Headlight oxidation prevention

[whateg01]

On a vehicle I just sold, I used the cerakote restoration to make it a little more appealing. Ceramic coatings are all the rage right now. Has anybody tried using one of those coatings to prevent the lens becoming oxidized and yellow?

 

[Shiftless]

I still miss the good old days when headlights were sealed beam and made of glass.

I use 303 Aerospace protectant on plastic headlights and red taillights too.

 

[American Locomotive]

I used the Meguiars's "premium" kit, and it came with some kind of "sealer" you put on afterwards. It was not a "ceramic" sealer. It seemed to be some kind of solvent that actually dissolved into the lens of the headlight.

My head lights have been holding up for two years now without any meaningful increase in cloudyness. The kit only guaranteed a year, so I'm happy.

 

[jayemm]

I used Meguiars stuff on my 8 year old headlights to clear up some hazy spots. The outer (UV protect?) coating was deteriorating. Used their 'PlastX' cleaner/polish and their clear spray on 'Headlight Coating'. Did them last October and the clear coating still scuffs too easily for my liking. It's like a softer clear plastic coating, not as hard as clear coat spray paint. Still nice and clear but I avoid wiping with anything abrasive like rough rags or paper towels. Need to find something that dries to a hard finish. The 'PlastX' polish worked nice. It also nicely cleaned up a friends very cloudy headlights on a 2002 Chevy Cavalier. Plastic headlights go to hell in 20 years of ungaraged parking.

 

[whateg01]

I still miss the good old days when headlights were sealed beam and made of glass.

I use 303 Aerospace protectant on plastic headlights and red taillights too.

Yeah the good old days of can't see 10 feet in front of my car. No thanks!

 

[jayemm]

Yeah the good old days of can't see 10 feet in front of my car. No thanks!

And trying to remove those rusty little screws without stripping them.

 

[whateg01]

That car I just sold had one aftermarket light that was still fairly decent except for the yellowing. The cerakote "oxidation remover" pads really did a good job of removing the yellow. The pads were pretty gross by the end. The other light was the OEM from 2011. You could really feel and see where the clear coating it started life with was missing. Much like you can see the first coat peeling on paint. I suppose it depends on the vehicle, but a guy could probably spend as much in, say, 10 years protecting the lights as new lights would cost after 10 years. But some vehicles are a pita to replace the lights on. My new edge lights are probably the easiest I've ever had out - two M6 bolts and the lift right out.

I don't think I want something that makes them more susceptible to scratches. Scratches for yellowing seems like a bad trade.

 

[FredWanaker]

Sylvania is the best kit out there. Used it many times on our car and friends. Park in a garage and keep sun off the plastic lens or it will haze and yellow.

 

[Mike65]

On my 2005 F150 they were getting foggy, & I tried one of those headlight restore kits & I was not happy with the results so I replaced them with new aftermarket ones.

 

[KenC]

When restoring lenses that are yellowed, I spray with auto clear coat. The UV blockers in it delay t-he yellowing.

And, no kits for me, just use 1000,1500 and 2000 grit paper followed by clear coat. Buffing compound if you want. And HF makes a cool little low speed air buffer, I think 2" pad.

 

[Bert_]

Yeah the good old days of can't see 10 feet in front of my car. No thanks!

I've never understood this. I swapped my '93 Chevy pickup to sealed beam and they are just as good as any other halogen headlights. Was a big improvement over the yellowed plastic headlights.

Have sealed beams in a '14 Chevy van. Again work just as well as any other halogen

 

[Jim greengo]

Yeah the good old days of can't see 10 feet in front of my car. No thanks!

They do make glass halogen bulbs for older vehicles.
They're plenty bright to piss people off ,just like the new lights.

 

[American Locomotive]

I've never understood this. I swapped my '93 Chevy pickup to sealed beam and they are just as good as any other halogen headlights. Was a big improvement over the yellowed plastic headlights.

Have sealed beams in a '14 Chevy van. Again work just as well as any other halogen

In my experience, sealed beams have pretty poor beam pattern and generally aren't as bright as modern non-yellowed halogen housings.

Additionally, I have found that water always infiltrates the sealed beam housing and corrodes the silver mirroring off long before the bulb itself burns out. So your headlight starts firing half its light into the engine bay.

 

[Bert_]

In my experience, sealed beams have pretty poor beam pattern and generally aren't as bright as modern non-yellowed halogen housings.

Additionally, I have found that water always infiltrates the sealed beam housing and corrodes the silver mirroring off long before the bulb itself burns out. So your headlight starts firing half its light into the engine bay.

There's another interesting thing. I have seen quite a few composite headlights with moisture in them but never a sealed beam.

The composite headlights in one of my cars has the reflective coating gone on the low beams. New composite headlights are expensive so I've just dealt with dim low beams. If they were sealed beam I would have replaced them long ago!

 

[nadogail]

Toothpaste has done a good job of removing oxidation and scratches from glass for me.

 

[P0234]

Regular car washing (at home with PH neutral soap) and spray wax keeps mine looking like new.

 

[Death Row Dave]

I have a 32 Ford OEM headlights with a later model bulbs install, 2 old Harley’s with sealed beams not one issue seeing the road . They never need attention to the lens

 

[Copymutt]

It’s not all about plastic.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

I've tried polishing a few times. Everytime they looked better but lighting still wasn't "good as new" and after a few months they were noticably scratched and yellowed.
Labot to replace the units was less and didn't cost much more than the expensive polishing kit.

 

[FredWanaker]

the Sylvania kits leave badly fogged headlights like new. We have a friend whose truck is used for dog shows. The headlights were as bad as anything I had seen on the road. While our dogs were being groomed one day I took a couple Sylvania kits down and did the lights as a gift since these friends are often on the road at night in all weathers. Theheadlights were like new when I was done an hour or so later. The kits have a UV block / sealer in them that leaves a clear coating. Yes, you can sand, polish and buff them then spray a UV block clear coat on them if you have the equipment. Many people don't have that gear. The Sylvania kits are complete. All one needs is the kit, some masking tape, and a hose to wash them off and wet sand. I THINK that spar varnish is what is being used for the clear coat. That is the only hard part. You get one wipe to get an even coat because it gets sticky so fast. Lights must be clear coated with some kind of UV block or the fogging returns.

 

[Jsf721]

You can pre ceramic coat headlight before they go bad. Not sure how much UV protection they provide. It won’t hurt or cost much and it will make cleaning easier.

What Happens is the factory clear coat that is **** thin fails, you need to remove it by polishing or sanding or a combo and then re coat.

I have a 2009 acura I polished and coated over 5 years ago And they still look new.

 

[Michigan Mike]

With new headlights I use a product called Plexus. It was supposedly developed by Boeing for the fighter plane canopy. I first bought it at a motorcycle shop to use on my wind screen. I have had good success with it keeping the plastic lenses on my car lights clear and clean. Wow just checked online I hadn't bought any in a while it got expensive.

 

[whateg01]

With new headlights I use a product called Plexus. It was supposedly developed by Boeing for the fighter plane canopy. I first bought it at a motorcycle shop to use on my wind screen. I have had good success with it keeping the plastic lenses on my car lights clear and clean. Wow just checked online I hadn't bought any in a while it got expensive.

That sounds promising. It is expensive on Amazon but there's a lustercraft here in town and the web says they sell it for a little over half the Amazon price. I'll check with them on Tuesday!

 

[Firebrick43]

Yeah the good old days of can't see 10 feet in front of my car. No thanks!

Don't blame the fact you were buying crappy lenses. Good Fresnel's like Cibie were much better beam focus and had a sharper cut off compared to any of the crappy reflective bucket plastic lenses today.

 

[whateg01]

Don't blame the fact you were buying crappy lenses. Good Fresnel's like Cibie were much better beam focus and had a sharper cut off compared to any of the crappy reflective bucket plastic lenses today.

That's a helluva lot more $$$ than the replacements at Walmart that most people buy.

 

[Firebrick43]

That's a helluva lot more $$$ than the replacements at Walmart that most people buy.

Cibies are not on the market any more but they were 150 dollars for a pair and used h4 bulbs. I had them for 12 years on my jeep without any degradation. Hell of a lot cheaper than any new oem plastic buckets. Koitos are available now for a 189 dollars and are by the experts opinions even better than the Cibies.

Hell of a lot cheaper than a single accident with a deer at night or god forbid hit a person. Cheap tires, brakes, and headlights will just get you to the scene of an accident first. But by all means, put your life and mine in danger so you can have your cheap walmart way of life. My family and my life is worth the 150 dollar difference in price.

If everyone was jumping off a bridge would you?

 

[whateg01]

Cibies are not on the market any more but they were 150 dollars for a pair and used h4 bulbs. I had them for 12 years on my jeep without any degradation. Hell of a lot cheaper than any new oem plastic buckets. Koitos are available now for a 189 dollars and are by the experts opinions even better than the Cibies.

Hell of a lot cheaper than a single accident with a deer at night or god forbid hit a person. Cheap tires, brakes, and headlights will just get you to the scene of an accident first. But by all means, put your life and mine in danger so you can have your cheap walmart way of life. My family and my life is worth the 150 dollar difference in price.

If everyone was jumping off a bridge would you?

Depends. If Godzilla is headed out way, probably so. Just because everyone is doing something doesn't mean it isn't a good idea.

 

[ChevyEFI]

I did a decent abrasive job almost 4 years ago n my truck's headlamp housings. I worked slowly, wetsanding by hand up to 3000 grit, then used some polish with a dremel. I did use cheap clearcoat. The clear is pretty baked off at this point.

I think this time, I will soda blast to remove old clear, do the high grit and polish routine again, and spend for "good" clear. Any suggestions? I am okay with using a paint gun, but for headlamps, it seems like a preval, or canned at the paint supply place should be adequate. I prefer a product that will bulletproof them for 5 years, rather than a maintenance product.

 

[jayemm]

You can pre ceramic coat headlight before they go bad. Not sure how much UV protection they provide. It won’t hurt or cost much and it will make cleaning easier.

What Happens is the factory clear coat that is **** thin fails, you need to remove it by polishing or sanding or a combo and then re coat.

I have a 2009 acura I polished and coated over 5 years ago And they still look new.

If it lasted 5 years and still look new, what did you recoat them with? I'm looking for a coating that is hard and durable. I'm not thrilled with the Meguiar's coating that I mentioned above.

 

[Jsf721]

If it lasted 5 years and still look new, what did you recoat them with?

I used a product called IGL headlight coating or Gyeon headlight coating. I’ve used both and they are equal. Before that I polished 3 steps (coarse, then Medium and fine). You need a polisher for this step.

If your are really bad, you need sand paper first.

 

[FredWanaker]

I did a study on this problem about 10 years ago. The #1 rated kit at lasting was Sylvania - Last time I will say it. I think Spar Varnish may be what is used in that kit as a sealer, it was one option people who had them last were using as a UV sealer. The cleaner in the kit that helps remove the damaged plastic smells a lot like Bleche-Wite tire cleaner, I tried some I had on one lens first, and it had about the same effect as the cleaner in the kit.

 

[whateg01]

If your are really bad, you need sand paper first.

I'm not taking about fixing lights. I am referring to preventing them from becoming yellow and needing repair

 

[rockettauto]

I used Meguiars stuff on my 8 year old headlights to clear up some hazy spots. The outer (UV protect?) coating was deteriorating. Used their 'PlastX' cleaner/polish and their clear spray on 'Headlight Coating'. Did them last October and the clear coating still scuffs too easily for my liking. It's like a softer clear plastic coating, not as hard as clear coat spray paint. Still nice and clear but I avoid wiping with anything abrasive like rough rags or paper towels. Need to find something that dries to a hard finish. The 'PlastX' polish worked nice. It also nicely cleaned up a friends very cloudy headlights on a 2002 Chevy Cavalier. Plastic headlights go to hell in 20 years of ungaraged parking.

Yeah, those coatings are typically just water based acrylic, not unlike thicker floor shine. Works ok, but it's primarily geared towards ease of application, self leveling and ease of excess removal. Pretty good for diy but sure doesn't work like a good automotive 2k clear on them.

 

[ptabatcher]

I'm not taking about fixing lights. I am referring to preventing them from becoming yellow and needing repair

I think the plastics have gotten a bit better than they were back in the day. With that said, I've had good luck just treating the headlights like paint. Regular use of an all-in-one "wax" and a sealant and or carnauba topper. Frequent use of quick detailer during washes and occasional cleaning with a dedicated plastic cleaner like Plexus.

I had an '02 Civic Si that had great headlights when I got rid of it in '21. My wife's '12 Mini Cooper S is also still doing great. Both cars have been outside quite a bit.

The two combos I used most often were Klasse All-in-one (AIO) with Klasse Sealer Glaze (SG) or Optimum Poli-Seal and Optimum Spay Wax. Poli-seal doesn't seem to be made any more. When going the Klasse route, I'd usually do the AIO and then several layers of the SG with a Klasse compatible quick detailer like Sonus. That usually got topped with Collinite Insulator wax or Meguair's 16 paste wax. Sadly Meg's 16 was discontinued a few years back. Finish Kare High-Temp paste wax is similar.

Looks like Optimum makes/made a headlight sealant that could be worth trying if you can find it: https://www.autogeek.net/optimum-opti-lens-headlight-coating.html

Rejex might be something else to look into. I seem to recall it getting a lot of love/hype a few years back on some of detailing forums. Not sure how it's currently viewed. I've not used it myself: https://rejex.com/rejex-high-gloss-finish-that-protects/

 

[jayemm]

I used a product called IGL headlight coating or Gyeon headlight coating. I’ve used both and they are equal. Before that I polished 3 steps (coarse, then Medium and fine). You need a polisher for this step.

If your are really bad, you need sand paper first.

Thanks. I'll check that stuff out.

 

[FredWanaker]

I'm not taking about fixing lights. I am referring to preventing them from becoming yellow and needing repair

use something that stops the UV light getting to the lens. It causes the surface to face. Spar Varnish is what comes in the kits. Use a UV blocking clear coat. Park in a garage during the day and keep moisture off it at night. It really is that simple. We know a grant manager who manages millions of dollars in grants for the government. She hasn't a clue what a cancelled check is even though maybe 20 people have tried to explain it to her. She might be your cousin based on your response.

 

[whateg01]

use something that stops the UV light getting to the lens. It causes the surface to face. Spar Varnish is what comes in the kits. Use a UV blocking clear coat. Park in a garage during the day and keep moisture off it at night. It really is that simple. We know a grant manager who manages millions of dollars in grants for the government. She hasn't a clue what a cancelled check is even though maybe 20 people have tried to explain it to her. She might be your cousin based on your response.

Sorry. I was busy eating a crayon. What point about ceramic coatings were you trying to make? I must have missed it.

 

[Jsf721]

I'm not taking about fixing lights. I am referring to preventing them from becoming yellow and needing repair

Clean really well. Use a fine polish. Wipe down with 50/50 isopropyl alcohol and distilled water let dry and apply anything with UV protection.

Headlight coating or if you have the talent and time spray some clear. Me personally I just leave them until there is an issue and then I deal with it.

It’s a very easy 1.5- 2 hour job start to finish to restore 2 bad headlights and coat them. Less time for less polish stages.

 

[Jsf721]

I'm not taking about fixing lights. I am referring to preventing them from becoming yellow and needing repair

Clean really well. Use a fine polish. Wipe down with 50/50 isopropyl alcohol and distilled water let dry and apply anything with UV protection.

Headlight coating or if you have the talent and time spray some clear. Me personally I just leave them until there is an issue and then I deal with it.

It’s a very easy 1.5- 2 hour job start to finish to restore 2 bad headlights and coat them. Less time for less polishing

 

[strutaeng]

I've been putting off doing all my trucks' headlamps and tailights. I thought I was going to get a kit, but I think I decided to just use fine grit sandpaper and clear them with 2k I have left over. I've never done them before, so I don't know how it will turn out.

I've thought of buying replacements, but most are kinda chintzy. My buddy recently went and bought OEM replacements for his 01 Silverado at the dealership...BIG bucks!

The best way to prevent them from yellowing in the first place is parking in the shade.