Can anyone recommend a good headlight sealant?

Avoidin Deer

Avoidin Deer

Zoom Zoom, baby
Contributor
:
Central Virginia
:
2019 CX-5 Reserve
I've had my car for less than 2 weeks am and in that mode of seeking out all the things I can spend my time doing to it.

One of those things is putting a protectorant on the headlights so as to delay the degredation of the plastic, while not harming the existing UV protection.

I see lots of brands out there, and when I read the reviews of folks who have used the product for some period of time, I find nothing that really seems to be worth the time and money. And lots of the sealants are meant for use after polishing out the haze from aged lenses, not for protecting new ones.

Weathertech makes a film you apply as you would a cellphone screen protector, where you use soapy water and squeegee out the bubbles. That looks like reasonable physical protection, but not necessarily something that would delay the hazing effects of the sun.

Heck, one guy even applied clear spray-on Plasti Dip! That was an interesting video....

Is this something I should even bother with at this point?
Does anyone have any product recommendations?
 
Avoidin Deer said:
I've had my car for less than 2 weeks am and in that mode of seeking out all the things I can spend my time doing to it.

One of those things is putting a protectorant on the headlights so as to delay the degredation of the plastic, while not harming the existing UV protection.

I see lots of brands out there, and when I read the reviews of folks who have used the product for some period of time, I find nothing that really seems to be worth the time and money. And lots of the sealants are meant for use after polishing out the haze from aged lenses, not for protecting new ones.

Weathertech makes a film you apply as you would a cellphone screen protector, where you use soapy water and squeegee out the bubbles. That looks like reasonable physical protection, but not necessarily something that would delay the hazing effects of the sun.

Heck, one guy even applied clear spray-on Plasti Dip! That was an interesting video....

Is this something I should even bother with at this point?
Does anyone have any product recommendations?
Click to expand...

www.griotsgarage.com
 
Avoidin Deer said:
I've had my car for less than 2 weeks am and in that mode of seeking out all the things I can spend my time doing to it.

One of those things is putting a protectorant on the headlights so as to delay the degredation of the plastic, while not harming the existing UV protection.

I see lots of brands out there, and when I read the reviews of folks who have used the product for some period of time, I find nothing that really seems to be worth the time and money. And lots of the sealants are meant for use after polishing out the haze from aged lenses, not for protecting new ones.

Weathertech makes a film you apply as you would a cellphone screen protector, where you use soapy water and squeegee out the bubbles. That looks like reasonable physical protection, but not necessarily something that would delay the hazing effects of the sun.

Heck, one guy even applied clear spray-on Plasti Dip! That was an interesting video....

Is this something I should even bother with at this point?
Does anyone have any product recommendations?
Click to expand...

If you did absolutely nothing to protect the clear plastic, it would be years before any haze would become apparent.

Does your vehicle sit out in the direct sun, all day, every day?

All I have ever done to protect my clear plastic is to wax it regularly, using regular car wax. Most quality waxes have some UV protection.

I think you worry too much. There are probably worse things that will happen to your vehicle than hazy Polycarbonate.

Rock chips comes to mind as does parking lot hit and run incidents.
 
David Paul said:
If you did absolutely nothing to protect the clear plastic, it would be years before any haze would become apparent.

Does your vehicle sit out in the direct sun, all day, every day?

All I have ever done to protect my clear plastic is to wax it regularly, using regular car wax. Most quality waxes have some UV protection.

I think you worry too much. There are probably worse things that will happen to your vehicle than hazy Polycarbonate.

Rock chips comes to mind as does parking lot hit and run incidents.
Click to expand...

I read differing opinions on whether or not to wax new lenses. Perhaps it's the issue of avoiding polishing compound sin them.

Yeh, my car sits out all day every day. My primary motivation was the cost of replacement lights and doing what I can from the get-go to defer their degradation. I have sun shades for the windows to protect the interior from fading, so thought this was the next thing I could do to keep an expensive coponent as new as possible.

But you're mostly right...I'm just looking for something else to do on it. This is not a driving need.
 
As soon as the purchase is completed, I take my cars to have XPel paint protection film applied to chip-vulnerable areas.
The headlights are covered with XPel at the same time.

The film is perfectly clear and I avoid abrasion from road debris, hazing, and minimize the chance that something will chip or crack the lens.
 
There's also the option of applying a film for UV protection, some of which also help prevent lens cracking from rocks or other debris depending on their thickness and what they are made of....

I had what I think was a Lexan clear thick film applied over my 2001 Miata headlights, and while it worked in terms of protection and was nearly invisible, the film itself eventually yellowed over the 5 years I had that vehicle (sat outside in NJ all seasons, no garage). Car was unfortunately totaled, but I assume removing the yellowed film for the planned trade-in would have been a huge PITA. Since that particular vehicle, I haven't done anything specific to my headlights.

Overall, the polishes made specifically for removing headlight haze work very well in my experience and with some but not a huge effort to use. And as others noted, haze usually occurs very slowly and over time, so not an immediate need, and regular car polish adds some protection anyway. I suspect not doing anything and then just addressing haze if and when it happens with a product specifically made for headlights might be a perfectly acceptable approach.
 
Turborascal said:
As soon as the purchase is completed, I take my cars to have XPel paint protection film applied to chip-vulnerable areas.
The headlights are covered with XPel at the same time.

The film is perfectly clear and I avoid abrasion from road debris, hazing, and minimize the chance that something will chip or crack the lens.
Click to expand...

I'm still considering doing that. The shop here quoted $1,700 to do X-Pel. If I had opted for the SCRM paint, the film would already be on it. I bet that's a pretty car with the brown interior. I really thought about it long & hard and ended up with an Eternal Blue GT Reserve. I'm happy with it.

The shop here does:
-Front bumper
-Hood
-Fenders
-A pillars
-Leading roof edge
-Headlights

I found it interesting that he does not do the sideview mirrors but he does the A pillars and leading roof edge. Everything I've read says shops usually do the mirrors but not the other two. Maybe those are the areas the XPel kit is pre-cut for.
 
I would have PPF applied to protect against physical damage, then apply a good sealant or a ceramic coating for the UV protection. I had a 2008 IS250 that started to develop some hazing in 2015. I repaired it correctly by wetsanding, buffing, and polishing, then maintained it with regular wax applications twice a year until I sold it a couple of years later.
 
Our 2014 CX5 (garage kept) started to have some degradation along the tops of the lenses starting in about 2017. I polished it out (did not sand), and have been regularly applying Meguiar's headlight protectant. Seems to be doing pretty well at keeping the degradation at bay.
 
PatrickGSR94 said:
Our 2014 CX5 (garage kept) started to have some degradation along the tops of the lenses starting in about 2017. I polished it out (did not sand), and have been regularly applying Meguiar's headlight protectant. Seems to be doing pretty well at keeping the degradation at bay.
Click to expand...

Clouding in only 3 years is pretty fast for a garage-kept car. I've done one lens restoration. It was not long ago on a 1990 Volvo. It was pretty rough looking. I was surprised at how well those kits work. I think I used the Turtle Wax one.

Meguiar's was one of the protectorants I was looking at, along with a few others. Online reviews are pretty valueless.
 
I've had mine 6 years. For most of that it's been garaged. But the past 2 years I now work at an open office parking lot so lots of sun during the day. No degradation/haziness that I can see yet.
 
Avoidin Deer said:
Clouding in only 3 years is pretty fast for a garage-kept car. I've done one lens restoration. It was not long ago on a 1990 Volvo. It was pretty rough looking. I was surprised at how well those kits work. I think I used the Turtle Wax one.

Meguiar's was one of the protectorants I was looking at, along with a few others. Online reviews are pretty valueless.
Click to expand...

Yeah I thought it was pretty fast also, but such is life.

I don't do headlight restoration kits. I use actual detailing products like Meguair's 105 compound on a Lake Country 3" foam pad on my Porter Cable 7424 DA polisher. I have wet sanded other headlights in the past prior to polishing, but in this case the degradation was light enough that just the 105 compound did the trick. Then I followed up with the headlight protectant applied with a foam applicator pad, and buffed off with microfiber.
 
Avoidin Deer said:
I read differing opinions on whether or not to wax new lenses. Perhaps it's the issue of avoiding polishing compound sin them.

Yeh, my car sits out all day every day. My primary motivation was the cost of replacement lights and doing what I can from the get-go to defer their degradation. I have sun shades for the windows to protect the interior from fading, so thought this was the next thing I could do to keep an expensive coponent as new as possible.



But you're mostly right...I'm just looking for something else to do on it. This is not a driving need.
Click to expand...

Okay, since you are the originator of this thread and got off topic, so can I. :)

You mentioned having sun "Shades". So, may I assume that you have multiple shades? If so, definitely the windshield shade is extremely important. However, after market tint for the rest of the windows is also very important and you will not have to use side shades.

All quality after market tint gives UV protection for the interior of your car, plus you won't have to fuss with having to remove shades before driving.

If you have never installed window tint, I strongly suggest having it done professionally. The modern tint material is scratch resistant and with a bit of care, will last the life of the vehicle. Don't go with the cheaper material. It is well worth the extra cost to go with the best quality the professional has to offer.

With window tinting, your car will stay much cooler and your AC will not have to work as hard.

All of my vehicles of the past 35 years or so, have been tinted including my current 2016 MX-5 soft top and 18 CX-5.
 
David Paul said:
Okay, since you are the originator of this thread and got off topic, so can I. :)

You mentioned having sun "Shades". So, may I assume that you have multiple shades? If so, definitely the windshield shade is extremely important. However, after market tint for the rest of the windows is also very important and you will not have to use side shades.

All quality after market tint gives UV protection for the interior of your car, plus you won't have to fuss with having to remove shades before driving.

If you have never installed window tint, I strongly suggest having it done professionally. The modern tint material is scratch resistant and with a bit of care, will last the life of the vehicle. Don't go with the cheaper material. It is well worth the extra cost to go with the best quality the professional has to offer.

With window tinting, your car will stay much cooler and your AC will not have to work as hard.

All of my vehicles of the past 35 years or so, have been tinted including my current 2016 MX-5 soft top and 18 CX-5.
Click to expand...

First, I never wait for the OP of a thread to get off topic before I started rambling. You are more observant of protocol than I. ;) And I sometimes am aware that I've derailed things.

Second, thanks for the tip. I did use the plural (shades), but I only have the windshield. I purchased the one with the CX-5 logo from Mazda without realizing I wanted the entire set. I can get the set from Weathertech, but I gotta buy the windshield shade...the other windows are not available separately.

I might check into tinting. I've never had it done on any of my vehicles, and I don't want the interior of this car to fade. Sounds like a good idea.
 
We purchased our 2014 in 2016 with the front side windows already tinted fairly dark to match the rear windows. I also never had tinted windows before this vehicle but now my wife and I both love having them. Makes a huge difference in summer.
 
PatrickGSR94 said:
We purchased our 2014 in 2016 with the front side windows already tinted fairly dark to match the rear windows. I also never had tinted windows before this vehicle but now my wife and I both love having them. Makes a huge difference in summer.
Click to expand...

May I ask about what it cost you? And did you shop around...did you look for certain capabilities in the tint shop?
 
PatrickGSR94 said:
None, it came that way when we purchased the vehicle used in 2016.
Click to expand...

Oops, you did say "already tinted fairly dark."

I need to do a little reading to see the degree to which tinting protects the interior.
I've spoken with a nano coating/protective film guy, and I think he's got a tint guy he works with.
 
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