2004 Honda Pilot - replacing vs. buffing scuffed headlights

Headlight covers/lens are scuffed up from dirt and night driving . Can they be replaced reasonable or is the light assembly one big unit??? What do you think of these kits to buff the lens to a clear finish?? Can the light bulbs be replaced with a brighter unit ? Do to our age, we try to do little night diving .

Buy the kit, buff the lenses and see what you get. I have had reasonable success with the buff kits.

But, the entire light assembly is available from RockAuto for less than $50 each WITH new bulbs. I’d go that route for $100 and replace them myself.

I have a 2005 Honda Pilot and it happened to me, I cleaned them and last a few weeks and cleaned them again…
if you want it, you can replaced them by yourself, look for them in Ebay, I bought the ones that are selling by the seller “AM Autopart”, they are very good and the warranty is 10 years, I replaced them 5 years ago and they still look like new…
The link is:
Headlights Headlamps Left & Right Pair Set NEW for 03-05 Honda Pilot

10 Year Warranty Guaranteed Correct Part High Quality

[3 ratings](https://www.ebay.com/itm/Headlights-Headlamps-Left-Right-Pair-Set-NEW-for-03-05-Honda-Pilot/372229653169?fits=Year%3A2004%7CModel%3APilot%7CMake%3AHonda&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item56aa9dc2b1:g:3MsAAOSwQXtdHQaJ#UserReviews)

$76.00

I used a 3M buffing kit on my Honda about 5 years ago. They looked better and worked better. But the really notable improvement came when I installed new aftermarket headlight assemblies. I have used Silverstar bulbs in both and they work very well.

That 3M buffing kit works really well. One hint: Skip the power drill - just do it by hand using straight side to side strokes. Unless you’re really careful, the power drill will skip on the headlight and give you an uneven polish, and unless you do it right, the circular motion will put swirl scratches into the plastic. And don’t skimp on the water in the wet sanding stages. Use a lot of it. Soak the paper, and pour it on the headlight, and keep doing both frequently throughout the polishing.

After you’re completely done with the kit, rub in a good carnauba paste wax to help protect it from UV yellowing. Do this every time you wash the car… Or more frequently if you’re like my neighbor and only “wash” it when it rains. :wink:

I used the 3M kit on my trucks headlights without first reading the directions. Things weren’t going well. I actually didn’t find the directions when I first opened the kit so I made a more concerted effort to find them, took them inside and got out my magnifying glass and read where it said to keep the plastic WET.

Once I followed the directions, I got beautifully clear headlights.

But the job is not done when you think it is. The factory headlight covers have a UV coating on them that the 3M kit buffs off. So spend another $9 for Meguires headlight coating. You simply give them a quick spray, one pass, no buffing. Repeat every year and they will stay clear.

Another factor is that the buffing kits don’t address degradation on the inner surface of the lens, or of the reflective surfaces inside the housing. That’s one reason new looks and works even better than buffed.

If you buff, I’d suggest protecting the adjacent areas with something tough like milk jug plastic held on with masking tape. If your hand or drill goes too far, you won’t damage your car. (How do I know?)

Could you explain how “night driving” affected the headlight lens. Please.