How To Restore Headlights On a Car

Have you ever noticed cars – and not necessarily older cars – with foggy and sometimes yellow tinged headlights?

This is known as oxidisation and not only does it look bad, it diminishes the effectiveness of your headlights AND is a roadworthy item.

And because it is a safety concern, you can get a fine from the police if pulled over for it.

How do I restore headlights?

There are 3 options:

REPLACEMENT

The most expensive option is to replace your headlights.

If you buy genuine headlights, be prepared for a shock!

Even good old Holden Commodore headlights are expensive. I priced some VE headlights recently from a Holden dealer on the southside of Brisbane, and the quote was for $220 per headlight.

There are less expensive options by going “after-market”. Companies such as SSS Auto Parts at Acacia Ridge specialise in made to fit, but non-genuine parts.

But in this case, I was still looking at $120 per headlight.

Then putting them in can be a bitch.

Using the Commodore example again, the whole bumper bar has to come off to get to the lower fixings of the headlights.

And you need another person to hold the bar up whilst you remove it carefully so you don’t break and wiring connections and/or scratch your paint.

Then you have to align them properly.

Remember headlights don’t just point straight ahead.

The left one always points down and to the left a bit and you don’t want the right one going straight into the eyes of oncoming traffic!

RESTORATION KITS

You can buy kits from Repco, SuperCheap or Autobarn that make some pretty lofty claims about bringing your headlights up to new condition.

I’ve tried them all.

With a lot of elbow grease, you can bring your headlights up better than they were.

But what I’ve found is they come up well to begin with, but within a few months, the coatings used to finish them off start to fog up again.

PROFESSIONAL RESTORATION

In my experience, this is your best option. This is why:

Headlight Restoration Brisbane

A few weeks ago I had a car I wanted a very nice finish on, but I was too tight to spend the $300 or so on new headlights and getting our next door neighbour (panel shop) to fit them for another $100.

The restoration jobs I’ve done myself have been good, but not perfect.

So I went out on a limb and called Tyrone from HeadlightRestore.com.au to come and do these ones.

I’d never used a professional before for this sort of work so I was keen to see how much better he could do it, than I could do myself and to see if it was worth the investment.

First thing I noticed after he started, is his attention to detail.

From masking up the paintwork with water-resistant tape, to the quality of his sanding pads and buffer, the difference to my handiwork was clear.

He took the time to explain that as well as careful preparation and light buffing (it is easy to “burn” the lenses by over buffing), that it is money well spent on a good quality UV protective layer after the job is done.

The Australian sun is very harsh on headlights.

Tyrone uses a very expensive, but very high quality imported clear/UV protective layer to finish.

This enables him to guarantee his work for years.

And the Result of My Headlight Restoration?

Definitely worth the investment.

The headlights came up like new and are crystal clear.

If you are selling your car privately, it is well worth it getting this done. It will make your photos look better and one less thing for a prospective buyer to pick on and beat you down on price with.

Of course as a motor dealer though, getting these sorts of things done is part of my core business so you can sell your car to me without doing this, getting a RWC or even bothering to clean the car for cash today. Call me on 0411 362 229.