I know those spray on cleaners are BS, so what's the real solution? Does the shop need to take them apart and clean them

 

I'm not too sure with the XKR's , but in the past I've had to buy new
( that's probably not what you want to hear though ! )

 

not at all :-(

 

+1 on replacing. most of the time the yellowing is on the inside of the headlamp.

 

I have used the Meguiars head light restoration system that attaches to a drill. Works great on old fogged up headlights.

 

The yellowing that occurs on the headlights is the effect of UV light over time. The yellow color is through the entire thickness of the material. Rubbing, polishing & buffing wont remove it. You have to purchase new lenses.

 

Just had an insurance covered new front bumper and 1 headlight assembly replaced. The one headlight assembly was $1,900 installed.
Seems any kind of decent restoration would be a steal as oppossed to that cost.
Good Luck!
tnt10

 

I've heard of 2 similar yellowing acts ..
a Mondeo headlight had a clear plastic insert that was prone to yellowing a simple fix was to just strip them and swap the plastic insert . The other was an X-type that hasn't got the plastic , the yellowing was actually like a staining in the glass itself ( almost etched in ) the only remedy for that was to change the headlight .

 

I used to think nothing would work either and I usually buy new ones.
Then my body shop guy noticed mine were yellowing and asked if he could try an experiment. He wet sanded them and covered with a clear coat. The looked brand new. He charged me $35 for it but that was because I was a guinea pig. Now that he has people coming in for it he charges $150. The price is appropriate cause to do it right he has to take them off the car to get it right. It takes 3 - 4 hours total.

Check with your favorite local shop to see if they are willing to try it.

 

Do yourself a favor and try this first:

Headlight Restoration - Wetsanding and Polishing HD - YouTube

1. There's tons of stuff on the market for this

2. You'll save yourself a bundle

3. You'll have a new skill to help family, friends and your future cars (or this one again in a couple years)

 

As Mike says above, try that first. A local Wax and Detailing company uses the same technique. Works great.

 

Wetsand and polish will work for a while but the polycarbonate will yellow again because the UV protective coating is gone. From experience the headlamps will need to be repolished every 6 months if the car is outside every day.

Wetsand and clear coating with a good urethane paint can last another 10 years if the prep work is done correctly.

 

I recently had to visit an aftermarket paint / body shop because a car magically appeared behind my blk xkr as I backed out of a parking spot.. Anyway, when he fixed my bumper I asked him about my headlights. He said he could spray them with clearcoat. It sounded crazy to me but I said Ok. They came out looking like new. I also had him spray the grill black, the black grill was the best decision I've made, I've had more complements on the car since doing that then I'd had in the last year.

Cost to repaint and unbend the plastic rear bumper, spray headlights and blackout the grill? $450.

 

Thanks for the video. Only step missing is the clear coat at the end. I'm not a DIY guy. I'd rather pay a pro to do it. They screw it up, it's on them. Like I said before, my guy wants $150 to do both. I'm good with that.

 

I agree, considering the cost of the equipment and items you'll need to DIY, $150 is well worth having it done by a pro.

 

I'm not sure clearcoat sounds like a good idea for headlamps. It's not particularly durable (chipping, etc.), and your headlights will be just as prone to scratching/marring as anything else (it is the same clearcoat as what goes on the paint, after all!). You can keep polishing it, though. I doubt it has enough UV protection properties to stop the plastic underneath it from yellowing yet again. And then to fix the yellowing the second time, you'll have to strip the clearcoat off first.

 

Recently traded for an '02 S-Type. All lenses were heavily oxidized. Local Walmart has a service for $39.95 and they did a super job. Took about an hour and a half. There's just a hint of discoloration on the inside but the outside looks fantastic. 100% improvement. Find a local detailer. I understand that clear coating afterwards helps ensure future yellowing.

 

Well, so far it looks pretty good. I did my wife's car but not mine. Waiting to see if it yellows and I use mine as a comparison guide. If it continues to look good in a few more months, I'm doing the other car.

I've already asked and they would have no problem stripping the clearcoat if needed to re-do the procedure.

 

quaker13 you have a 2007 XKR and the headlights are already yellowing? Thats very worrying.
Where is your car kept, normally? Does it usually sit in the sun all day or is it in normally in shade or is it normally garaged?
Have you seen any signs of other fading (paint etc)?
I'm concerned I'm gonna start seeing it too soon as mine is a 2008.

 

No the paint is fine. I have to park outside and only cover it on occasion, so it does sit in the sun all day.