Anyone tried the new headlight kits?

[evo77]

If you are not applying any UV resistant coating to the headlamp after the restoration process then they will 100% fail again in a very short period.

I recently tried out the Cerakote restoration kit on some faded 2012 Cruze headlamps. This kit while claiming to be very easy proved to be a challenge for me. During the sanding steps I just couldn't get uniform coverage. Parts of the original hard coating from the factory were impossible to remove without putting in a ton of pressure on the sanding discs. So because of this I ended up installing deep scratches into the lens that I was not able to level out with just the two coarse grits supplied. The final step was the ceramic coating wipes and while it was supposed to be a self leveling coating which is used to fill in the minor scratches left behind, it didn't do it so well and left a not so clear lens.

While my experience is primarily operator error it demonstrates that the skill level of the person performing the restoration and the quality of the kit determines the outcome. And its important to note that while visually looking at a lens that *appears* more transparent does NOT indicate that it will perform like a new headlamp. Because lets not forget that headlamps are safety devices and we need them to provide at the highest level possible.

A study done in 2018 by AAA regarding the performance of lens restoration and aftermarket replacement headlamps revealed some rather interesting data. For the restored sample headlamps, the beam performance achieved was only 50-80% of OEM performance. This means that while they *looked* like newer clear lenses they did not perform like brand new dealer OEM lamps.

Here is one of the samples, an Altima headlamp, and the measured beam performance in a birds eye view of the scan. Though the restoration improved the beam, it still was not as strong as a new OEM lamp.






New OE lamps are not always cheap but they do guarantee the best performance between a restoration kit and an aftermarket replacement.
08 Ford F150 OEM lamps are found HERE and HERE.

[David Puddy]

If you are not applying any UV resistant coating to the headlamp after the restoration process then they will 100% fail again in a very short period.

I recently tried out the Cerakote restoration kit on some faded 2012 Cruze headlamps. This kit while claiming to be very easy proved to be a challenge for me. During the sanding steps I just couldn't get uniform coverage. Parts of the original hard coating from the factory were impossible to remove without putting in a ton of pressure on the sanding discs. So because of this I ended up installing deep scratches into the lens that I was not able to level out with just the two coarse grits supplied. The final step was the ceramic coating wipes and while it was supposed to be a self leveling coating which is used to fill in the minor scratches left behind, it didn't do it so well and left a not so clear lens.

While my experience is primarily operator error it demonstrates that the skill level of the person performing the restoration and the quality of the kit determines the outcome. And its important to note that while visually looking at a lens that *appears* more transparent does NOT indicate that it will perform like a new headlamp. Because lets not forget that headlamps are safety devices and we need them to provide at the highest level possible.

A study done in 2018 by AAA regarding the performance of lens restoration and aftermarket replacement headlamps revealed some rather interesting data. For the restored sample headlamps, the beam performance achieved was only 50-80% of OEM performance. This means that while they *looked* like newer clear lenses they did not perform like brand new dealer OEM lamps.

Here is one of the samples, an Altima headlamp, and the measured beam performance in a birds eye view of the scan. Though the restoration improved the beam, it still was not as strong as a new OEM lamp.






New OE lamps are not always cheap but they do guarantee the best performance between a restoration kit and an aftermarket replacement.
08 Ford F150 OEM lamps are found HERE and HERE.

Did that study happen to mention what % of the OEM reference is achieved by "good" aftermarket housings like say Depo or TYC? I completely agree that new OEM housings are the way to go (and the very knowledgeable people on the Daniel Stern Lighting and Candlepower forums very emphatically support using only OEM housings) but they can be cost prohibitive - for example, OEM housings for my 4Runner are around $250 per side plus tax and shipping.

[Desertnate]

Did that study happen to mention what % of the OEM reference is achieved by "good" aftermarket housings like say Depo or TYC? I completely agree that new OEM housings are the way to go (and the very knowledgeable people on the Daniel Stern Lighting and Candlepower forums very emphatically support using only OEM housings) but they can be cost prohibitive - for example, OEM housings for my 4Runner are around $250 per side plus tax and shipping.

You're lucky if they are only $250. When you get into HID's and LED housings, the prices are substantially higher. I think the the HID housings on my car are over $2000 each. Fortunately, they age well and I will polish them when needed.

[David Puddy]

You're lucky if they are only $250. When you get into HID's and LED housings the prices are substantially higher. I think the the HID housings on my car are over $2000 each. Fortunately, they age well and I will polish them when needed.

Absolutely. I forgot to include the critical detail that like the F150 in question my 4R is also a 2008. I don't consider an '08 to be all that old and it's certainly worth fixing properly but $500+ for new OEM housings could be hard to justify for a lot of people if there's an aftermarket solution that works "well enough" for 1/3 the cost.

[Klasse Act]

Here's the pics of my results with the Griot's Garage kit from a couple years ago:

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Not sure why real world results haven't swayed people to give this a try instead of buying new lights...$30 & elbow grease> $$$$ new headlights/DEPO brand

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[Eldorado2k]

Here's the pics of my results with the Griot's Garage kit from a couple years ago:

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Is that your wifes car? How do those lights look today?

[David Puddy]

Not sure why real world results haven't swayed people to give this a try instead of buying new lights...$30 & elbow grease> $$$$ new headlights/DEPO brand

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There is a point where the plastic is so deeply discolored that it's no longer feasible to recondition and replacement housings are the only solution. Neither the F150 nor the Mazda you posted were at that point, but it absolutely happens.

[Eldorado2k]

There is a point where the plastic is so deeply discolored that it's no longer feasible to recondition and replacement housings are the only solution. Neither the F150 nor the Mazda you posted were at that point, but it absolutely happens.

Completely agree.^

That’s why advertising headlight restoration is something I don’t do. It’s too unpredictable.

[Klasse Act]

This is true but the pic doesn't truely show how bad they were! Low beams did ZERO at night time

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[Eldorado2k]

This is true but the pic doesn't truely show how bad they were! Low beams did ZERO at night time

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Umm, hello

My question?