Headlight Restoration - Real Retired Housewife Style

My latest adventure into "Do It Yourself" was restoring the headlights in my 2010 Mazda CX7.  With over 90,000 miles on my SUV, the headlights were slightly cloudy.

The protective coating on the headlight lens only lasts a few years.  Then the elements start working on the plastic resulting in a foggy, hazy headlight.  Foggy headlights can reduce your headlights effectiveness at night.  Plus it looks bad.

There is a range of solutions for hazy headlights.  You can buy new headlights ($300 per headlight and who knows how much to install)...you can take your car to to a local shop and have the headlights restored ($50 or more)...you can use a headlight restoration kit ($20)...you can use tooth paste ($1).  I went with the kit -- Meguiar's G3000 Heavy Duty Headlight Restoration Kit ($19.90 with free Prime Shipping).

Before I started, I watched several YouTube videos.  The written instructions were good, but the videos were great.  After watching some of the videos, Brian wanted in the fun.  So we agreed to each do one headlight.  Not so much as a competition...but more to share the enjoyment.

The kit includes 2 sanding discs, 1 hand pad, a bottle of PlastX buffing polish, a bottle of headlight protectant and a microfiber cloth.  I also needed masking tape, a spray bottle with water, a drill, extra cleaning rags (cotton is best), paper towels and cleaning spray.

Here is how it works...

CLEAN AND PREP

I cleaned off the headlights with a cleaning spray and paper towels.  This took off any loose dirt.  Then I taped off the car paint around the headlights.  I used 2" painters tape because that is what I had around.  I didn't want to buff the paint!

WET BUFF

I attached the 1000 grit buffing disc to the hand pad and sprayed the headlight with water.  I buffed the headlight, side to side, keeping the headlight wet while buffing.  The water was dirty and sudsy from the baked in grime. I did this for a couple minutes, then wiped off with a rag.  I wanted the headlight to be evenly frosted.  I repeated this step again for another couple minutes, then wiped off the water.  After the second try, the headlight was evenly frosted.

I removed the 1000 grit buffing disc and put on the 3000 grit buffing disc.  I sprayed with water and started buffing.   This time around the frosted finish was clearing up.  Again, it took a couple rounds of buffing to get an even finish.

BUFF POLISH

POWER TOOLS...now you're talking.  I attached the buffing pad to my cordless drill.  The written instructions said it was better to use a corded drill...but, the YouTube videos all used a cordless drill.  I added a small amount of PlastX buffing polish and started the drill.  I buffed with the pad flat against the headlight, using side to side overlapping motions. 

I added more buffing polish when it looked like the cream was drying out.  After a minute or so, I used a cotton cloth to wipe off the headlight.  Then I added more buffing cream to the pad and repeated until the headlight had an even shine.  

PROTECT

The last step I did was polish with the headlight protectant cream using a microfiber cloth.  It is recommended to reapply the protectant cream every couple months to keep the clear finish.  One YouTube video mentioned spraying a clear gloss polyurethane spray on the headlight for a permanent finish.  I think I will wait to see how long the Meguiar's protection lasts before I take a can of spray paint near my car (even if it is clear).

The whole process was easy from beginning to end.  Each headlight took less than 20 minutes.  Brian and I both agreed that the process was easy and we were happy with the results.  

Now that I have tried it...there is no excuse for dingy, dirty headlights!