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The tops of the lenses on my '06 MCS HID's are quite cloudy. I would like to protect them from future oxidation with some Xpel films, though I need to figure out how to get them crystal clear again before applying the film. I have used the Sylvania headlight clearing kit multiple times before, and while it does improve the headlights a lot, there is still a sort of hazyness to the lens. Has anyone found a product out there that genuinely makes Mini headlights look brand new?
If your lens are like mine, then I would say... I think some of the cloudiness is on the inside of the lens...
I have used the 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System (29008) and spent the extra time really going at it with the ultra fine disk in the end, I think next time I will use a power ball to polish it as I apply the UV protection. but even after an hour of work on each lens, I am convinced the remaining cloudiness is on the inside. In my case front and rear lens. (This is for both my 2004s). Years ago I had some really good results with BRASSO, but that before anything else was available. CAUTION the BRASSO can chemically melt the plastic.
Alright, well..... My goal was to get the lenses as close to perfectly clear as possible before applying some Xpel protectant films. Xpel actually partners with Mothers, so I tried the Mothers headlight restoration system. WHAT GARBAGE!! All this kit did was leave my lenses "clear" (no oxidation), but fraught with millions of hairline scratches. I even called and spoke with Mothers directly about the issue and all they could think of was to use a slower drill speed & less pressure. So, I tried just that on the second headlight & got identical if not worse results. So..... at this point, I'm leaning toward using the Sylvania kit again, as it definitely had better end results than this Mothers kit. I'm at least getting a refund for the kit, but honestly worked with it as patiently as possible over the course of 3 days with absolutely horrific results. Very disappointed....
Best advice honestly. I've wet sanded and used every type of product. Wet sanding with 4 different grades, polishing, and then waxing them was the best I've had since none of the kits truly lasted. They look great at first and then begin to yellow in about a month. Baking your headlights and replacing the lens with a new one is your best bet. Then have clear bra put over them to help with them yellowing again in the future.
Best advice honestly. I've wet sanded and used every type of product. Wet sanding with 4 different grades, polishing, and then waxing them was the best I've had since none of the kits truly lasted. They look great at first and then begin to yellow in about a month. Baking your headlights and replacing the lens with a new one is your best bet. Then have clear bra put over them to help with them yellowing again in the future.
-Luccia
Where would someone get just the lens? I'm considering doing the joey mod to my headlights and doing this at the same time would be awesome.
worked great for me; no tools necessary. It's basically just a series of sandpapers and some of their awesome buffing compound (which I've used on several other projects).
Before:
After:
It took about 40 minutes and I had to provide my own spray bottle for water and a microfiber towel.
Question is how long does it last, and how much time does it spend outside.. Garage Queen will last much longer than a DD of course.. I need to do it as well but haven't heard anyone say they found something that works for more then a few months or so. Not something I want to do yearly...
Question is how long does it last, and how much time does it spend outside.. Garage Queen will last much longer than a DD of course.. I need to do it as well but haven't heard anyone say they found something that works for more then a few months or so. Not something I want to do yearly...
It just depends on your budget. It's $10 in sandpaper and rubbing compound versus $400-1600 on new headlamp assemblies. There are various weather protectants and sealers out there you should be able to apply after polishing, but I haven't used any of them and can't make a solid recommendation.
So how long have yours been done and is the car a DD? and did you only use whatever is in the kit.. ( no extra buying clear coat to professionally paint etc )
Where would someone get just the lens? I'm considering doing the joey mod to my headlights and doing this at the same time would be awesome.
If we have anything it would be here. If you can't find it you can give us a call and we can see what we can find: 888.280.7799. Otherwise, it might be something where you cannot just get a lens and will have to buy a whole headlight unit or go aftermarket. For my car (non Mini), I cannot just by the lens so I would either have to source used lights that have a lens that is in alright condition or buy new headlights all together. Good luck!
So how long have yours been done and is the car a DD? and did you only use whatever is in the kit.. ( no extra buying clear coat to professionally paint etc )
I only did mine about a month ago using the stuff in the kit, but after opening the kit up, I realized that I've got a whole bottle of the buffing compound on my shelf. That stuff is great.
It's a daily driver, almost never garaged. I haven't added any additional protectants/sealants.
TlDR: It is totally worth $20-$30 to buy a lens restore kit.
I had amazing results on a 13 year old cabrio s, with very yellow & cloudy lenses. I used mother’s nulens that was on sale at $20. Are there some micro scratches? barely, you’d have to hunt for any. Do the lenses look new? basically yes.
So apologies for reviving an old thread but this is the number one google hit for “clear coat mini headlight lenses”. Based on some of the comments suggesting the only option is to buy new headlights/lenses (not sure if you can buy just the lens). I wanted to share my experience with a DIY restore. Maybe it will help someone else who finds this thread.
My car is a 2006 cabrio s. Located in Toronto Canada and is my daily driver. Took her over from one owner who only put 70k on it 2006-2017. All being said she’s running very well but the lenses are still 13yrs old (2019). Salt, Ice, high uv- sun; low mileage makes no difference. Thought I’d share my success story on lens restore.
Before After Before After Before After
I used the mothers Nulens. Got my civic and mini done and there’s plenty left in the kit. The only piece missing is a clear coat which I will get.
That's a good deal! I spent about twice as much to finally get results like yours.
Months ago, I bought a Rain-X headlight restoration kit for about $30 I think. It came with 3 sanding pads, lubricant (for the wet sanding), liquid polish and sealant. The sanding pads were little squares (about 1.5") and I found it much more work wet sanding by hand with those little things than I wanted. Honestly, I didn't notice the liquid polish in the kit until the other day but after all that hand sanding, I was not pleased at all with the results.
I started looking at headlight restoration videos on Youtube and decided to have another go...except I was going to use power tools this time. I spent $10 buying 3" sanding discs for my cordless drill and another $10 on a set of foam polishing pads as well.
I started with 1500 grit sanding, followed by 2000, 2500 and finally 4000 grit. When I finished sanding with the 4000 grit, it was much better than before but still not good enough.
I put my orange polishing pad on my drill and added a few dabs of polishing compound that I had in my detail cabinet. That's when the results really began to pop. I followed that with a white polishing pad and some Meguir's polish I already had as well.
When I finished, I was thrilled at the results! Looks comparable to your pictures, Mini Putt.
I knew my Rain-X kit had sealant in it and when I opened the kit for the sealant, it was then that I noticed it also had liquid polish. Oops.
My R53 is a daily driver and lives outside so I'll probably reapply the headlight sealant every couple of months or so. It's not a big deal to me to reseal them that often. I regularly spend about 4 hours every other weekend or so detailing my car, so a few minutes extra on the headlights is nothing to me.
I have tried different kits as well, but haven’t had good results. Below are pictures of my brother in laws truck that I detailed last spring. I used three different grits of sand paper and wet sanded the lenses. Then I took my griots 3” orbital and did three additional steps:
microfiber pad with the fast correcting cream
orange pad with correcting cream
black pad with perfecting cream.
Everything took about 45 minutes. I sprayed the meguires headlight uv protectant on it, but wasn’t really happy with the hazing it left. Below are the pictures before the spray. Think I’ll just use wax next time
The defining moment during these headlight restorations is the finishing or coating you put on it. I used a quality 2K clear coat when I did mine and they look as good as they did over a year ago when I did the work. My buddy and I did 3 or 4 cars at once because the paint only lasts so long once you activate it.
03-31-2015, 11:16 PM
There are various weather protectants and sealers out there you should be able to apply after polishing, but I haven't used any of them and can't make a solid recommendation.
