Headlights Casing

[Yasmine]

The last two MOTs on my '05 Corolla have said the output of the headlights is inadequate due to the general cloudiness of the casing. I have tried polishing with a number of different things (incl. abrasives) and it works for about a day and then it comes back?? Today I have put it into the garage and the mechanic has said he can try to buff it out or I'll need to pay £260 for a pair of new lights if it's the actual plastic that's yellowed. Any advice would be most appreciated!

[Cyker]

Wait, are you saying you polish it, it looks nice and clear, and then goes cloudy after a day??

That's pretty weird... I know that when you polish up the plastic the UV protective coating gets rubbed off which makes them cloud up faster, but I would have thought it would take longer than a day!!

You can try stuff like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/3M-39173-Quick-Headlight-Clear/dp/B079QL8BYK/

which has fluid to replace the UV protective coating, but it's a bit pricey for what it is.

TBH tho', as long as the MOT is just a warning and not a fail, and you can see okay at night, it's probably not worth the hassle - My Mk1 Yaris' headlamps looked far worse!!

 

[TonyHSD]

You can revitalise these lights and bring them back to normal working condition with proper procedure that takes up to an hour per light, it will need to have machine polish, compounds, sandpaper various sizes 600, 800, 1000 and 1500 or 2000 grid, masking tape and a lots of patience. My advice is if not familiar with it better pay someone who does that specifically like car valet or detailing companies they can do it for around £60 quit 👍

Good luck 

[Red_Corolla]

Search for "3M headlight restoration kit"

Those kits do a really good job if you follow the instructions to the letter. You need a drill to power the polishing pad and all of the paintwork surrounding the headlight needs to be masked off to protect it.

[forkingabout]

I've used this stuff before on cloudy Fiesta plastic headlight lens after being recommended it by contacts in the trade.

 

https://www.meguiars.com/automotive/products/meguiars-plastx-clear-plastic-cleaner-polish-g12310-10-oz-liquid

[50p]

My wife had a 54 plate Yaris and the headlights clouded over. I was advised by an 'old school' MOT man to use liquid de-icer, the type you get in a trigger bottle. Squirt some on a cloth and rub onto the headlamp, it worked a treat, brought them back to as new condition for very little cost or effort.

[Yasmine]

Picked it up from the garage and the mechanic had managed to clear them up pretty well with some T-cut and a buffing tool. Pretty sure it'll come back but at least I know where to go now when it does! Thanks for the advice guys 👍🏻

[Cyker]

Ooh they came up a treat!  

[Red_Corolla]

Great job! They'll need some protective lacquer applying to preserve them like that, unless it's already been done.

The linked video shows an experiment to compare various polishing kits. Although it's biased towards the American market, you can see that some are a lot better than others.