[gwleong]

I have an '05 EXL RES that has cloudy headlight lenses. Seems almost like a clearcoat is flaking off the clear lens. I argued the fact with a local dealership about 1 year ago. They agreed to replace the affected headlight assembly as a 'good faith' gesture. Now, the other lens is doing the same thing.

I always hand wash the car using McGuires carwash soap. No harsh chemicals whatsoever.

Anyone else experiencing this? Seems awfully premature for this to be happening.

 

[fender4]

I have an '05 EXL RES that has cloudy headlight lenses. Seems almost like a clearcoat is flaking off the clear lens. I argued the fact with a local dealership about 1 year ago. They agreed to replace the affected headlight assembly as a 'good faith' gesture. Now, the other lens is doing the same thing.

I always hand wash the car using McGuires carwash soap. No harsh chemicals whatsoever.

Anyone else experiencing this? Seems awfully premature for this to be happening.

use 3m lens repair kit,,, follow directions and watch how to video,, hint,,in step 1 w 500 grit, sand down until all residue is white,, any hint of yellow keep sanding down. You'll get a new looking lens if done correctly. Now WAX lens with car wax,, sun is reacting with the plastic,, WAX is a good, sun is bad

 

[EE4Life]

I've used the Meguiars Headlight Restoration kit on another vehicle with good results.

Mothers has a similar kit for use with their powerball.

One thing to note after using any of these restoration kits, is that it is recommended that you apply a good wax or UV coating regularly to the lenses to keep them in good shape. If you don't, then the oxidation will eventually return faster.

 

[traffic002]

My sister's '04 van had this issue in the Florida sun.

I spent 1/2 hour with my Griot Garage random orbital polisher with a good cleaner wax. Then I hit it with a #4 Griot polish to get it to shine up again.

The lens was damaged pretty badly so I was able to restore most of it but not all.

 

[tC_demon]

Am having this issue with the passenger side one...looks like the clear coat is coming off..Got the extended warranty...I will just wait until the other side starts doing it to take it in.

 

[curiousgeorge2]

This is the natural degradation of the plastic used for the headlight due to UV light. No fault of your own, or the car wash soap you used. The glass headlights that my 1990 Accord has, never had, and will never have, this problem .

The headlight restoration kits (I've used several on a few cars now) all work very well, if you follow the instructions, and use the sand paper longer than you think you should. Get one, and it will solve the problem.

Essentially these kits all work the same way. You start off sanding off the rough stuff, then you use finer and finer sand paper, finally ending with a wet sand. Its these sanding steps that you need to put some attention to and sand way after you think that the plastic is clear. If you rush at this step, the light will not look its best. Then you use a chemical cleaner to remove any finer scratches, and finally you reapply a clear coat to seal in the plastic and prevent it from getting another "cataract".

 

[TouringOdyMama]

get the MIGUIRES LENSE cleaner its like $20 and O M G it rocks !!!!!!

 

[RinconVTR]

Start LIGHT. Not with heavy abrasives or multi-step kits, save those for later!

With any technique or compound, you will need a power drill or small orbital buffer.

Start with simple products like Meguiars Plastix or Mothers plastic polish. (there are a couple others, none over $10) Take your time, polish each lens for a good 5-10 minutes and buff them clear.

THEN if that fails, go for the kits with heavier abrasives. But if you don’t get results from the light polishing, you may have a lens beyond fixing. It’s possible the entire thickness of material is degraded to the point of no return.

And don’t be afraid to wax your headlights when you wax your van to help keep them clear and bright. (adds UV protection, sheds water and dirt)

 

[TouringOdyMama]

The miguires doesnt need a drill or buffer or anything.... you rub in on and rub it in real good and massage out the "fog" its like $20 or so for the HEAD LIGHT KIT

 

[RinconVTR]

The miguires doesnt need a drill or buffer or anything.... you rub in on and rub it in real good and massage out the "fog" its like $20 or so for the HEAD LIGHT KIT

I've tried 4-5 varieties on headlights, motorcycle windscreens, and face shields...none are very effective without some speed and power.

 

[TouringOdyMama]

The one my husband uses ROCKS they even started using it at teh Volkswagen Dealership he works for after seeing how well it works and with minimal effort and expense!

 

[vtecboost1]

The one my husband uses ROCKS they even started using it at teh Volkswagen Dealership he works for after seeing how well it works and with minimal effort and expense!

TouringOdyMama

Do you know what its called or where one could get it?

 

[0dyfamily]

The one my husband uses ROCKS....

The first time I read this, I thought you wrote "My husband uses ROCKS....".

OF

 

[psu ody fan]

And don’t be afraid to wax your headlights when you wax your van to help keep them clear and bright. (adds UV protection, sheds water and dirt)

Can I just use the wax I use on the rest of the car (in my case, Zaino)? Or is there some type of clearcoat I should put on the lenses when I'm done? The lights on my RX8 are starting to show a signs of clouding.

 

[0dyfamily]

I'm pretty sure that is what he was referring to...when you wax the paint, use the same to wax the headlamp lenses.

OF

 

[tC_demon]

Here is a picture of my passenger side both of them are the same.

Would I have any issues with the dealership because I have HID's? Whats funny is that my 2001 Ford Escape with 160K miles on it I have no issues with oxidation, and the Ford stays outside in the sun all the time. If the dealership replaces them both. I will be buying a car cover, since the ODY is hardly driven...Don't know why we bought it to begin with...uggh! I did try using Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and with a applicator pad with no success, to lazy to dig up my buffer.

 

[TouringOdyMama]

oh rocks will definatly get the cloudy out!!!! unfortunately they will take the lens too!!

 

[psu ody fan]

Would I have any issues with the dealership because I have HID's?

I would bet the stealership would try to tell you the pealing is due to the HIDs.

 

[eaglemtn]

I'm planning to renovate my headlights based on the success people have had in this post.

I was looking at the 3M headlight restoration kit. The instructions say to dry sand for the first two and wet sand with the final sandpaper.

I've read some other headlight renewal instructions on the internet which mention to wet sand using 1000 grit sandpaper, then go to 1500, and then 2000 - wet sanding in all three cases.

So with the 3M kit, it's not a problem to dry sand in the first two steps?

 

[chan_man]

Here is what I did on Sunday to polish out the lamps on the 05. These lamps had been done about a year ago, but as soon as you have polished out a lens, they tend to haze quicker if you don't keep them waxed.

I used Plastx, a Mothers mini power ball, a drill and some blue painters tape. Takes about 10 minutes to get decent results (per lens).

1. Open the hood
2. Tape around the lens with blue painters tape (the ones that comes off easily with no residue, do not use masking tape!!
3. clean lens with some glass cleaner.
4. wet the power ball, spin out the excess water.
5. squeeze some Plastx onto the end of the ball, about the size of a nickel.
5. slowly work on a spot on the lens, you don't have to do the entire lens at one time, go over the same spot for about 15 to 20 seconds and work in the polish.
7. repeat for the rest of the lamp
8. wipe off the excess polish with some rags
9. wax the lamp with some good wax.

Here is a before shot