Cloudy Headlights

"Dakotahound" (dakotahound) 03/03/2020 at 15:44 • Filed to: Cloudy Headlights, Porsche, Boxster, Boxster 987

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Washing the car today, I noticed how cloudy the headlights had become . The Porsche is in great mechanical condition, so it should also look good. I figured, how much can new headlights cost? Well, $585.00 each at Suncoast Parts. I am not prepared to spend $1,170.00 on headlights.

Much better, most of the cloudy film is gone.

A little while ago, there was an article about headlight restoration kits. Turtle Wax, 3M, and probably a few other companies make them for under $20.00. That seems reasonable but, after watching the videos, I was a little hesitant. The kits come with three abrasive disks. It appears that the first disk removes the oxidation by sanding the lens to a rough finish; and the other two disks polish it back to a smooth surface. I really didn’t want to sand away the lens, fearing that it may end up worse.

Looking online, a lot of people recommend toothpaste. That didn’t do anything. Maybe I use the wrong toothpaste.

This worked great.

As an experiment, I tried just using regular car polish – no abrasive wheels or sanding disks. It worked great, in fact, it worked better than I thought it would. I used Turtle Wax Premium Polishing Compound with a little extra elbow grease and saved $1,170.00.

Arrivederci > Dakotahound 03/03/2020 at 15:55

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Compound definitely helps, but you need to remove the oxidation to make them as clear as they were when new - that’s what those restoration kits help do.  If you don’t want to try it yourself, a lot of detailing pros will do it for not too much.  I had the headlights restored on my GS when it received a paint correction + ceramic coat - he only charged me about $50 for the work.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Dakotahound 03/03/2020 at 15:58

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Have you looked on Ebay for knockoffs?

Dakotahound > Arrivederci 03/03/2020 at 15:58

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I will probably do that eventually, and $50.00 is not bad (I assumed that it would be more). Right now, they look fine.

ttyymmnn > Dakotahound 03/03/2020 at 15:59

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I posted about this almost seven years ago (yikes!). I’ve done it once more since then. Folks recommended some sort of sealant to keep them shiny, which I did not use.

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/todays-project-headlight-restoration-509326358

Dakotahound > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/03/2020 at 16:02

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Yes, Ebay has some in the $250.00 - $300.00 range, which is a lot cheaper. A pair for $500.00  is still a lot for headlights, and I am hesitant to get them from an unknown company.

Dakotahound > ttyymmnn 03/03/2020 at 16:04

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It looks like the 3M Headlight Restoration Kit worked pretty well for you. I may try it - the process doesn’t look too bad.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Dakotahound 03/03/2020 at 16:06

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Is that a Porsche? You have a Nice Car. My cars, $5,000 is a lot to pay. I buy the knockoff lights and they look just fine and I figure the stock ones lasted like 8 years or 12 years, and that’s a long time. In your case, it might be worth having them buffed out by a detailer. There’s a UV-protective coating that gets applied after the buffing. Doesn’t last as long as the original by any means, but it’ll get you a couple of years.

I really dislike that polycarbonate hazing from UV.

phenotyp > Dakotahound 03/03/2020 at 16:12

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I used the same 3M kit on my MR2, and it was well worth the effort.

Dakotahound > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/03/2020 at 16:13

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Yes, it is a 2006 Porsche Boxster. I bought it about 1 1/2 years ago. It needed a little work. Some of it I could do, and some of it required dealer service. Right now, it is in great running condition.

Here it is at Tail of the Dragon (with cloudy headlights) .

ttyymmnn > Dakotahound 03/03/2020 at 16:13

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It’s really not, and I’m not all that mechanically inclined. Just be sure to mask VERY well around the lights. It’s very easy to slip and scratch the paint. I used that blue painter’s tape, and the sander went through a single layer, and probably might go through two.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Dakotahound 03/03/2020 at 16:17

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I’m curious to learn how you decide to proceed.

Are those the factory-equipped rims? I think I’d want a little bit more sidewall.

If I could buy whatever I wanted, I’d buy a used Cadillac CTS-V four-door. I’d do a bunch of research first, because there are probably some billion-dollar repairs that the CTS-Vs need that people sell them before those things break.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Dakotahound 03/03/2020 at 16:18

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Shouldn’t be too difficult to get some meaningful feedback on those.

Dakotahound > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/03/2020 at 16:20

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For now, the headlights look fine. I will likely try a kit when they get cloudy again.

The wheels were optional (19 in. Sport Design Wheel). I think that they look good, but they are very hard to keep clean.

facw > Dakotahound 03/03/2020 at 16:35

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If you want it to last, you’ll need to put a new UV sealant on, if anything was left of the factory protection, it just got polished off, so they will cloud up more quickly this time around.

Manny05x > Dakotahound 03/03/2020 at 16:40

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I have done the 3m kit on a friends TSX and worked out good i was a bit scared when i introduced the scratches on his headlights, but it turned out really nice.

Dakotahound > facw 03/03/2020 at 16:43

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I will look for the sealant. I think that the factory coat had been worn away long ago (it is a 2006).

Dakotahound > Manny05x 03/03/2020 at 16:44

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That gives me a little more confidence. I was also a bit nervous about scratching up the headlights.

thatsmr > Dakotahound 03/03/2020 at 16:46

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A detail shop will do a respectable restore for around 50 bucks

Dakotahound > thatsmr 03/03/2020 at 16:51

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That is a consideration, and I may do that.

DipodomysDeserti > Dakotahound 03/03/2020 at 16:58

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They’ll look brand new if you do it properly with the full 3M kit. This was a WRX that had sat outside in Phoenix for four years.

Dakotahound > DipodomysDeserti 03/03/2020 at 17:18

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They look great. This gives me more incentive to do it.

Chariotoflove > Dakotahound 03/03/2020 at 17:38

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Glad you figured it out to good effect. A car like that definitely deserves clear eyes.

For those that don’t want to do the DIY route, the dealer will do it for you too.  My wife went that option when her toyota was in for something else. I think it was in the $50 range, but I can’t remember.  Affordable though.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Dakotahound 03/03/2020 at 18:06

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This is my before and after using the 3M Headlight Restoration Kit. I just followed the instructions and watched their videos.

I think the before picture doesn’t really show how yellow the lights were. But after they look like new.

Captain of the Enterprise > thatsmr 03/03/2020 at 18:27

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That’s good to know, I was wondering how much that should cost from a detail shop. My 2011 Camry’s headlights are hazing over. 

Boxer_4 > Jay, the practical enthusiast 03/03/2020 at 19:37

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That whole era of Subarus were really bad that way! Your BH O utback is looking a lot better!

RacinBob > Dakotahound 03/03/2020 at 20:46

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I used the mothers kit with good results. One thing if you do it is make sure you cover everything against drops spun off the polisher. I got a lot of spray under the hood of my van and the very fine combination of ab ra sive and plastic does not want to rub off of plastic pieces after drying.

PS Good results

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Dakotahound 03/03/2020 at 21:32

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I did I ( think 3m) kit and they came out great. 

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Dakotahound 03/03/2020 at 22:44

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Check the slickdeals website ( https://slickdeals.net/newsearch.php?src=SearchBarV2&q=headlight&searcharea=deals&searchin=first ) . I’ve seen name-brand headlight restoration kits for between $5 and $10. My lights aren’t that bad (yet), and a little metal polish and a rag worked for me.

Old Red Wagon > Dakotahound 03/03/2020 at 23:35

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What Porsche do you have? I’m looking to possibly buy a 981 Cayman S or 991 Carrera in the next year or so. Still need to thoroughly drive both but I have a lot of time before I actually pull the trigger.

Dakotahound > RacinBob 03/04/2020 at 06:07

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Thank you - t hat is good to know.

Dakotahound > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 03/04/2020 at 06:09

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Mine look much better after using polish but, next time, a kit will likely be the answer.

Dakotahound > Old Red Wagon 03/04/2020 at 06:22

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Mine is a 2006 Porsche Boxster (987). I drove both 911s and Boxsters, and honestly liked the Boxsters better. The 911s had more power, but the Boxsters had a better road feel (at least, for me). Also, since I p refer convertibles (we live in Florida), the Boxsters were far less expensive than the 911 convertibles in comparable condition.

The Boxster is my daily driver, and it has surprisingly good storage. It is fine for our weekly groceries; and it is fun for vacations. Of course, the Boxster has no back seat, but the 911 back seat is not really for adults anyway.

Here it is with the top down.

This picture was taken before I cleaned the headlights.

Long_Voyager94 > Dakotahound 03/04/2020 at 06:55

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I’ve had good results just wet sanding the lenses then putting on a layer of clear coat.

Arrivederci > Dakotahound 03/04/2020 at 08:53

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I also honestly don’t know if he gave me a break on the headlight restoration since I was having about $600 of other work done, lol.

ateamfan42 > Dakotahound 03/04/2020 at 09:32

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Wet-dry sandpaper is really cheap.

Seriously, spend about a half hour with some fine grades of sandpaper and you’ll be amazed at the results. I like to start with 500 grit, then progressively move up to 1000, 1500, and 2000.

I tried this product last year, and was amazed at how it finished things.  So far, no yellowing yet.  Bonus, the kit includes the wet-dry sandpaper!  

https://safetclear.com/

Dakotahound > ateamfan42 03/04/2020 at 11:42

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I have never used anything less than 500 grit before (I have never really done body work). This looks like an interesting option.

Old Red Wagon > Dakotahound 03/04/2020 at 13:26

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Awesome, i’m glad you like yours. I was looking at late model 987 Cayman’s as well due to price but ultimately i think i want something slightly newer hence the 981. 

HammerheadFistpunch > Dakotahound 03/04/2020 at 16:25

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I wish this would work for me, mine are cloudy on the inside and im not in the mood to break them open.

notsomethingstructural > Dakotahound 03/04/2020 at 17:22

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If you’re gonna do the whole lens restoration process, I would encourage you to get some 3M wet applied film protectors and have them on hand as well. Wetsanding and heavy, repeated polishing can remove the UV protectant that’s applied at the factory and baked into the lenses. Just like you wouldn’t wetsand your car in the same spot once a year, you shouldn’t with the headlights either as they have similar finish coats. The film will help with the longevity.

Dakotahound > HammerheadFistpunch 03/04/2020 at 17:35

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I’ve never heard of headlights that are cloudy in the inside. I always thought that the cloudi ness was from wind and abrasion.

On second thought, if the cloudi ness is from UV, then it could be either inside or outside.

Dakotahound > notsomethingstructural 03/04/2020 at 17:37

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This is the first time that I have addressed the problem. I will, however, get some UV protection .