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Headlight Cleaning!

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1.6K views 12 replies 9 participants last post by  christopher.comfort5  
#1 Ā·
The headlights on my 2006 RTS were fogged up pretty badly, so it took me 4 hours and a lot of drill batteries and clamping the trigger on the drill so I wouldn't have to hold it for many minutes to get a much improved status of the headlights. šŸ˜‚ The right headlight was rough - the sander peeled off the color from the masking tape šŸ˜” (never buying that tape again) and ground the color into the headlight. So that alone was a good 1 hour to fix that.

We did it unconventionally - though we did buy a polishing kit from good 'ol hobo freight and it worked pretty well. We started with 220 grit (yes Ik, it looked terrible when we started). Then 400, then 500, then 800, then 3000. Also near the end my fingers kinda froze cuz it was cold so that's another reason it doesn't look as good.
What do y'all think? What grits did you use?
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#2 Ā·
Did you apply a protective coating? I would heavily suggest doing so, otherwise it will quickly fade/yellow.

I retrofitted a few headlights in the past and my favorite way to restore lenses is by sanding with 400/600 depending on the initial condition of the lens. But I usually stopped at 800 grit because I apply SprayMax 2K or AeroSpray 2K gloss clear. A single canister is about $25 and can do multiple coats. I apply 3-4 coats and eventually block wet sand the orange peel before polishing.

Using 2K clear, I never had to anything else even after 5-8 years that I owned those non-garaged vehicles here in the PNW. It might be different in CA, AZ, FL but the longevity will definitely beat most other solutions.
 
#3 Ā·
How long it will last is a question, once the polycarbonate is compromised, sooner or later, the issue will reoccur. Particularly in the sunny places mentioned above. My 2016 Durango headlights look new, but the car sleeps in the garage every night. Anyway, good job, as the cost of new headlight housings is outrageous.
 
#4 Ā·
Definitely apply some sort of wax/protector.
Once I did what you did, (I used what ever came with the Walmart kit), I've used plastic polish (like what you'd use on boat or Joop top windows).
I do it every oil change (truck is up in the air, perfect height when sitting on my stool) and then use maguire's liquid quick wax. Takes about 5 minutes per side and they've been good for about 5-6 years.
 
#5 Ā·
After a lengthy adventure with this before, Iā€™ve since opted to buy replacement aftermarket light housings. Mrs. Vladā€™s 2012 Highlander got the treatment this fall. I suspect it will be sold before needing attention again. Her projectors were about 50% more than my former Ridgeline replacements, which fetched about $100.
With the new sealed LED housings these days, I may get back to the polish. I have some clear vinyl that Iā€™ll apply to my 2024 to hopefully prolong their life.
 
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#9 Ā·
cerakote and sylvannia polishing kit has UV protection included in the kit and they take only less than an hour to do. Cerakote is $18 in Walmart, Sylvannia I guess is $30. They last for more than 3 yrs depending on how you garage the car (or park outside) The sanding is not that harsh to remove much of the material.
 
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