Headlight & Tail-
Light Restorations
Yellowed, or faded headlights or tail-lights can pose a safety risk due to reduced output, and can even be an MOT failure, not to mention reducing the vehicle’s overall visual appeal.
We can help restore the optical clarity, meaning better light output and increased visibility whilst also making the car look like new again.
What causes the damage? Headlight lenses are often made from Acrylic. This reacts with UV rays. While there is a protective UV coating, over time will break down and this causes the hazing and cloudy appearance.
The Process
Inspection of some heavily marked rear lights on a 2012 VW Golf R
To begin with we need to thoroughly clean and inspect the lights to ensure they are sound, sealed and properly fitted.
Cleaning is undertaken using a PH neutral cleaning solution sprayed onto the lights and allowed to penetrate any surface contamination before being removed.
Once the true finish of the lights is revealed, several types of lighting are used to fully inspect prior to any restorative action.
We always try to use the least aggressive method possible to restore the light units so we generally begin with a combination of foam or microfibre pads on a machine polisher to try and remove the faded and oxidised finish.
If this is possible then we will continue with this method until the best results are achieved.
However in most cases this is not possible and the only way to restore the light units is to wet sand them.
To do this we have a variety of grades of high quality sand paper to work with. After soaking the sand paper to ensure optimum performance we start usually with 1500 grit (but sometimes lower for heavily damaged surfaces) where we work to remove the damaged layers and then we work up through the grades to around 4000 grit to achieve a flat, even finish without any visible sanding marks remaining.
Once this has been done, a variety of machine tools are used, in multiple stages of compounding and polishing to restore optical clarity.
Once the lights units have been restored to the highest possible standard, we then apply a heat resistant plastic composite compatible ceramic coating to not only prevent the lights from fading again in the future but to help keep them clean for longer , making night driving a more pleasant experience.
Headlight restoration on an E90 BMW 3 series that had suffered deep crazing and UV fading
The final result is maximum clarity and output of the headlights and tail-lights, not to mention the benefit of your vehicle looking younger and saving you money by not having to replace the light units themselves, which can cost hundreds of pounds.
How long does it take and what’s the cost?
Generally it would take about an hour per light unit, but heavily oxidised light units may require slightly more time.
The cost is usually £120 for a pair of headlights - This however could depending on size / condition - a discounted rate is available if incorporated into other services.