Why do these headlights look extra foggy?
Why are the headlamps so cloudy on 2013? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Thomas Nelms
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Why do these headlights look extra foggy?
There's a couple of options for dealing with the cloudy headlights. There are kits with several discs of varying higher grit sand paper, which you use with a drill. That works quite well. Essentially you are removing a thin layer of oxidized plastic and then polishing it. There are also kits with pastes that work in the same manner. Either way it seems to last a couple of years. I think you can use the paste system if it hasn't gone too far. The really cloudy lenses need the sand paper system.
My 2011 lenses look new. All I've ever done is opti-lens and always covered parking.
What's the oem cost on new 200 lenses vs depo [ are depo offered for the 200? ] Never thought about it since no fogging and the 100 has glass.
What's the oem cost on new 200 lenses vs depo [ are depo offered for the 200? ] Never thought about it since no fogging and the 100 has glass.
Last edited:
My guess is that when it’s been buffed they ran the random orbital power buffer onto the plastic and scuffed it up. Probably took some UV protective layer off the plastic. Mine are not that bad but I have similar damage. In fact, I can even see where they got the top of the bull bar on my ARB front bumper in a similar way. Took the shine right off the powder coat. Porter at the used car dealer must have been swinging that buffer around by its power cord paerhaps? Whatever it it’s its been years in the making. Just my hypothesis...
That car is defintely not garaged. I've seen a lot of 200s with similar yellowed, cloudy areas on the top of the headlights. They were not garaged.
I have a theory, but could be wrong, that a contributor to the discoloration could be liquid “wax” used at most car washes when you get the higher level packages. I always get the wash and dry package only (no wax) and have minimal discoloration on my one original headlight (‘10). My other headlight was replaced a few years back so I have a pretty good metric to compare against. I do this with all my vehicles with plastic headlights and don’t have near the yellowing as other similar vehicles of the same vintage. Disclaimer- we park our cars inside a garage at home and I am parked in a garage at work 50-75% of the time so I’m sure that’s helps too.
FinallyGotOne!
SILVER Star
I used Griot's Garage Headlight Restorer on my 2009 IS F last summer and it worked very well.
I have had very good luck with one of those 3M kits, it comes with 3 discs: 1000, 3000, and 5000 grit. I prefer the kit that uses a foam pad by hand, not the drill version. Use lots of water with a spray bottle. Then follow up with 3M Scratch Remover polish, they look new.
But Tony is right, a lot of that haze is on the inside of that top flat portion. The headlights on our '04 Highlander were really bad on top, my wife fixed them by driving the car into the side of a Suburban in January. State Farm bought us nice new headlights.
But Tony is right, a lot of that haze is on the inside of that top flat portion. The headlights on our '04 Highlander were really bad on top, my wife fixed them by driving the car into the side of a Suburban in January. State Farm bought us nice new headlights.
Once you restore the headlights, coat them with any various type of ceramic coating to keep them from clouding back up. Yes, they will eventually regardless if kept outside, but coating and proper maintenance can make them last many times longer. Or do this preemptively before they start to cloud. My cars currently live outside so they all get coated.
I use this, Headlight Coating Kit Yes, it's expensive. In my case, the bottle belonged to my buddy so I just gave him $10 and coated my headlights.
I use this, Headlight Coating Kit Yes, it's expensive. In my case, the bottle belonged to my buddy so I just gave him $10 and coated my headlights.
Spray some 3O3 areo on the headlights after every wash there’s no better UV protectant on the market.
yeah I used this, with a drill, and it made mine look like new. Mine were very cloudy and yellow, especially on top, and they look great now. Took a little time, but well worth it.
After you restore your headlights, seal them with this:
Optimum Opti-Lens Permanent Headlight Coating, headlight coatings protectants
This stuff is no joke it works.
Optimum Opti-Lens Permanent Headlight Coating, headlight coatings protectants
This stuff is no joke it works.
That price is no joke either. How many headlights can you do with a single kit, I may try and split that with a couple buddies...
bloc
SILVER Star
I’ve been reading about this stuff on detailing forums for a while. People that seem to know what they are talking about claim it is the best stuff out there.
Anyone that uses it, please report back about whether it can be used multiple times. I’m thinking about getting a tube and applying it once a year.. but one amazom review states the needle clogs up and can’t be reopened.
