Excellent headlight yellow/haze prevention...

Logres, how are you coated headlights holding up?

After a close inspection, I am starting to see where the coating is chipped off, but there is still 99.9% coverage. The only way I really knew the coating was still there was that I accidently scraped a tiny bit off with my newly cut fingernails...so that's a good sign. The largest chip measured 1/8" x 1/4". The underlying plastic was flawless, so it must have just happened. The chipped area was not yellow, unlike the coated area which has yellowed slightly, like a typical 5 year old headlight, which means the coating took the brunt of the UV light. It should be noted that this coat is a couple years old, so I've exceeded the manufacturer's recommended specs (I think they recommend a yearly reapplication), and it shows. It does need to be cleaned off, prepped, and recoated.

All in all, I would say that using this stuff is marginally better than not using it at all simply because it requires the same or more amount of work as just sanding the headlight every couple years. I've decided to keep using the coating simply because it keeps UV light from the lens - the impact resistance is neither here nor there...you've got to sand it off anyway.

The overall best solution is a plastic cling film like Lamin-x. It is invincible to impact and UV light (won't chip or discolor) for 5 years. But my local dealer quoted parts and installation at $300 for the Mark, so it aint cheap. I'll continue to coat until something better comes along.
 
I think the board at my post...

Thanks logres!

I was looking at the Lamin-X site, and two sheets of 9 by 30 film and stuff was only $60. What more does your local dealer do? The installation looks very simple from the videos. Or would that price include polishing the lenses?
 
I think the board at my post...

Thanks logres!

I was looking at the Lamin-X site, and two sheets of 9 by 30 film and stuff was only $60. What more does your local dealer do? The installation looks very simple from the videos. Or would that price include polishing the lenses?

Good question...I figured installation was trickier, but I never saw the video. I'll have to check that out and rethink my options. If it is indeed fairly easy, that would be the route I will take.
 
It looks like, clean it, apply it, rub it, and cut it. So if you are already gonna polish it, then it looks like you can have the film applied, and trimmed, in less than 5 minutes. Maybe have both lenses done in 7...
 
It looks like, clean it, apply it, rub it, and cut it. So if you are already gonna polish it, then it looks like you can have the film applied, and trimmed, in less than 5 minutes. Maybe have both lenses done in 7...

I would agree, though the same can be said about window tinting, and we've all seen the at-home bubble-filled tint jobs out there. If I was working, I could justify experimenting with $60, but for now I would need to hear a success story first.
 
Ok - That's cool. I was mostly wondering about the difference in price, and what was missing from what one party was doing, versus the at home kit.
 
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Close to a year ago I did the usual sanding and polishing on my 97's headlights. I had noticed it needed to be done about once a year so I tried something new. On the passenger side instead of polishing I used a high temp clear coat. End result- it looks like I did it yesterday and the other side needs done again. This time I will use the clear coat on the drivers side as well. $12 isnt much, but I am a cheap skate so the $3.50 paint is better for me.
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Is it UV resistant? If not, your lens will become yellow and will not be fixable.

any automotive clear coat will have UV inhibitors in it

I should say any automotive clear coat were buying....
 
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