Time to fix these cloudy headlights.

Removed the bumper and headlight assemblies. Was pretty easy using lift.

Ordered this kit.

Use k600 first. Cuts like P350 sand paper and leaves a 600 finish. Use wet or dry. Remove ALL factory UV finish. Make sure you get all discoloration removed.

Next i used the k800 paper and scuffed the entire surface.

Taped up and ready to clear.

2k clear coat. Went on so nice. Make sure its a dry hot day outside

I put 3 good wet coats with 5 minutes between coats.

Beautiful

It really makes a difference.

 

Looks nice, but a lot of work, which I guess is what it takes to "do it right" to your level of satisfaction. (Probably a little higher than most)
It would be great if someone made/sold replacement polycarbonate headlight "lens"'s, they look like they're made to be replaceable parts of the headlight assembly.
I'm looking for the Sylvania headlight restoration kit, since I've read good testimonials about it.

PLEASE follow-up after 12 months, and let us know how well this holds-up over time.

 

Little dan,

Great results for a problem that I've never noticed on my car...Do you live in a sandy area?

My wife's old Outback...OK, get the jokes out now! had dreadfully weathered headlights. I used toothpaste and an old sock. I'll admit it wasn't perfect but, it did the job!

wombat

 

I did this to our 2012 Infinity M37 & our 2008 F250 truck, if you do it slow and take your time it works really good.

 

Need to do this to my car soon too. Was planning to tape up/ plastic sheet the surrounding area instead of removing the bumper. Though this way is a little more pro. Nice job!

 

Thanks. I thought about doing it on the car but had most of bumper loose for engine repair so just removed them. Works great either way

 

I like it, but it is a lot of work involved, plus the lift! As Jagmark said, as long as it is to your satisfaction! Sam's Club used to do it (don't know if they still do), and I had my MB done there back around 2016, for about $30. They even masked around the headlamp unit. There are quite a few places around town that will also do it for about $45. So, is the time to remove bumper and all associated hardware worth the $50 (inc taxes), because most of the time this has to be redone about every 5 years or so, depending on where you live. Like Wombat also said, I have heard of some folks using toothpaste, and they say it does the job.

 

Sometimes I think "have we progressed", when I think about the good old Lucas 7" units with glass lenses that lasted for decades ! I, too, had to polish the lenses on the first X350 I owned.

 

Nice job.

I’m wondering if it improves the light quality at night, did you notice a difference?

I was always unsatisfied by that aspect of my X351, compared to the x150 (which is not perfect either) and even to my other less high end cars, some of them like the Peugeot 308cc making far better here than the XJ… even after fitting the Osram Night breaker bulbs (saw no real difference).

Compared also to the X351 of a friend, light quality was the same than on mine, so I suppose it’s like this from factory or when cars do age…

 

You might consider upgrading to the later model LED headlights? I did that on my 2014 XJR and it's head and shoulders above the original HID lights. Kind of expensive but I sold my old lights for a good price which really helped reduce the cost.
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Thanks Clubairth, yes that could be an option, but I understand it’s quite work intensive and requires to cut into the harness of the car, which I’m always reluctant to do. But the main problem is that in France, if you change such a part of your car, your insurance gets void.

 

wrong thread

 

I know this is an old thread that was accidentally revived, but for anyone researching refinishing the headlights, I learned that you should not use the regular clear coats designed for body panels on these plastic headlights. Something about the lenses causes the paint to start cracking all over and become a big mess which is very hard to sand off and start over. As a result, the same company makes a specific clear coat for headlights to prevent that problem.

https://www.spraymax.com/en-us/produ...oration-clear/



However, the better solution I found is to polish the lenses to perfection and then apply PPF. These headlights are shaped in a way that makes PPF very easy to install. The PPF will last 10 years and has all the UV protection, and when the PPF gets old, just peel it off and reapply without having to refinish the headlights again.

 

My beater Honda sits on open ground, facing South, 365 days/year. I've found Sylvania kit to be the longest-lasting, reasonably-priced restoration kit available locally. The key is the coating applied after polishing, which is wiped on with this product, eliminating the need to mask off the car when using aerosol products. I have found, however, that each "restoration" suffers a shorter time period between performing this process. I'm getting a couiple of years between services, under rather harsh conditions. One kit does the headlamps twice.
Be sure to get the complete kit the first time, not the "refill", which does not include sandpaper and other items.

 

You should try the clearbra trick. It will last a lot longer and be a lot easier to restore. There are precut PPF kits for the headlights of most cars, and it's also easy to buy a small roll of PPF from Amazon or eBay to cut your own.