HEADLIGHT RESTORATION

Modern day vehicles have headlights made from polycarbonates, otherwise known as thermoplastic, compared to older conventional cover lenses made of glass. Thermoplastic has many advantages over their glass counterparts including ease of manufacture, impact resistance and light projection capabilities. However, it has one major disadvantage being its relatively poor resistance to ultra violet (UV) light. Thermoplastic lenses are protected with a thin clear coat similar to paintwork on the panels of the vehicle itself and over time or long exposure to UV light, this protection will begin to fade away. When UV light is directed at unprotected thermoplastic it begins to create oxidation and turn the lenses yellow. This can dramatically affect the overall look of the car, but more importantly refract light from emitting onto the road. Luckily these thermoplastic headlights can be restored relatively easily with amazing results, even on the worst of headlights. The process consists of multiple stages of wet sanding to remove the oxidation or left over clear coat, followed by compounding and polishing to restore clarity and finally a ceramic coating is applied to protect the lenses from UV light.