Like it or not, cloudy headlights are a fact of life with modern vehicles. Their clear plastic lenses allow for cleaner aerodynamics and greater design flexibility than old sealed-beam glass headlamps. But over time, their factory-applied UV coating breaks down and the surfaces eventually become opaque.
Headlight restoration kits have been on the market for about two decades now. Typically, these are made up of a few sheets of fine sandpaper and some polishing compound. Depending on the kit and your efforts, the results can range from disappointing to temporarily impressive.
Other kits, however, take short cuts such as applying a plastic conditioner to the lens to “wet” the cloudiness on the surface. Naturally, these are the cheapest option, though you get what you pay for. To get a more permanent fix, you’ll need to put a little effort into it.
Instead of buying a dedicated kit, you can actually restore cloudy headlights using tools and supplies you may already have. In this video, our guy Adam walks you through two ways to get similar results. The first method essentially replicates the same process used with most of the over-the-counter restoration kits. The second method is a bit more involved but allows for reapplying a UV-blocking aerosol clear coat for greater durability.
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Re Clearing them is the long term solution. But it works best when you use a high quality urethane clear sprayed from a gun. Most rattle can clear has less UV protection than a high quality urethane clear used in production body shops. Many places such as Eastwood sell high quality urethane clear that can be sprayed from a gun. If a gun is not an option, then rattle can clear is better than just buff it off and hope. Good quality urethane clear sprayed from a gun is generally the same stuff you use over basecoat when repainting or repairing your car. This was an excellent video. I agree with his process.
Ted, The clear coat should have a lifespan of several years once applied, just like the original factory coating. Additional coats (2-3 total) will help with durability. The first method is definitely less durable. You may need to redo that application every year or so without the clear coat. A lot of people do that method when they’re getting a car ready for sale but aren’t worried about long-term durability.
Good luck with you project.
I just finished watching headlight refinishing and one question about second method on spraying clear. Does this fade and does this have to be redone in time? What happens about sanding three coats of clear ? Is this process going to last
Or I’m I going to ruin my lens trying to sand clear off .
The first method is more difficult but how long will that last ? Any idea on how long the first method will last ?
I’m ready to order clear , sandpaper , sander and pads or buffing compound . Which one will last longer ? Your professional thoughts are appreciated . Thanks in advance ted drott