Ok, so after the "running with your headlights on Brite" thread, I felt bad that my headlights were so bad. No, I do not run with my brites on but they are pretty bad. As you can see here:

Headlight Lens Restoration by redstone71, on Flickr

I had tried to restore them with a kit a few years ago and it made them far, far worse. The short answer, there are no shortcuts. Either do the hardwork, or just replace the headlight lenses ($200).
I have a 2004 Saturn Vue.

First step, get a kit:

Headlight Lens Restoration by redstone71, on Flickr

If you notice the top edge of the headlight you can see some 'clear' plastic, this is the new goal Also, the package comes with three types of sandpaper (400,1000,2000) and buffing compound. I believe the cheaper, previous kit only had buffing compound. The box says 30 minutes, but it took me close to an hour. Bring a chair, some music, warm water so your fingers do not freeze, and just enjoy the process. No short cuts. . .
Headlight Lens Restoration by redstone71, on Flickr

After, cleaning, sanding, cleaning, sanding, cleaning, sanding, cleaning, buffing, cleaning, drying, deep cleaning, drying then FINALLY putting on the UV Clear coat . . .
Headlight Lens Restoration by redstone71, on Flickr
Headlight Lens Restoration by redstone71, on Flickr
So far I could not be more pleased. And Yes, I did replace all the bulbs while I was at it. Thank you Sigforum, for inspiring me to finally maintenance my Vue.

- Redstone

They look pretty good.
just did a set recently myself.
400, 600, 2000 grit wet sand and a few coats of clear coat. good as new.

Looks good. Now you just need to hit them with a good sealant and wax. Yes, the same as you'd use on the rest of the car. It will delay the further sun damage.

And you can recoat with that from time to time without waiting for it to get so bad.

eta - is it just me or is there an image of a crazy muppet with some headpiece on in the middle of that center light?!!

They look good, but just remember, sanding headlights like that removes any protection they might have once had, so they'll likely frost over quicker the next time.

Sams Club $40 headlight restoration service is the way to go.
Come with a gauruntee of a few years as well, forget exactly how long.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
Sams Club $40 headlight restoration service is the way to go. Come with a gauruntee of a few years as well, forget exactly how long.

Do you have to be a Sam's Club member?

I have used the "Wipe New" brand and it last a couple years before it starts to fade away.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
Sams Club $40 headlight restoration service is the way to go. Come with a gauruntee of a few years as well, forget exactly how long.

Do you have to be a Sam's Club member?

I would presume as much. But if you don’t want to join I guess you could get the free day pass.

That came out very nice.

I tire quickly when polishing. So, I do what I can with Flitz and cotton pads (ie - for barrel cleaning) in about 10 minutes per light.

Lasts about 1-2 years. I was wondering about using my Porter Cable orbital with Flitz next time around. Or maybe my small mouse sander - just need some cloth to stick onto it.

Nice Job.

After several attempts on my F150's lens to shine them up, eventually the external lens on both turn signal housings came loose, one fell

Since you can't polish whats not there LOL I opted for the $120 full replacement on Amazon, both headlight assembly and both turn signal assembly, they now look like new, because they are new.

Nice work. Keep a bottle of 3M Headlight renewal for when it starts to look a little cloudy again:
http://a.co/d/c9SXs8D

Then hit it with a UV Protectant like "Meguiars Headlight Protectant"

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Nice Job.

After several attempts on my F150's lens to shine them up, eventually the external lens on both turn signal housings came loose, one fell

Since you can't polish whats not there LOL I opted for the $120 full replacement on Amazon, both headlight assembly and both turn signal assembly, they now look like new, because they are new.

Funny, I recently had the passenger front turn signal cover fall off my truck too. I bought a brand new complete replacement unit off Ebay for $20.

Looks great!

I recently found out a small spray of WD40 on the headlight and wipe off will do a damn good job of fixing headlights damaged. Way easier and faster.

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
They look good, but just remember, sanding headlights like that removes any protection they might have once had, so they'll likely frost over quicker the next time.

The last step is to redo the UV sealant so hopefully it will last. I'm not to sure how much longer I will have it anyway.

Did a set a few years ago. It is amazing how much brighter the light is and how much better the car looks.

Great job.

I have a question for those who have done this:

I polished mine about 1.5 years ago then hit them with rattle can clearcoat.

They are now cloudy and awful again and I plan to re-do them, should I WAX them this time and skip the clearcoat? That didn’t seem to dry all that clear on them to be honest.

And no, I *could* just buy replacement headlight assemblies for my Civic at $75 each but the process to replace them is a nightmare; the guy in the YT video I watched had it on a lift and actually had to disssable the entire front end of the car, bumper off and all. Screw that.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
They are now cloudy and awful again and I plan to re-do them, should I WAX them this time and skip the clearcoat? That didn’t seem to dry all that clear on them to be honest.

And no, I *could* just buy replacement headlight assemblies for my Civic at $75 each but the process to replace them is a nightmare; the guy in the YT video I watched had it on a lift and actually had to disssable the entire front end of the car, bumper off and all. Screw that.

I would skip the clear coat. If you redo them - just keep a bottle of 3M Headlight renewal for when it starts to look a little cloudy again (they will get cloudy again):
http://a.co/d/c9SXs8D

A quick apply/buff with that will clear them right up. Then hit it with a UV Protectant like "Meguiars Headlight Protectant".

The replacement on the Eff Juan Fiddy was simple
two retention slide clips per side, two screws per side.

Biggest PIA is aiming them, even that wasn't hard.