hazy headlight assemblies

[rit14623]

Well, I've used two different brand headlight restoration kits. One was okay but did not last a long time. Another one was as good, lasted longer, but the headlights are hazy again and soon will be going to the yellowing stage.

Anyone had success with a particular brand headlight restoration kit?

 

[Brian_K]

ive used meguiars and the 3m kits. both worked about the same. I found that either keeping a coat of wax on the headlights or putting a vinyl overlay (clear or yellow) over them works well to keep them from oxidizing.

 

[tewingate]

I've used the 3M kit, but now when I do it, I make my own kit. I just get some 600/800/1000-1200/3000 grit. Use them in that order with the last two being wet sanded. Then a nice rubbing compound and finish it off with a polish. Perfect every time...

 

[bigpturgeon]

I used turtle wax brand restorer and it lasts for a while but needs to be done every once in a while to keep them clear. No matter what product you get its going to have to be reapplied periodically to keep the headlights clear.

 

[protege3690]

or just buy a new set of headlights for $75-$100 on ebay and call it a day. gonna probably end up spending the same amount on buying products to clear them up. plus the headache of doing it. ehhh, not worth it to me.

 

[VIPMSP]

^ this.

 

[mp5la]

He has a P5, so cheap headlights are a lot harder to come by. I recommend buying your own sandpaper, wet-sanding the lenses, polishing them, and finishing off with a good nano coating or the lowes sealant trick. Once the headlights have faded it means all the plastic's UV coating is gone, so unless you reseal it's just a matter of time before they yellow again.

 

[mp5la]

http://www.detailersdomain.com/Optimum-Opti-Lens-Coating--Permanent-Headlight-Coating_p_911.html

Bam. Optimum makes one specifically for headlights now.

 

[protege3690]

to each his own. but by the time u buy the cleaner, the polisher, the rags, the different grit sandpapers. youll be shy $20-$40 of NEW headlights. AGAIN i just dont see the point in it.

 

[VIPMSP]

option A. hit up alex (scratchnsniff), he prob has like 4 used sets of them knowing that guy.

option B. waste your money on a "restore" kit, which will fix them for a few months, and you will likely end up w/ the same BS result.

option C. just get a brand new set -

http://www.ebay.com/itm/01-03-MAZDA...Parts_Accessories&hash=item4ac49a9b7f&vxp=mtr

^ plus the blacked out lights look 50x better than OEM anyways... but if OEM is your thing -

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mazda-Prote...zda|Model:Protege&hash=item43bb5aae03&vxp=mtr

to me, people who buy headlight 'restore' kits are like people who use "speedupmyPC.com" or "fixmypcfree.com" for making their computer faster. a.k.a. suckers.

 

[tewingate]

to me, people who buy headlight 'restore' kits are like people who use "speedupmyPC.com" or "fixmypcfree.com" for making their computer faster. a.k.a. suckers.

Yeah, if the kit is $15 and only comes with rubbing compound. Kits with sandpaper is the way to go if you only have one set of headlights. If you have multiple that you are doing, buy your own sandpaper and polish. It's much cheaper... then you could always charge friends and make your money back.

 

[Bastian]

I used the 3M kit about seven months ago.

before



after



and seven months later. The white over the turn signals is just glare from the sun

 

[zackmac]

3M has always worked the best for me

 

[Bastian]

option A. hit up alex (scratchnsniff), he prob has like 4 used sets of them knowing that guy.

Just hope those aren't hazy already.

option B. waste your money on a "restore" kit, which will fix them for a few months, and you will likely end up w/ the same BS result.

Depends on the restore kit and how well you seal and maintain the headlights when you're done.

option C. just get a brand new set -

http://www.ebay.com/itm/01-03-MAZDA...Parts_Accessories&hash=item4ac49a9b7f&vxp=mtr

^ plus the blacked out lights look 50x better than OEM anyways... but if OEM is your thing -

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mazda-Prote...zda|Model:Protege&hash=item43bb5aae03&vxp=mtr

Yeah, if you have a sedan, go ahead and buy those sedan lights. However, the person in question has a P5. So either rewire the dual beam harness to single beam or spend a crap ton of money on new P5 headlights.

to me, people who buy headlight 'restore' kits are like people who use "speedupmyPC.com" or "fixmypcfree.com" for making their computer faster. a.k.a. suckers.

Be careful about making blanket statements like that. Sanding and sealing is a perfectly viable way to fix hazy headlights. While brand new lights are definitely a more permanent (and better) solution, I'd rather buy two restoration kits over the next few years than spend a ton of money on new headlights that would outlive the rusting car.

I'm not trying to be a douche bag, just pointing out my opinions.

 

[tewingate]

Before:


During:


After:


This was the 3M hand sanding kit, not the one with the cordless drill attachment.

 

[mp5la]

We also don't know if the OP is willing/able to take off his entire front end to replace the headlight assemblies. Some people may not want to go through with yanking the bumper when they could just go with a sand/polish/reseal.

 

[rit14623]

Thanks all. I didn't want to distort the answers so I didn't state what I used.
First, I tried the Meguier's kit where you get a yarn-like buffing drill attachment with a tube of Plastix.
The second kit I tried was the Turtle Wax kit which lasted longer because it came with a sealer.

I'm spending around $20 each time at Walmart so I don't see that as a humongous expense.
I'd rather not replace the headlight assemblies.

 

[pcb]

He has a P5, so cheap headlights are a lot harder to come by. I recommend buying your own sandpaper, wet-sanding the lenses, polishing them, and finishing off with a good nano coating or the lowes sealant trick. Once the headlights have faded it means all the plastic's UV coating is gone, so unless you reseal it's just a matter of time before they yellow again.

What is the lowes sealant trick??? What kind of sealant is used ???

 

[kamesama980]

Replacing the whole housings is like the people that buy a new computer instead of fixing/cleaning/maintaining the old one. Yes some (many?) of the computer-cleaning programs/services are scams but there are also a number of free non-scam methods that work fine but that's going off on a tangent.

I have the mother's kit with the foam pad that goes in the drill. works like a charm. a little more expensive than some but I worked at a parts store when I got it and I've used it several times. Maybe once a year and wax when you're done. Though it took longer, it cleaned up a set of lenses on a friends 98 cherokee that hadn't ever been cleaned ("translucent" would be generous. they were more like white plastic than formerly clear)

 

[CTt3P5]

Check out my post from the 'what did you do' thread. Kit worked great and was very easy to use. As mentioned earlier, the UV coating is gone so no matter what kit you use they will only yellow over time until you recoat them. Not sure how well these other sealants work that others are using but this kit comes with a UV sealant (as well as everything you need) and for $20, you can't beat it.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123616046-What-have-you-done-to-your-P5-today&p=6151613&viewfull=1#post6151613