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How many of you have plastic headlight lenses on your car or trucks and they have faded to yellow?
Well I have two vehicles that are like that and I decided it was long overdue to get something about it done.
My wife has a Nissan Maxima and her headlights were really bad. Each headlight assembly runs anywhere from $350 to $500 and I figured there had to be a something I could do to keep from having to buy new headlight assemblies.
While I was at Wal-Mart I noticed there was a kit just for this situation. It is called Crystal View and it came in a silver bag for only $20 and I thought I would give it a try. Here is a video demonstration of it.
Crystal View Headlight Restorer Defogger Directions
I decided to test it out on my car first and if it did well I would do my wife’s car. I did this in case it messed up, it would only mess up mine and not hers. Remember folks, a happy wife is a happy life.
The Crystal View sort of works, but its NOT the best way to accomplish the “like new” lens look. This kit comes with several sanding pads and some polishing compound. You first scrub it by hand with the heavy grit and a little compound, then move on to the lighter grit with the compound and finish it up by reapplying clear coat over the lens. If your lens is not in terrible shape this might work for you, but its yields unsatisfactory results. It didn’t look “like new” when I was done.
I’m glad I tried this out on my car instead of hers. Hers needed it worse than mine and I want hers to look fantastic when I was done, so this Crystal View stuff was not the ticket.
I consulted with the internet thinking surely I could find a better way to get this done and low and behold I found what I was looking for. You can find out how to do just about anything on the internet.
I came across a video by 3M that advertised a 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System that costs the same amount as the last product I tried.
This kit falls in the same do it yourself category as the other did, only this kit was more hands on and yielded perfect results.
3M Headlight Lens Restoration System
As you will see in the pictures, the 3m headlight restoration kit made the lens of the Maxima look like brand new, and there is no clear coat film added to make it appear like they are restored. These actually are restored to like new condition. They are sanded and polished!
So if you have some yellow headlights, spend the $20 on the 3m kit at your local automotive store, follow the instructional video, and in about one hour you will have fully restored headlights. You will have saved yourself hundreds of dollars and you will be able to see farther at night.
Summary:
Crystal View = Do not buy or waste time on
3M Headlight Lens Restoration System = Excellent buy, worth every penny