I'll look at the Blue Magic at Oreilly's, thanks.
Click to expand...
The usual method for really bad lenses is to use super-fine sand paper, buffing with polish, and finish with a clear coat. Otherwise the lenses turn quickly again.
 
The chemical guys headlight restore works well for me in the past. Just make sure that you apply a sealant overtop of the lens after you clean it. Your essentially removing the factory clear coat of the lens and now it has no new protection once you clean them.
 
cozdude said:
The chemical guys headlight restore works well for me in the past. Just make sure that you apply a sealant overtop of the lens after you clean it. Your essentially removing the factory clear coat of the lens and now it has no new protection once you clean them.
Click to expand...
I think these were done once before when she lived in Florida.

Like I said, she never drives at night, it's just something she worries about.
 
cozdude said:
The chemical guys headlight restore works well for me in the past. Just make sure that you apply a sealant overtop of the lens after you clean it. Your essentially removing the factory clear coat of the lens and now it has no new protection once you clean them.
Click to expand...
I want to try that one next. But honestly I’ll just buy new lights if it’s reoccurring issue.
 
Before getting into coffee, headlight restoration was something I got into and thought about doing full time. I got pretty good and could do an average set in about 45-60 mins. Sanding and polishing is the only way to go to get nearly new results. (For bad lights start with 320 or 400 then progress to 800, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3500, moderatly agressive polish, finish polish.) As mentioned this process removes the OEM UV coating on the headlight so it will oxidize faster. A good sealant will help with this and usually all it takes is polishing to bring them back and re-seal them. There is a company called GlasWeld which makes an OEM headlight coating (takes a special UV light to cure it) to do as a final step if you wanted to really do it right but that's probably more than most would want to do. Also it was mentioned to clear coat them. Don't do that. Most rattle can clear coat yellows in the sun and makes them look worse in time. Then it's more work to restore them. Here's some before and after of what polishing and sealing alone can do.IMAG2507.jpgIMAG2510.jpg
Sidenote. Coffee is a lot less work and far more lucrative than this would have been....haha.

Edit: Here's the video and supplies I used to get started.
Chemical Guys Headlight Restoration
 
Last edited:
jesse3638 said:
Before getting into coffee, headlight restoration was something I got into and thought about doing full time. I got pretty good and could do an average set in about 45-60 mins. Sanding and polishing is the only way to go to get nearly new results. (For bad lights start with 320 or 400 then progress to 800, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3500, moderatly agressive polish, finish polish.) As mentioned this process removes the OEM UV coating on the headlight so it will oxidize faster. A good sealant will help with this and usually all it takes is polishing to bring them back and re-seal them. There is a company called GlasWeld which makes an OEM headlight coating (takes a special UV light to cure it) to do as a final step if you wanted to really do it right but that's probably more than most would want to do. Also it was mentioned to clear coat them. Don't do that. Most rattle can clear coat yellows in the sun and makes them look worse in time. Then it's more work to restore them. Here's some before and after of what polishing and sealing alone can do.View attachment 411978View attachment 411979
Sidenote. Coffee is a lot less work and far more lucrative than this would have been....haha.

Edit: Here's the video and supplies I used to get started.
Chemical Guys Headlight Restoration
Click to expand...
Oh shit! Well I’ll give this a more thorough try lol. Or maybe you can come down and do mine for me… 🤪
 
I've used this 3M kit on several sets with good results. Like most things you get out of it what you put into it. I also follow up with Meguiar's spray headlight coating, lasts about a year then a quick buff and another coat of spray to keep them looking good. Here's an example from my wife's '06 4Runner. It's was about a 3 beer job for me. Definitely less expensive than purchasing replacements for this ride, but for my truck picking up some ebay chinese replacements was the better route.


Image 8-15-24 at 1.24 PM.jpeg Image 8-15-24 at 1.26 PM.jpeg Image 8-15-24 at 1.42 PM.jpeg
 
semicolon said:
I've used this 3M kit on several sets with good results. Like most things you get out of it what you put into it. I also follow up with Meguiar's spray headlight coating, lasts about a year then a quick buff and another coat of spray to keep them looking good. Here's an example from my wife's '06 4Runner. It's was about a 3 beer job for me. Definitely less expensive than purchasing replacements for this ride, but for my truck picking up some ebay chinese replacements was the better route.


View attachment 412000 View attachment 412001 View attachment 412003
Click to expand...
Oh dang that turned out great!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom