Clear coating headlights

I was reading you can use diluted, with mineral spirits) minwax polyurethane as a clear coat and there's no spiderwebbing. That being said I was able to use a 3m headlight sanding kit before and it worked perfectly. I sealed it with Menzerna Powerlock sealant.

 

I’ve done this as well. For a quick fix it works REALLY well. It won’t look as clear as a clear coat, but I used this successfully on my 03 cobra

Mix 50/50, and fold a blue shop paper towel folded as small as it will go. Dip it in the mixture, start at the top and go across long ways and work your way down overlapping.

 

Just had my local body shop restore my headlights and then spray them with clear coat. Wasn’t cheap, but they warranty against oxidation for as long as you own the vehicle. Seemed like a no brainer to me

 

Lamin-X is the best thing to protect headlights. Sadly, though, they don’t make an application for 3rd gen tacos. I’m assuming because it would be too difficult of a bend to wrap the headlight shape.

 

Same story here OP. I did it last spring after the Chrisfix video. All of his others are great but that one sucks. Also brought mine back from the edge with 10 steps of sandpaper. Luckily.

Do not follow this video.

https://youtu.be/UEJbKLZ7RmM

 

I just used 1000 grit with some windex until all the yellow was gone.Used buffer with polishing compound until it was shiny.It works and if I have to do it again it doesn't take long.My car is old and it turned out great.

 

Why didn’t anyone believe me in the beginning of this thread? Paint fills the fine sanding marks and you can’t even tell

 

I used marine boat cutting compound with Makita buffer in different speeds to shine lenses (gotta be careful not to burn plastic with high speeds) and finished up by spraying 3 part PPG polyurethane clear coat. It always worked for me and did not need wet sanding.

 

cheap and easy, worked for me!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=168&v=z2ZRKPshPVM

 

I have this Klasse All-In-One that I've been using on the headlights since forever. It does a great job keeping them clear and protected. But there is some crazing within those lenses from age and a slight gold tinge that appears to be on the inside of the lenses. But they were never hazed nor foggy.

 

I think two things to consider. One is bringing headlights back to life making clear and shiny again and the other is how long they will be stay in that condition. Majority products in the market will make lenses shiny again but they won’t last and you have to keep doing it.

 

True. I wax the truck twice a year and the headlights get the treatment equally.

 

I cleared/cleaned my 04 (original headlights) and then put Lamin X protective film on them and they look excellent after 1 year outside in the elements!

 

I just cleaned my headlights up this past Saturday. Had the same exact thing happen. Used Rustoleum 2x clear with UV Protection and they instantly spidered. Made me super mad because then I had to sand all the clear back off just to resand and polish. I used Jescar Powerlock after instead of clear. Funny thing is I've done my Jetta and a previous one we had the same exact way at least 3 times each over the years and never had the clear coat spider with the same brand clear. Always came out great. I might order some clear vinyl and coat them.

 

True, my headlights started to oxidize even though the truck (including headlights) has been waxed religiously every two months since new.

This is exactly why I recommend taking it to a body shop and letting them spray the housings with real clear coat after they are sanded down. If your shop will warranty them for life like mine does, I think it’s an easy call to make.

 

What is the max bulb watts you can run in these with stock harness and is there a bulb with a whiter color than yellow

 

Scroll down to the color temp and output charts in this thread:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-headlight-upgrade-h4-not-led-or-hid.398066/

I don't recall if 1st Gens have a relayed headlight system or if it runs through the switch, but in general I'd recommend staying with stock wattage unless upgrading to a standalone harness. The Philips Racing Vision H4 (stock wattage) have whiter output and well improved low beam performance, which sounds like would fit what you are looking for. However their high beam performance will be reduced by the blue coating over the high beam filament.

 

I've used the Griot's Garage headlight restoration kit on several cars, with excellent results. The sanding pad in that kit is a Micro Mesh Soft Touch sanding pad in 2400 grit. It does a terrific job wet sanding. The key to their system, IMO (as one who's worked in polymer science and coatings for forty years...) is their UV clearcoat spray. It lays down well, covers the sanding marks just right and probably with some "tooth" to the sanded surface at the same time, and cures well on a sunny day.

It's pricey for what it is, and the can of clear is definitely stingy, but the kit works extremely well.

Here are some images on my RX350 before, during, and after. A year and a half later they look exactly like the day they were refinished.

 

I recently purchased a new set of OEM lights ($!) that I would like to protect from UV damage. I’m considering applying Lamin-X clear film on the lights to help protect them. (The film also offers a small amount of protection impact damage from chips, so that is an added bonus.)

https://lamin-x.com/two-6-x-12-universal-film-covers.html

Does anyone have experience with this product good, or bad to share? @Apollo14 ?

 

Lamin-x is great stuff! I had them on previous vehicles and it does wonders to keep UV damage to lenses. But I think they don’t make them for third gen tacos bc of the complex shape on the outer lens. You could get a universal kit but, again, you may have less than optimal results when making the corners. It has limited stretch ability