I have NO financial interest in this (except for the money I saved). In fact, I found the seller’s website marketing offensive, and the ensuing glut of op-up advertisements and emails is annoying. That said, …
For a few years I’ve been wanting to fix the clouded headlight covers on my '04 Camry. I had tried one commercial product that did not work (even with a an electric drill buffer). A body shop estimated $500 to replace them. The cost of aftermarket replacements was reasonable, and youtube made the job look within my capabilities, but the Camry is my only car and I was concerned about getting hung up and not being able to make a crucial drive to the grandchildren. So, …
When I saw an online ad (on this site, I think) from restowipe.com for an easy-to-use product that would clear the lenses, apply a protective coating, and cure several diseases, I sucked in. I even sucked in for the “get a second one for a pittance” offensive marketing.
It worked great (so far), and I plan to use the second one on my daughter’s car.
My Grand Prix had cloudy h/l lenses. For 100 bucks paid to Rock Auto, some guy @ a delivery service brought some up to the bench outside the condo. Twenty minutes later they were installed.
Oh, did I mention? As a bonus they came with new Sylvania bulbs installed (Six of them!), sockets attached, and literally plugged in. 2004 TOYOTA CAMRY 2.4L L4 Headlamp Assembly | RockAuto
Those TYCs are good. Keep in mind, there’s a small shipping fee (get the cheapest option). A 5% off code can be found to help offset that or the tax. Mine arrived in 2 days. CSA
Yes, that’s just the kind of aftermarket ass’ys I was looking at. I think mine would take a little longer to install if I knew what I were doing. Maybe next time. I expect to drive for maybe ten more years; don’t know if the Camry will last that long.
OTOH, I’m done for about $25 and fifteen minutes work, and I didn’t have to lie on the ground.
I use this 3m headlight restoration kit. You use your drill. It has sanding discs graduating down to a polisher. The finished product is crystal clear if you take your time and follow instructions. The downside is that it only lasts for 2-4 years. Someone told me about a protectorant you can apply, but I’ve never tried that. Also, I have no interests in this company.
I looked at reviews on line, and the best reviews by folks I might believe (Consumer Reports, Popular Mechanics) was that the Sylvania and 3M products were best. The Restowipe product wasn’t mentioned, but maybe it wasn’t available.
I’ve used several kinds of cleaner/wipes/restorers over the years. I drive old iron. Most were half-baked and temporary. They give you a quick thrill and then let you down slowly.
I got tired of not totally restoring original clarity and luster (besides, I was probably due for lamp replacement, couldn’t remember ever replacing any) and found no comparison between headlights-in-a-rag-or-bottle and actual new capsules with new bulbs. New bulbs are even brighter!
The Grand Prix lights clip in from the top and literally take 3 minutes each to replace.
Suit yourself, whatever floats your boat.
The Grand Prix looks “showroom.” CSA
Something that fascinates me is the disparity from one make to another in regard to the problem of headlight lens fogging. I have never had that problem with any of my Subarus–even after as long as 11 years–but my vehicles are garaged. However, a friend of mine recently got rid of his 2008 Rav-4 which had never been garaged, and his Rav also had crystal-clear headlight lenses.
By contrast, I have observed that a lot of Mercedes vehicles seem to suffer from this problem after just a few years.
I use Plastix on mine twice a year at wax time and have never had a problem with my GMs or Acuras. Crystal clear except for unavoidable sand chips. Nothing helps that though except replacement.
Yup. I just do it by hand with a terry cloth along with all the other plastic lights. You buy rubbing compound, waxes, and all the other stuff at auto parts stores but Walmart has some too.
Buffing compound is more abrasive than polishing compound, it is used to clean the paint on older cars that have had more exposure to the sun. Care must be taken when machine buffing but hand buffing can be controlled without damage.
That was easy, park in the employee parking lot 10 hours a day in direct sunlight with 110 F summer temperatures. While the intense desert sun takes its toll on vehicles, I don’t need to pay $35,000 for a new SUV every 10 years to boast about the reliability of my new cars.
All those kits do is give you varying grits of sandpaper and a little packet of plastic polish. I find the drill bit head to be somewhat useless, as it’s hard to properly use it with a drill without putting swirl marks in the plastic. It doesn’t take much effort to wetsand the light by hand, and then you can go in perfectly straight lines. Takes 10 minutes a side. After you’re done, give the light a good coat of wax, and be sure to wax it every time you wax the paint. That’ll help keep it from yellowing again.
CSA: “I’ve used several kinds of cleaner/wipes/restorers over the years. I drive old iron. Most were half-baked and temporary. They give you a quick thrill and then let you down slowly.”
Well how about that! Yes, the thread is four months old, but I think I am, indeed, being let down slowly. I’m back to looking at replacement assy’s on Rockauto. I might ask for advice (new thread) on which quality level to use. Or not.
