Headlight Restoration Process

Headlight restoration is the process of refinishing the surface of headlights. It removes the layer of material that has deteriorated making them “hazy” that commonly forms on the outside of lens, in the polycarbonate plastic of which they are made, after the factory protective UV clear coat has broken down. Then the surface is polished and sealed. This restores their clarity and their state of focused light creating a beam as designed. The process involves several stages using sandpaper and buffing to smooth the lens and eliminate surface imperfections. This is the proper way, and the way i do it. Beware there are other ways it can be done but maybe subpar, make them worse, or temporary

1. Preparation: The first step in the restoration process is thoroughly cleaning the headlights. This removes dirt, debris, and contaminants that could interfere with the sanding process.
2. Remove Damaged Layer:  Sanding begins with coarse-grit sandpaper to remove the outer layer of the lens that may have become yellow or white, hazy, or microcracked. This step eliminates the bulk of the deterioration and exposes a fresh surface underneath. At this point the surface is no longer clear because of the scratches from the coarse sandpaper. Then it gets sanded multiple times using progressively finer grits of sandpaper to smooth the surface, minimizing scratches and imperfections.
3. Creating New Surface: Wet sanding is often employed during the process to keep both the sandpaper and the lens wet. This prevents the plastic from overheating and helps prevent the sandpaper from clogging. Wet sanding also reduces the appearance of sanding marks and ensures a smoother finish.
4. Polishing: Once the lens has a near flawless surface, the next stage involves buffing. This is done using special plastic compounds and polishes along with a variety of pads and wheels. A buffer and the skills of the operator polish out any micro-scratches left by the sanding process. At this point the lens are crystal clear.
5. UV Blocking Hard Coat: (not paint) The protectant layer is applied. This protective layer helps prevent future oxidation, UV damage, and discoloration, extending the life of the headlights.
6.  Wax or Ceramic coating: It is recommended to keep the headlight waxed or ceramic coated.  The headlights should out last the life of the car if kept protected.

Whether your lenses are too damaged to restore, it depends on the extent of the deterioration. MOST headlights that have yellowing, haziness, or micro cracks CAN be restored through this process.  However, if the lenses have significant deep micro cracks, which is difficult to tell because of the haziness, they might not clean up like new but at minimum they would be 95%+ better than before for functionality and appearance.  Each light is unique and after pre inspecting them can give you my recommendations and if replacing them may be necessary.