by "DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!" (daft-ryosuke)
Published 09/09/2017 at 15:59
by "DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!" (daft-ryosuke)
Published 09/09/2017 at 15:59
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STARS: 0
It seems that headlight fading has hit the Outback. Hard. Does anyone have any good methods for battling this?
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
09/09/2017 at 16:03, STARS: 0
http://oppositelock.kinja.com/todays-project-headlight-restoration-509326358
Use a sealer, as some suggested.
"m-b-w loves his SUBAROO" (m-b-w)
09/09/2017 at 16:07, STARS: 0
My 15 already has fading starting on one of the lights. Must be a common subie issue..
"Captain of the Enterprise" (justanotherdayinparadise)
09/09/2017 at 16:27, STARS: 0
http://oppositelock.kinja.com/weekend-project-headlight-restoration-1797174826
"Boxer_4" (Boxer_4)
09/09/2017 at 16:54, STARS: 0
The US built NAL headlights seem to be more affected than the Japan built Koito headlights, though it happens to both. They are the same company though.
Granted, my 09 Forester (Koito) has some hazing going on, but it’s not nearly as bad as my dads 12 Outback (NAL). Plus, it took about twice as long to start on mine.
This makes me want to do more research on Subaru headlights (and taillights).
"Dogsatemypants" (kb113400)
09/09/2017 at 17:00, STARS: 0
Atf and a finish grit sandpaper.
"m-b-w loves his SUBAROO" (m-b-w)
09/09/2017 at 17:04, STARS: 0
thats really interesting! I’m sure my car being parked outside in a coastal area doesn’t help with the hazing...
"for Michigan" (formichigan)
09/09/2017 at 17:06, STARS: 1
3M has a nice kit that comes with a power drill attachment and sealer. Did wonders for my old Civic.
They recommend resealing every 3 months or so, which I didn’t do and they started clouding up again about six months later. I don’t think I was liberal enough with the sealant in the first place either.
"nj959" (nj959)
09/09/2017 at 18:22, STARS: 0
If you wetsand them and then spray on a few coats of clearcoat, you’ll never have to worry about them again. It makes a good weekend project. Only thing is, you may have to wetsand and polish them again after they’ve been painted to get rid of the orange peel, depending on how good you are with a can of spray paint. So start on Friday night or Saturday morning, so you know you’ll have enough time to get everything back together by Monday.
"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
09/09/2017 at 18:22, STARS: 0
Interesting - I was just looking at my ‘13 this morning thinking how nice it was that mine don’t really show any fading yet. Anyway, 3M makes a kit that worked really well a few years ago on my Hyundai. It’s progressively finer grits of sandpaper and then a sealer. Takes so elbow grease and maybe an hour per headlight but the final product is great.
"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
09/09/2017 at 18:24, STARS: 0
Interesting. My ‘13 Outback isn’t fading at all really yet. It is only at 68k miles and garage kept out of the UV most of the time -I wonder if that has something to do with it.
"nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul" (nfamouscj)
09/09/2017 at 22:06, STARS: 0
If you do any of the “restoration” kits you’ll be babying them there on. The UV protective layer is compromised, the compounds they give you work but you’ll be reapplying it every few months.
I redid mine with I believe 1200 and 1500 grit sandpaper, may have been harsher but don’t quote me then this https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0043B7UQY/
Worked so well I even recleared my hood with it. If you’re going to take the time to tape off your headlights and do half a dozen steps, might as well take your headlights out, add a few steps and get the best job possible.
"merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
09/09/2017 at 23:20, STARS: 0
Meguiars us a nice kit as well as 3m, but do yourself a favor and pull the lights once you’re done polishing and strip the polish off and hit them with a decent two part clear coat. That way you get longevity out of the repair. I used cheap duplicolor on some super trashed first gen CTSV headlights and it held up for a couple years without looking any worse when i sold off the car. So this stuff should do better.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0043B7UQY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apis_1505013490790
"Boxer_4" (Boxer_4)
09/12/2017 at 00:54, STARS: 0
More being parked outside (UV damage), but yes.
"Boxer_4" (Boxer_4)
09/12/2017 at 00:58, STARS: 1
Staying out of the UV helps quite a bit. Most companies will put UV inhibitors/stabilizers in their plastic blends (
polycarbonate typically for automotive headlights
) to improve weatherability, but it can only do so much.