Yellow, hazy or moisture?
Three problems look alike. Yellowing is oxidized plastic on the outside. Haze is the same, or fine pitting. Fogging inside the lens is moisture, a different problem. Only the first two can be restored. If you see droplets inside, the housing has a leak.
In a humid area like Oakville, owners sometimes confuse the two. We check before we start, and tell you.
A quick test: shine a torch into the lens at an angle in daylight. Surface haze changes as you tilt the beam, while internal moisture stays put whatever angle you look from. If you are unsure, send a photo and we will tell you before we book a visit.
Pitting is another variant. Gravel and sand from winter roads leave tiny craters in the lens face, and those scatter light in all directions. Wet-sanding levels them in most cases, though very deep pitting may need more than one pass.
The process
Restoration is quoted with your vehicle.
- Wash and mask the paint around each lamp.
- Wet-sand to remove oxidized plastic.
- Polish to clarity.
- Clean and prepare the surface.
- Apply a UV protective coating.
- Check the beam with you.
Our headlight restoration page covers more, and the why headlights turn yellow guide explains the cause.
Each lens takes patience. Sanding goes through finer and finer grits, and each stage has to remove the marks of the one before it. Rushing it leaves a cloudy finish that returns in weeks. The protective layer at the end matters as much as the sanding, because bare plastic yellows again fast.
The paint around the lamp is masked off first, and we clean up all the slurry and residue when we finish, so nothing is left on the bumper or in the panel gaps.
Lakeshore roads and dark country roads
Whether you take Lakeshore Rd at night or head up to the dark stretches north of Dundas St, light output matters. Cloudy lenses reduce how far you can see and scatter light into oncoming traffic. Restoring them is one of the more useful upgrades for the price.
Clearer headlights also help with wet-weather driving on the lake side, where mist and spray cut visibility.
Keeping them clear
Garage when you can. UV is what causes the yellowing, and any protective layer wears over time. Washing gently and avoiding harsh solvents helps. If you add headlights to a detail, ask about it on the quote.
A set of restored lamps is also useful before a sale or lease return, since a cloudy lens is one of the first things a buyer or inspector notices.
Booking in Oakville
Send photos on the quote form. We work in Eastlake and Kerr Village and everywhere else in town, with our own water, power and lighting. See Oakville car detailing.
We work Monday to Saturday, 8 AM to 6 PM. Pay by card, e-transfer or cash, and every job ends with a walk-around.