Headlight Restoration - Incredible Results

This and a buffer works wonders. You can also use one of those drill buffer attachments. You can see the cost and is enough for at least 100 sets of headlights. I hit my kids cars occasionally and it takes less than 5 min if you have everything out already.

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I did something like this to my old Ranger and it worked great. They did eventually cloud, but it was because they got stuck in the side of a Nissan minivan.
 
I have a buddy here in CLT who does this for I think $25 a car. He uses a mixture of baking soda and toothpaste then wax to finish. Worked great on my CR-V but I have no idea how long it lasted as I was selling it.
 
It was worth it to me. I also take into account the time it would take. Just thought I’d pass it along....I love critics....
Yer doin' it wrong... :p

A buddy of mine's brother had a used car dealership in VA. That's where I first saw it done. Dramatic improvement in looks and a noticeable increase in brightness, especially for some reason at twilight. Do it yourself & save? Sure, but it's also fine to let someone else make a few bucks and do all the prep, work, and cleanup, too.
 
I used the Meguires product but got tired of it so I got a pair of new headlights from Rock Auto, both cars are 1999's.
 
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I did it once with off bug spray. Worked for me and lasted for about a year.
 
I bought the mother's kit with the drill chucks at auto zone or advance auto, can't remember which. It worked great and still has plenty of polish left.
 
You know what works really great? Glass head lights.... remember those? They NEVER clouded up. :rolleyes:
Remember those blacked out headlights back in the 1960"s,
you would see one or two on trucks and cars.
The metal from the filament would darken the lens.
Vacuum deposition, Halogen lamps solved that problem, the halogen gas blend is a catalyst, helps the tungsten to migrate back to the filament wire. Like a traffic cop, no parking, move along.:)
 
It would all be so much better if the automobile makers would quit using plastics that fog up under exposure to UV.

Personally, I'd pay to replace mine with glass if they were available. Yeah, replacement is expensive...but over the life of my vehicle (I own my vehicles until they die or are no longer worth fixing up) I'd get my money's worth out of them in just convenience alone.
 
Just saw a new copy of the NC state inspection procedure. It looks like state inspectors can now fail you for cloudy head light lenses, but since there isn't a lumen or brightness standard or measurement listed? Its going to be up to the decision of that inspector.
 
Just saw a new copy of the NC state inspection procedure. It looks like state inspectors can now fail you for cloudy head light lenses, but since there isn't a lumen or brightness standard or measurement listed? Its going to be up to the decision of that inspector.

You are correct. My mechanic told me the same thing, we are getting our daughter a car with cloudy headlights (already inspected) but they’ll have to be cleared. I never intended to start a conversation about how I wasted MY money. I am not good with this kind of stuff. $75 < $200+ for new headlights. That was all I needed to know. If you can do it cheaper and just as good, great! If you know someone who can do it cheaper, great! I just merely passed along a service I thought someone might use. He did a great job at a reasonable price.
 
Just saw a new copy of the NC state inspection procedure. It looks like state inspectors can now fail you for cloudy head light lenses, but since there isn't a lumen or brightness standard or measurement listed? Its going to be up to the decision of that inspector.
Makes sense, as before I had mind done (purchased a 2000 diesel Jetta 3 years ago) driving at night sucked. Huge difference after they were polished.
 
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