Headlight coating failure

[rjgough95]

Originally Posted by brandonblt2

I'm starting to get a similar type of fading. My car is hand washed only and I apply wax regularly to the headlights to try to protect them. My guess it's just from the sun since my car sits outside.

Exactly how my headlights look as well and hand wash/wax. Had the car for 3 years now and sits outdoors.

[bee-jay]

you also shouldn't use paint product waxes, on a headlight. that will contribute to hazing. they make special cleaners and polishes for clear acrylics.

[Stang70Fastback]

Originally Posted by bee-jay

you also shouldn't use paint product waxes, on a headlight. that will contribute to hazing. they make special cleaners and polishes for clear acrylics.

Shit. Lol. I guess I'll stop using Meguiars Quik Detailer and Quik Wax on them...

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by radroach

I want to do a show of hands, who is getting headlight coating failure like I'm experiencing?



I want to see if this is happening normally, or if it's because my detailer let his buffer ovverrun slightly on my headlight when he detailed my car a couple years ago.

Well, @radroach ....... ....... that's what you get for being able to afford a detailer.

My headlight lenses look like new. Why? Because I don't over wash/wax the car ....... that's the reason why some folks think the paint is thin ...... they wash it too damn much......


humfrz

[NLS8520]

Well without knowing what your detailer did or what his processes are its hard to say if they had any long term effects, did he polish and coat your car? Headlights have a coating on them and when that is diminished, either on its own or via mechanical abrasion they start to cloud up. With that said, as you may or may not know it should be easily fixable, something you can do in your garage in about an hour and then reseal them for a few more years. Happy to provide more info if you would like.

[radroach]

@humfrz ok mr. washingtonian where its always raining and your car gets a free bath.

[radroach]

The problem is that I've seen plenty of headlight restoration videos, and they're all half-assed. I'm not confident in using a lot of these products out there that say they would protect the headlight because there is hardly any information out there about it.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by radroach

@brandonblt2 Yeah that does look like a bit of headlight cancer.

Ok so there is evidence contrary to my claims, this thread is getting good.

Notice how different that is from yours though. You have a distinct outer section and feathering not an even haze like that.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by radroach

The problem is that I've seen plenty of headlight restoration videos, and they're all half-assed. I'm not confident in using a lot of these products out there that say they would protect the headlight because there is hardly any information out there about it.

I thought the same but used the 3M kit on my wife's old Sunfire a few years back. It worked perfectly and the lights became the best part of the car.

[Ultramaroon]

I just restored the headlights on Mrs. Ultra's Camry a week ago. They came out beautifully but I'll admit ignorance. I knew nothing of this coating.

There's a do-over in my near future. Glad to learn about it sooner than later.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

I treat my headlights and taillights like paint, so they get clay barred and waxed when the paint does. My car wasn't garaged for 1.5 years, and I park in a gravel lot at work, and my headlights are holding up great.

OP, wash the headlights, clay bar them, and use Meguiar's Plast-x on them. They'll polish out. Just keep them waxed after.

[shiumai]

It helps to use something like aerospace 303 with UV protection. I use that on all exposed plastic on both our vehicles and the lights look brand new. On my BRZ, I do have my headlights covered in XPEL headlight film.

[civicdrivr]

I'm running used BRZ headlights on my FRS, but I swapped the lenses onto them from my original lights (partly due to my OCD, but mostly because one was cracked).

I've polished my car three times since 2012. I've never taped off the headlights. I polish them with a very light polish if they have a few swirls, seal with the same sealant I use for the paint (Four Star UPP) and I use Meguiars Spray Wax on them as well. The car was garaged from May 2012 to August 2014, and again from Feb 2016 to current. The driver side is beginning to haze slightly (and I mean you really have to look at it to notice), but NOWHERE near as bad as yours.

I think the hazing was going to happen no matter what since the lenses are plastic, but I do agree that the detailer accelerated that, assuming he used a ton of pressure or an abrasive compound/polish. I can't see the UV coating failing to that extent this quickly without some "help".

[Ro_Ja]

I have this issue on my headlights. Car has never been detailed or even waxed (I know, I know, but that'll change soon lol), just hand washed. Car spends 100% of its time outdoors and uncovered (which will also change too). I'll be doing a cosmetic restore on the car in a couple months, so I just went ahead and bought new headlights among other things.