HeadLight Restoration

[Razor61]

Headlights on my IS250 are oxidized, drivers side worse than passenger. Car was in at Lexus for it's MOT a couple of weeks ago and I mentioned the oxidization and they said they have some stuff to make it better. Anyhow I got the list of stuff that needs doing on the car - nsr rear caliper seized (to be done under warranty), wheel alignment which I knew needed done and a thing called 'Duxback' coating. I thought the 'Duxback' coating was some kind of coating for the glass and Lexus were offering this if you want it and was around £30 I think but can't remember exactly. Last week the car was in for the work which was all fine and dandy. I then started searching for 'Headlight restoration' kits/stuff and came across the usual kits with abrasive paper where you basically sand down the headlight lens working up to fine 3000 grit, polish it and then seal it. But the search also popped up with 'Duxback Headlight Restoration Kit', the penny then dropped that Lexus were offering this treatment for the headlights and not the glass.
'Duxback Headlight Restoration Kit' doesn't use abrasive papers but is a two part process with liquids, one for 'cleaning' and the other to seal/coat to make the lenses clear again. It gets good reviews and there are YouTube videos which show the results. The sanding method is a bit drastic in my opinion, it does work if done properly and may be the only way of rectifying it.
So after all that waffle I searched for some Duxback and ECP have it at a reduced price of £8.59 and apparently is normally £24.99, at that price I bought some and a 'Holts Headlight Restorer Kit' just in case the Duxback doesn't work (the Mrs IS200 has the same issue so it won't be wasted). I planned to try the Duxback last weekend but the weather was atrocious so I couldn't try it but this weekend I will try it and report back with photos of before and after.

[cruisermark]

I look forward to your post as I will probably do mine again in the summer

 

[madasahatter]

I have done this numerous times, does not last long. In the end i bought two new headlights from lexus.

[Razor61]

1 hour ago, madasahatter said:

I have done this numerous times, does not last long. In the end i bought two new headlights from lexus.

Is that using the duxback stuff or sanding the headlights and sealing them?

[madasahatter]

I have tried with out sanding and with sanding, used coating and lacquer which only lasted a short time. Having said that one of the new headlights 

had to go back as it let condensation in. It was replaced and been fine since, a good two years now.

[Las Palmas]

New headlamps from quality cars last 10 or more years. The Golf had shiny lights about 10 years. Then they got dim and I had them polished. Lasted a couple of years; very shiny the first couple of months and then they got more and more yellowish.

The lamps in the CT are 5 years now and still shining like new, so hope they last longer than in the Golf.

Sanding will take the original top coating away and all the lamps I have seen polished shining and looking like new have never lasted very long.

The best material to make lamps from is still glass, but for reasons not known to me, no new cars have such good and lasting lamps. Last car we had glass headlamps in was the Smart Roadster Coupé:

[Barry14UK]

I think the main reason why they don't use glass so much now is that is less versatile compared to plastic in forming the more intricate shapes we now see.  It is also a lighter material than glass.  It may also be less dangerous for pedestrians than glass in the event of an accident. 

As regards renovating plastic/acrylic or whatever, John is right that after treatment will neither look quite so good as the original nor last as long, headlights having had a special protective coating applied when manufactured.

Reasonably acceptable results can be achieved with the better purposely designed kits or equivalent if you prepare your own.  I learnt it was easy to go through the manufacturers coat if you are too enthusiast with the sanding as I found on a BMW lamp that was scratched.  (You cant just put in a bit of filler like a depression in paintwork of course LOL).  At the end of your restoration use an appropriate sealer, it will give the restored  headlight a further albeit shorter lease of life.  The process can repeated if not too heavily sanded.

In parts of the USA where the sunlight is stronger, headlights degrade more quickly, so much so that a number of individuals have made a business out of restoring them, some even working in co-operation with dealers to perform this service.

[McShmoopy]

I think I heard this tip from Chris Fix, but using a a Ceramic Coating to seal the headlights may be a good option to ensure they do start discolouring too soon! 

[Malc]

over the years and all the posts I have read, there's never a permanent solution to redeeming the clear-lens factor to old and sun/air damaged plastic lenses

My Mk3 Ls400 was the last with glass lenses /. headlamps and thankfully they are as good as new to this day ....  26 years young 

My 2006 Honda Legend is about to have some 400 grit sanding attention any day soon ....  I'm expecting them to last maybe a year and then revert to " dull, and dim " ............. methinks the only real solution is stupidly expensive brand new headlamp lenses .......... sadly .........  probably cost more than the car is worth tbh ..... so sanding it is .

Malc

[PCM]

1 hour ago, Malc said:

over the years and all the posts I have read, there's never a permanent solution to redeeming the clear-lens factor to old and sun/air damaged plastic lense.

Malc

+1

I used one well know product ( cannot remember the name ) that used a cleaning towel and then a sealing towel. 

Terrible. The cleaning left a murky film. Spent ages trying to get it off.

Another product that just seals and cleans in one, works well. But, as Malc says, these things don't last. 

[Las Palmas]

1 hour ago, Malc said:

My Mk3 Ls400 was the last with glass lenses /. headlamps and thankfully they are as good as new to this day ....  26 years young 

Malc

Too bad that the lamps are still like new. Not good for car makers that there is one less reason to buy a new car. 🤑

[Razor61]

So I did the Duxback this morning.

looks a lot better and it’s in the garage for the stuff to cure. There are a few streaks on the drivers side if you look really close so may apply the coating again when it’s cured. Time will tell how long it lasts, I’ll see what it’s like after washing the car tomorrow and may apply the protective sealant stuff I got with the Holts kit.

 

[Barry14UK]

That looks like a fair result and let's hope it holds up for a fair time.  Manufactures have come to use plastic type material headlights as part of the styling and to 'face lift' models so how convenient for them that after a few years owners need to replace them at great cost or use temporary restoration as illustrated.  I have BMW Hella headlamps on my E39 BMW (made in Japan as it happens),  Usually within 10 years from new (sometimes a lot less) the internal plastic adjusters break and the lights flop about.  At one time it was possible to melt the glue that holds the plastic outer lens to the body and thereby easily replace these adjusters which you can buy on eBay.  The glue could be melted by putting the whole lamp into an oven for a certain time at lowish temperature or by judicious use of a heat gun.  Then after replacing the adjusters the glue could be reheated and the headlamp reassembled. So Hella then changed the glue to a high melt meaning you could  no longer use this method because of damaging the headlamp.  Again, how very convenient for manufacturers because owners generally now buy expensive new headlamps, although some either cut the body for access and plastic weld repair after replacing adjusters or if you have thin fingers, a lot of patience and several hours to spare, some people have managed to fiddle replacement adjusters into place through  the rear orifices where bulbs are inserted. Same headlight just different glue.  How to rip off owners!  

[Razor61]

3 hours ago, Barry14UK said:

That looks like a fair result and let's hope it holds up for a fair time.

Yep, it’s not bad at all and a lot cheaper than buying 2 new headlights. I messed about with it on the drivers side and ended up using the cleaner again to remove it and then coat it again. That was because rain was whipping in the garage at that side and was affecting the finish, I just had the front end in the garage. Next time I won’t make the same mistake so if you decide to try it then do it it completely inside if possible or on a dry calm day and you won’t be disappointed.
This stuff is pretty good and I suspect a lot of car dealers use it or something similar. Car comes in with oxidised headlights - use Duxback treatment or something similar - headlights look like new again - saves quite a bit of money😉

[Malc]

let's remember that for MOT purposes and also for normal day to day, nightime driving, headlamps that are quite severely opaqued thru' sunlight etc will still pass the MOT and be quite serviceable .........  they just won't look like new.

Malc

[Razor61]

1 hour ago, Malc said:

let's remember that for MOT purposes and also for normal day to day, nightime driving, headlamps that are quite severely opaqued thru' sunlight etc will still pass the MOT and be quite serviceable .........  they just won't look like new.

Malc

That’s true Malc. Mine passed no problem but they weren’t that bad. However, if the headlights are severely opaqued they cannot be as good as they should be in my opinion. On my car I always thought the passenger side was better than the drivers side, I equated that to the drivers side headlight oxidisation being a lot worse than the passenger side.

I’ll soon find out tomorrow morning if my hypothesis is correct when driving to work. If it doesn’t make any difference then at least the headlights look better……..worth £7 to me for that alone.

[Razor61]

19 hours ago, Razor61 said:

I’ll soon find out tomorrow morning if my hypothesis is correct when driving to work

A definite improvement driving to work this morning, the light is 'brighter' especially on the driver side. Time will tell if it lasts or not but even if it lasts 12 months then it's worth it.