Older 2nd gen: has anyone successfully polished back their hazy yellowing headlights?

Like many older 2nd gen Tacomas, my headlights have become hazy and fugly with age. Historically people have polished theirs back to new but at this advanced age of my 2006, I think they may be due for replacement. I used a Rain X chemical application that cleaned them up only slightly. Last week I briefly tried polishing them back with my random orbit polisher and Sonus FX-1, the cutting polish of the Sonus 3 stage polish line. Granted my polishing pad was old but several minutes of polishing yielded very little, and wondering if anyone has had success, what they used and how long it took.

If anyone bought new headlights, which off brand do you recommend? I did the BHLM when the truck was new and I like the black look and want to keep that.

 

In the same predicament. Got a 2013 that's looking pretty bad. Was going to get a diy polish kit but sounds like they aren't very good. Interested in budget friendly replacement. Are they easy to replace yourself of will professional help be needed? I'm a 4 when it comes to diy.

 

Have you checked the FS thread and see if someone has a good set of used for sale when they upgraded or did the 2.5 facelift?

 

I just removed the white cloudy haze in my 2013 headlights with the

$17 3M 39195 3M Ultra Headlight Restoration Kit, Contains Masking Tape, Light Sanding Discs, Wax Protectant and More, Use on Plastic Lenses Headlights, Taillights and More, Easy Heavy-Duty Restoration (39195)

3M 39195 Ultra Headlight Restoration Kit. Worked great, easy to use and all the parts are included in the kit.

$16 from Amazon.

 

I tried the 3M polish kit bit it didn't even last a year on my 2010. I'm thinking about sanding and using a high gloss UV protectant clear coat next

 

Easy to replace. I pulled mine when the truck was new to paint them black. Here is mine now after a brief attempt at polishing. I used a fair amount of my Sonus FX-1 which is expensive stuff. At some point the polish may cost more than replacement headlights.

 

Late last year I installed a pair of Depo replacement headlights from Rock Auto. They fit and work perfect and didn’t even need adjustment. They were about $200 for the pair if I remember right.

 

In the mean-time, wipe on some motor oil it'll last until it rains! lol

 

Yea, will be interesting to see how long my restoration lasts. I figure that I'll just replace the headlights after the white haze returns.

 

At that price I just ordered it to give it a whirl. Looks a lot more appropriate than my high end paint polish. If that doesn't work I'll buy new headlights. Any off brand recommended? I will take a look at the Rock Auto recommendation above.

 

This is the way. The UV coating on your headlights is what keeps them from turning yellow and hazy. You can sand and polish this off, however you no longer have the UV protection that prevents this from happening again so you'll need to replace it with another coating or two, otherwise they'll be back to looking like crap within a few months. Many detail and tint shops can handle this task, along with installing some PPF which will keep them looking nice for much longer. I made the mistake of not going this route when I installed a set of DEPO headlights and they lasted maybe three years before the UV coating started breaking down.

 

https://www.biggersmazda.com/how-to-restore-headlights/

I’ve used this on my cobra a few years back. Works like a champ. I’ll be doing it with the 4 runner when the time comes.

they won’t look new, BUT they will be clear. And it’s repeatable. Just use A LITTLE!! First time I had a couple runs because I used too much, but it works sooooo well. If you can correct them to clear when they are wet, this will work.

 

If you use a polish kit you need to put a UV protection coat on the headlights. If I was going to do it, I'd do the kit then put on something like weather tech's headlight film

 

Mine where completely hazy and yellowing I I was able to restore them to almost new condition. I used the 3m kit and hand sanded. If you take your time and out in the work they come out really well. With the first stage you have to sand out all the oxidation and yellow then as you move up in grit you have to make sure you remove all the scratches from the previous sanding. Then like others suggested get a good clear and they will last a long time before needing any other attention. The 2k clear works really good for this. I did mine over 2 years ago now and they still look good.

 

This!

 

When I bought my truck nine months ago, the headlights were so yellow that I was certain I would need to replace them. But I gave it a shot anyway, and they cleaned up to within a couple of percent of completely clear just using a glass polishing compound from Rain-X. Over the course of about six months, they have picked up a slight yellow tinge, but from past experience with my Prius, I know that all it takes is five minutes with the polishing compound during a car wash, and it’s back to near perfect.

This is just not enough of a bother to make it worth going to the trouble of applying a UV protectant coating/film IMO. My bottle of polishing compound is at least 10 years old now, still quite a bit left.

 

Looks great. Anybody have a good recommendation on UV protection? I love Weathertech but their headlight film looks pretty pricey, like almost half the cost of a new headlight.

This looks like it could be the ticket. Is it durable?

$14 Meguiar's G17804 Keep Clear Headlight Coating - 4 Oz Spray

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G17...t=&hvlocphy=9025154&hvtargid=pla-494576505021


Or this

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Rust-Oleum...chsaTtDwdjQpaTUTp6UaAnVTEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

I used the 3M kit that was about 30 dollars. It took almost an hour per headlight but it 100% worked. Sanded from coarse to fine grit progressivelt. It was an absolute PITA but it beat replacing the headlights.

 

I've tried a bunch of products with little success but recently I bought this one as it was on sale.

It worked surprising well, although I know I'll have to reapply every few months.

 

off bug spray with 30% Deet and an old rough sock to make em brighter