I am risking posting this as it has been discussed to death BUT, I don't have the foggy and hazing problem. My headlight assembly is actually corroded. Over time, the corrosion has creeped down the front of the assembly. It's about 1/4 down down......both of them.

If it were just hazing and/or fog like stuff, I could use the 3M product. I have already replaced the housings one with used one that were nearly as bad as my original 2004s. Those quickly started the corrosion business too.

How in the world do any of you keep your headlight lenses so clear and beautiful? Remember, this is corrosion, not fogginess nor hazing like happening. Some day, my lenses are going to be so corroded, light won't come through. Besides, they look so god-awful

If I were to buy brand new headlights, have the lenses been improved?

Thanks!

 

Me again. I decided to take a picture of each one. Believe it or not, I made NO scratches. It's the corrossion. I even put in "eyelids" hoping it would stop it. At the time, the lids actually covered the start of the corrossion. No, it can't be cleaned off nor polished off. With my orginal lenses, I tried that. I succeeded in scratching them a bit.

Thanks for your time.

 

That is heavy UV damage. heres a good link....

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...ht-covers.html

 

Thanks for the reply....however, I have much more than "cloudy". It's as if the lens is deeply corroded, very rough to the touch. Simply horrific.

I notice they talk about wet sanding, but some say don't do that. Very confusing.

Thanks anyway. Much appreciated. I wish I did have only cloudiness and/or foggy/hazed lens.

 

To me it looks like the definition of cloudy/hazy as per this forum. Other than replacing completely ($$$), you will need to sand them back to shiny. Maybe apply a 3M protective liner to prevent future abuse. That's what I intend on doing on mine.

 

Cissy,
I had some lights with similar 'roughness' from UV degradation and it does come out.... sanding IS required to get through it.... you can have a detail shop do the job for you and they will look great.... I checked a shop locally and they wanted $50 a light.... which I wouldnt consider too bad given the work that will be involved and they have the experience.....

 

Well at this point, as bad as your lenses look, I doubt that trying a sanding technique would do more harm than good, so it's probably worth a shot. There are a few kits you can pick up in auto part stores that come with the different grits you'll need. The rougher ones should be able to take off the outer corroded layer you're talking about so that the finer ones can do the trick of making them clear again.

 

Ditto to that, we have a high end detailing shop that does the same thing for a similar price. Definitely cheaper than 1200 for new headlamp assemblies.

 

Thanks so much to all of you. As scary as it is, looks like sanding would be the solution. I have never owned a car in my life where lenses did this sort of thing.

An old post I found says this happens because of lack of maintenance. I don't think that's true at all. I wash, wax, my car often. So often, I am asked why I wash a car that is already clean.

I will definately check into this sanding stuff. I guess I'll have to remove my eyelids first LOL?

Thanks much to all of you

 

Yeah, removing the eyelids would probably be a good plan.

I don't know if I agree with the lack of maintenance thing. Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight is much more likely to be the culprit. Does your car sit outside most of the time?

 

Yes, it does sit outside all the time. However, it is covered about 50% of the time. Same situation for my Miata I had for 17 years. Sat outside exposed a good deal of the time. No corrosion on headlight lenses. None. Only this car ... dang it anyway LOL

I recheck the passenger side lense. The corrosion is creeping up from the bottom as well....just beginning. Man, I hate that!

Anyway, hubby will check on what we need. I still have my old headlights from before I replaced them. They too got the heavy damage. We'll practice on those and see how well they do.

::waving::: Thank YOU!!!!!!!!!

Oh yeah, if we are successful, what do I need to get to protect them? Apparently these lens came with no protection at all...or inferior materials :-P

OK, I had kept the passenger side headlight, but I tossed the driver's side headlight (my originals). Funny thing is, the "old" passenger side headlight has on a fraction of the UV damage that the replacement now has. LOL. A good headlight to practice on.

 

What is a 3M protective liner?

 

There are a few companies that make what is essentially a plastic film that is cut to the shape of our lenses that you apply in order to protect the lenses. This way the plastic film absorbs the UV rays, preventing the lenses from being damaged. 3M makes some, another big name is Lamin-X.

 

Cissy,

living in an area where 60% of all cars bought new never see a coat of wax, I estimate that 90% of those have 30% of the clearcoat remaining. And those are the same cars with milk jug headlights. And this goes for any make or model. It seems that if the car is neglected for the 1st year-no wax anywhere including headlamp lenses, all of it starts to turn to chalk.

Back to topic: I've repaired headlights in much worse condition than yours with wonderful results. If you can find a body shop or detailing firm that will sand and polish them for $100-$200, you are way ahead.

Best of luck!

 

I just got through applying the lamin-x to my headlights. Wanted them for the protection from pebble and debris hits, but the UV protection is a great perk. They came in a pre-cut kit for our headlights, fog lights, and side marker lights. Come in colors also. I used the clear, and they look great.

 

Thanks! I'll look into that I wonder if the clear liners will yellow over time. Anyway, thank you much!

 

Sounds good Thank you@

 

I would never nor have I ever neglected my car(s). And, nary a problem with clearcoat nor headlight lenses. Only this Crossfire and this is second set of lights! LOL.

With the economy as it is, even paying that much for a detailer is too much for me right now. However, my Miata I had for years (17) and now this Crossfire I've had for 5 years has ever been in a mechanic's garage/detailer. We do it all ourselves.

Since I have a spare corroded headlight, we are going to give it a try on that first. If we absolutely cannot clean this up, then I'll take her to a detailer.......after I float a loan LOL

Thanks, Max! This is very encouraging to hear; that you have had worse lenses than I

Thank you!!

 

Maxichon
Did you do the headlight lenses yourself? Can you tell me how? In PM if you'd rather.

I put my spare passenger side headlight assembly back on as it doesn't have nearly the UV damage as the one I took pictures of. So, I have polished that one in hopes from keeping the damage from getting worse.

We have started on the bad headlight lens (the whole assembly is on the bench.. So far, the roughness is gone, but not even close to removing the UV damage.

Would you mind terribly giving a step by step if you've done these yourself? It would be so appreciated. Thanks!

 

This isn't corrosion as much as it's the disintegration of the hardcoat applied to the lexan/polycarbonate lens cover.

The headlight lens covers wouldn't last a month without the hardcoat due to its low hardness. Just like eyeglasses made of the same material, the manufacturer coats the plastic surface with a chemical coating (like a clearcoat) designed to be much harder than the plastic, yet clear as glass.

The unfortunate thing is that the hardcoat applied to earlier XF's obviously had some sort of QC issue. Later XF's (2006/2007's) have much more reliable coatings.

Wet sanding/polishing is very easy to do. But make sure you do not scratch your paint while you work on your lenses. Mask the car parts off very carefully before doing this.