Protecting headlights from yellowing (1 Viewer)

[bloc]

Hello all,

Been wondering about this and after trying a few products have been struggling for a good answer. I think it will become more relevant as these 200s pile on age and hours in the sun.

My 2013 has almost 170k on it, and the tops of the headlight lenses are yellowing. The totally horizontal surface makes this much worse than some other lenses.. and the fronts of mine are nice and clear, but the top not so much. Last year I took the grille apart and used a dual orbital polisher to make them perfectly clear, using a protection method recommended by a well-respected online detailer, but a year later the yellow is back.

So I wanted to start a discussion on products or methods to prevent this recurring issue.

1) Clear coat - I know some will say to have them clear coated, but I don't like the idea of it chipping with rock strikes, then needing clear applied again.

2) PPF.. paint protection film. Will this protect recently polished lenses from UV damage? And can they hit the complex curves of our headlights?

3) "polymer sealant" aka polymer auto body wax. AMMONYC is a highly respected detailer on youtube doing how-to videos, and recommended this method after restoring headlights. I used meguairs ultimate-wax after my recent headlight polish, and maybe I wasn't reapplying often enough (twice I think?) but a year later you can't tell I ever restored them.

4) Opti-Lens permanent headlight sealer - I tried this on my daily driver a couple years ago with similar results to the sealant. Basically, nothing. And the stuff is quite expensive at $70 for a tube. This was recommended on detailing forums online.

5) whatever is in the 3M "orange foam on a drill" headlight restoration kits. Haven't used it.. does it work long term?


6) any other ideas? Thoughts?

I'll restore my headlights again in a month or so and would like to put something on there that works. Maybe that means setting a reminder to reapply the sealant more often.. but curious what others have come up with.

For more tech here is my thread on removing the grille and polishing the headlights.

Polishing headlight lenses / grille removal

Hello all, We could have a discussion on how ridiculous it is that an $80k vehicle has lenses that can't handle UV light, but it wouldn't do us any good. My 13 LandCruiser had yellowing/faded lenses when I got it and I tried a few cheap/easy kits to deal with it, eventually accepting that the...

forum.ih8mud.com

I'll get some more pics of my now-yellow lights tomorrow when it is sunny out.

Thanks for any thoughts..

 

[stonepa]

My 2015 has never been parked in the garage. Every time i wash it i use 303 Protectant on the headlights and tail lights. No hint of yellowing.

 

[burp43]

My 2013 has the same yellowing. I don't think anything will work long term without maintenance. After I get mine cleaned up, I plan to use 303 Protectant on them regularly. It has kept my Kayak looking new after years in the sun, while my friends Kayak bought at the same time is really faded.

 

[SF1911A1]

I bought my 2013 three years ago and the headlights were completely yellowed over. I had the dealer polish them up prior to purchase and they looked new. Within a day or two I had it at the tint shop for tint all the way around, clear windshield tint and 3M PPF over the now beautiful headlights. Three years and 45k miles later the headlights look great. I can take some pictures tomorrow if you would like. I don’t remember what the PPF cost, but I would do it again without hesitation, I’m very happy with the results.

 

[TXMeatball]

From experience: paint sealants and specialty headlight coatings aren't worth s***. Wet sanding out the yellowing and then throwing on a proper 2k clear coat are what I've done and had success with. Wouldn't recommend going above 1000 grit on the headlights, anything higher is too smooth for the clear to grab and adhere to. Haven't had issues with rock chips, however did have an issue with it chipping where hail hit during a pretty bad storm (blame finishing it with 1500 grit for that; have since adjusted my method). Also pretty cheap at $30 for a can, $15 in sand paper, and a couple hours worth of time.
Wet sanding/polishing and then PPF is probably the best if you're capable. Otherwise it's decently expensive if you're getting someone to do it (believe xpel quoted me $200 for just the headlights).

 

[gasman4u]

@bloc On my prior vehicle, I put XPEL on the headlights almost immediately following purchase. 7 yrs and 130k miles later with zero yellowing. The raw materials of XPEL are't cheap, but if you do it right it will be effective compared to your other outlined options. I tried the optimum headlight sealer on my wife's car, but do not have long term data points yet on that, so I'd imagine my results will resemble what you mentioned before. The 303 protectant worked wonders on some of my other cars' plastics, but I never thought to use it on the headlight/tail light lenses.

 

[bloc]

@stonepa do we know what 303 is made of? Safe for polycarbonate long-term? Sure sounds like it based on your run so far. First I've heard of 303 but I can think of some uses beyond the headlamps.

@gasman4u did you apply the Xpel or have a shop do it?

 

[bloc]

From experience: paint sealants and specialty headlight coatings aren't worth s***. Wet sanding out the yellowing and then throwing on a proper 2k clear coat are what I've done and had success with. Wouldn't recommend going above 1000 grit on the headlights, anything higher is too smooth for the clear to grab and adhere to. Haven't had issues with rock chips, however did have an issue with it chipping where hail hit during a pretty bad storm (blame finishing it with 1500 grit for that; have since adjusted my method). Also pretty cheap at $30 for a can, $15 in sand paper, and a couple hours worth of time.
Wet sanding/polishing and then PPF is probably the best if you're capable. Otherwise it's decently expensive if you're getting someone to do it (believe xpel quoted me $200 for just the headlights).

So does the clear allow you to use a coarser paper but still get good clarity?

 

[highfructose]

Sams club will sand down, polish, and clear coat your headlights for $50. They have a 5 year warranty.

 

[gasman4u]

@stonepa do we know what 303 is made of? Safe for polycarbonate long-term? Sure sounds like it based on your run so far. First I've heard of 303 but I can think of some uses beyond the headlamps.

@gasman4u did you apply the Xpel or have a shop do it?

I did the film myself. I took my time as it was my VERY first time with any sort of PPF and it was THICC (not sure of mil, but heavier than what I have used for PPF with XPEL since that time). Prepping and being patient is key for this IMHO.

The 303 stuff is amazing btw. I’m not sure if it’s the same formulation, but I used a bottle of 303 (fabric?) on a ragtop we used to have. Water would bead up and roll off. The top looked as good when we sold the car as when we bought it. Garage kept helped though I’m sure.

$50 with a 5 yr warranty is a tough offer to pass up if you’re willing to deal with Sam’s club within that 5 yrs again.

 

[bloc]

I did the film myself. I took my time as it was my VERY first time with any sort of PPF and it was THICC (not sure of mil, but heavier than what I have used for PPF with XPEL since that time). Prepping and being patient is key for this IMHO.

The 303 stuff is amazing btw. I’m not sure if it’s the same formulation, but I used a bottle of 303 (fabric?) on a ragtop we used to have. Water would bead up and roll off. The top looked as good when we sold the car as when we bought it. Garage kept helped though I’m sure.

$50 with a 5 yr warranty is a tough offer to pass up if you’re willing to deal with Sam’s club within that 5 yrs again.

How complex were the shapes of the headlights on that vehicle? From looking at ours it will require quite a bit of stretching due to the shape. Unless I'm misreading and that was a 200 also.

And sam's club isn't getting anywhere near my vehicle with hand tools, let alone power ones.

 

[burp43]

And sam's club isn't getting anywhere near my vehicle with hand tools, let alone power ones.

Just the thought of some guy from Sam's Club grinding away on your headlights... Nah, I'll leave them yellow.

 

[TXMeatball]

So does the clear allow you to use a coarser paper but still get good clarity?

Clear fills it all in. I actually got better results stopping at 1000 grit compared to 1500. In retrospect I should've noticed that 1500 was too fine in the past when anything other than a first light tack coat would spiderweb 10 minutes later. Here's the LX after fixing the hail storm stuff: Headlight restoration - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/headlight-restoration.1254889/#post-14013173
Oddly enough I just did my LS430s yesterday.

 

[Orange Hat]

I use McKees 37...seems to work since I sleep better at night knowing it’s there.

 

[terrapin]

Which 303 product to you all recommend for the headlights? I looked on Amazon and there are a few varieties of 303 protectant.

 

[Sandroad]

Which 303 product to you all recommend for the headlights? I looked on Amazon and there are a few varieties of 303 protectant.

I use the basic stuff on everything, for years. Vehicles, boats, RV, ……..pretty much any plastics or rubber exposed to the sun. It‘s great at preventing fading and yellowing and cracking from UV. I see they’ve really branched out with lots of sub-market products lately. I may try those for specific purposes sometime. I get it off Amazon, but here‘s what I use.

303® Aerospace Protectant

Matte finish with no oily and greasy residue Keeps treated surfaces looking new Prevents fading and cracking Restores lost color and luster Powerful UV blockers Anti-Static, repels smudges, dust, soiling and staining Easy to use, simply spray on and wipe dry Safe and effective f

www.goldeagle.com

 

[stonepa]

@stonepa do we know what 303 is made of? Safe for polycarbonate long-term? Sure sounds like it based on your run so far. First I've heard of 303 but I can think of some uses beyond the headlamps.

@gasman4u did you apply the Xpel or have a shop do it?

It was designed to protect polycarb airplane canopies and windshields. Totally fine for Plastic headlights.

 

[bloc]

It was designed to protect polycarb airplane canopies and windshields. Totally fine for Plastic headlights.

Sounds perfect. I’ll get my lenses polished really well and give it a shot. And hopefully remember to update this thread in a year.

I like the idea of xpel and not worry about any maintenance but that is a big investment given how cheap/easy the 303 should be.

 

[04UZJ100]

Where’s the cheapest place you all find 303 products?

 

[777Gage]

Where’s the cheapest place you all find 303 products?

Maybe not the cheapest, but I buy it by the gallon on Amazon - Amazon product ASIN B00L4TF32G