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Headlight Lens Replacement

9K views 28 replies 11 participants last post by  qaz996 
#1 ·
When I first got my car I tried to remove the hazing that was oddly just on the top of the lens. Sadly, it removed it, but left the rest of the lens looking terrible since. I've tried everything under the sun to get them to look better.

I'm looking for a lens replacement option, versus replacing the whole headlight. Does anyone know of a lens replacement they have used or liked for the facelift cars?
 
#5 ·
Have you tried the sanding method? Use three successive grits of sandpaper, buff the lens with chemical, then reapply UV protectant and clear coat and such?

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Yeah I used the 3m kit on both headlights multiple times. The spots where there used to be oxidation are perfect, but I feel like by doing the process it made everything but that oxidized spot worse.

I've done it all over the headlight exactly to the instructions, maybe I should just take the lens off the assembly and do it to the inside?
 
#3 ·
Unfortunately I have never been able to find a lens for pre facelift cars, only facelift. I dont think they make them for our cars. I’d try the sanding method.


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#4 ·
Unfortunately I have never been able to find a lens for pre facelift cars, only facelift. I dont think they make them for our cars. I'd try the sanding method.

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I'm looking for one for a facelift, 2011 car!
 
#12 ·
After following the instructions of the instructibles article, here are the results:



They're still pretty cloudy on the sides, and have scratching on the fronts. Maybe I should use the 2000 grit on them again?
 
#14 ·
Okay, it is more cloudy than before though, so what step of the instructible should I go back and repeat to make them more clear at least for the time being?
 
#16 · (Edited)
Okay, so if I were to use a random orbit sander what would those time values be then?
 
#17 ·
I don't know, and not many can answer - there is no one good answer - Depends on sander, lube, sandpaper, etc.

My recommendation follows what they mention in the page - sand entirely one direction (right + left). Then when changing grits - sand entirely 90* until you can't see scratches in the wrong direction - and keep going until it's done and you get to polish.

Remember that you're going from 2000grit to 10,000 grit or finer when it comes to polishing so there is a much larger time commitment to polish something correctly. Think about it this way - toothpaste is like 20-40,000 grit depending on brand and ingredients. Mirror polishing goes up to like 500,000 grit.
 
#18 ·
How is the wiring in your headlights? The insulation on mine is very brittle and cracking off. I was rather horrified when I removed the headlights to polish my lenses. I polished them but not as intense as outlined above. I used the Meguiar's Heavy Duty Headlight Restoration Kit and could have done a better job with it than I did. They look much better but not like new. Given the condition of my wiring, I think I might just replace the headlights. TYC makes some affordable aftermarket replacements and save me a lot of work.
 
#19 ·
A quick google has not found a TYC replacement for these lights :(, maybe they don't do the facelift cars. I am scheduling an appointment with a detailer, I am getting tired of messing with these considering the amount of time I've spend doing this lol.
 
#20 ·
#24 ·
Had them polished professionally today, WOW. They're now at a 9/10. Shout out to P&R cleaning in Grafton, WI.



To be honest, I think I did some of the work by sanding off most of the old UV layer for them, but I had no idea how to polish correctly (nor did I have the tools). $40 later, I think we're done here!
 
#28 ·
That cost you 40 bucks? Dang. Film them or it's coming back...you won't be done.
Had them polished professionally today, WOW. They're now at a 9/10. Shout out to P&R cleaning in Grafton, WI.
To be honest, I think I did some of the work by sanding off most of the old UV layer for them, but I had no idea how to polish correctly (nor did I have the tools). $40 later, I think we're done here!
 
#25 ·
They look great. I'd do the same if it weren't for my crusty wires.
 
#27 ·
I stripped out both my headlights and rewired/fixed all of it while sanding both lenses inside and out over a couple of months while I had it on the ramps for some big work... I sanded and resprayed so much, I learnt a lot, dont press hard and go easy on the spray - and next time I'd just pay someone else to do it.
 
#29 ·
Dang! That only cost you $40?? That looks great!

I've polished the headlights on a couple of cars using a power drill w/ sanding discs and polishing pads. It took me about an hour (including taping the paint around the headlights) and my results on one car were about 7/10, the other 8/10.

Definitely get film on the lenses or apply a sealant on them or that work you paid for is temporary. If your car is garaged, that will help slow the process. One of the cars I did is garaged and not outside for long (old lady drives it). Its headlights still look good. The other car was my daily driver that lives outside (not the S40). I polished those headlights a little over a year ago and I'm ready to do it again.
 
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