Why not just buy new?

[Matsweeper]

So on my previous car, i've had it for 7 years and washed it regularly. My headlight cover never got foggy or yellow. I have seen cars with this issue and I always thought it's because they don't clean their car as often or the plastic quality is poor.

1)So many options for cleaning or restoration out there... Why not just replace the headlight plastic cover? I mean do they not sell them seperate? If they do, I don't assume it would be more than 150 for each cover. Which if my headlights on my 2014 civic end up going yellow after 4 years, i don't mind spending around 300 for new covers. Is whole headlight really necessary?

2)To help prevent this issue, does anyone sell 3M clear headlight film? Do I visit a tint place? and what pricing should I be looking to expect? because if they charge me close to new pair of headlights or cover, i might as well just leave it.

3)Most cleaners i hear only temporarily clean it. tru?

4)are honda civic prone to getting yellowing of headlights cover more than other manufacturer?

 

[Monk]

The main thing that messes up head lights is the SUN....... Do you have a garage ? .........
An alternative would be, to make a head light cover while it sits in the sun.
They may sell replacement lens, but they are factory sealed to the housing, and have been removed/replaced by ppl wanting to mod the inside of the light structure.

 

[Matsweeper]

The main thing that messes up head lights is the SUN....... Do you have a garage ? .........
An alternative would be, to make a head light cover while it sits in the sun...

Got it! Makes sense. 8 hours a day my car sits it a parking lot with no sun light. I have a driveway but not a garage. Perhaps my next home I will look into a garage.

Great info to know. I've been seeing xenon projector headlights online and have been thinking about it. I can't say I hate holograms. They are better then what I expected.

Thanks for the fast replay and informations respond.

 

[Nix]

It's just the breakdown of the factory UV coating on the lens. The sun is the main culprit but so it following to closely and getting pelted with rocks. Chipping that surface will cause it to degrade faster. Certainly Lamin-X makes precut headlight film that can help protect the lens. They also generally don't sell the lens separate from the housing.

Most aftermarket "fix" products that you just wipe on don't really fix anything. You know how when something is "wet" it looks smoother? Basically the fix is a chemical that just makes the scratched up lens look "wet" and therefore clearer than before. It lasts until it evaporates or wears off. The only real fix is to polish and sand down the surface and re-apply a protective layer. There are lots of aftermarket kits for doing this. Nothing lasts as long as the factory layer which is near impossible to reproduce. Some people have had good luck sanding, polishing, and spraying the headlights down with a layer of clear Spar Urethane. Definitely need to remove the light from the car before attempting this.

Keeping your lights clean and applying wax/sealant/protectant just like you would to the rest of the car can only help. The best thing I've seen so far is this stuff from Optimum that is made specifically for headlights. Costly but you are actually getting a quality product that will last. Anything you can get from PepBoys/AutoZone/etc.. will be junk compared to this stuff.

http://www.detailedimage.com/Optimum-OPT-M36/Opti-Lens-Coating-P767/10-cc-S1/

 

[9000 RPM]

I wax mine when I wax the car, works wonders.