Headlight restoration in Los Angeles
Cloudy, yellowed lenses sanded back and polished clear in your garage, then sealed. We tape off the paint around each lens before any sanding starts.
A headlight lens is clear plastic with a thin hard coat on the outside. Years of sun break that coat down, and the lens goes cloudy and yellow from the outside in. The beam scatters through the haze, so less of it reaches the road.
Signs your headlights need restoring
- A yellow cast across the top of the lens, where the sun hits it most
- A frosted look that a wash doesn't change
- Low beams that look dim on a dark street
- The factory coat flaking off the lens in patches
- One lens cloudier than the other, after one was replaced
Outside or inside the lens
Restoration works on the outside of the lens. If the haze feels rough under a fingertip, it is on the surface, and sanding and polishing take it off.
Fog or droplets on the inside usually mean the headlight's seal has failed. No polish reaches that. The headlight needs resealing or replacing, which is parts work, and the look at your home tells you which you have before you pay for anything.
Deep pits from stones and cracks through the lens stay after polishing, and the report marks them before we start.
How the lenses are restored
- We look at the car at your home first, and the report gives you a fixed price. The look is free.
- Nothing starts until you approve the price on your report.
- On the day, the paint and trim around each lens are taped off with a wide border.
- The damaged outer layer is wet-sanded away, each pass with a finer paper, until the whole lens is evenly frosted.
- A machine polish takes the frosting back to clear.
- A clear sealant goes on last, because sanded lens plastic with nothing over it clouds again quickly in the sun.
What sets the price of headlight restoration
- Two lenses, or four on a car with separate lower lenses
- How deep the yellowing runs, which sets how many sanding passes it takes
- The size and shape of each lens
- A peeling factory coat or old film that has to come off first
Every price is set at your inspection and fixed in writing before we start.
Keeping the lenses clear
You get your report, updated with the lenses we worked, and a care sheet that says how to wash them from here on.
Asked about headlight restoration
Will the lenses yellow again?
In time, yes. The sun keeps working on the plastic. The sealant slows it, and a car kept in a garage or out of the afternoon sun keeps clear lenses longer.
Should I restore the lenses or replace the headlights?
Restore them when the haze is on the outside. A headlight with fog inside or a crack through the lens needs the headlight itself repaired or replaced, and the report says which you have.
Can the headlights be done with a paint correction?
Yes. Tell us both in your request, and the report prices paint correction and the lenses as separate lines. The lenses are taped off from the paint either way.
Who needs to be there?
For the look at your home, whoever decides on the work. Once the work starts, nobody has to be home, as long as we can get into the garage.
See what your car needs before you spend anything.
The inspection is free and takes place at your home. You keep the written report and the fixed price whether or not you book the work.
Inspections by appointment. Same-day replies Monday through Saturday, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.