So... after trying multiple different solutions to fix my very weathered headlights, I broke down and bought a new set off Ebay.

Suggestions for those considering restoration vs replacement:

1) Most of the kits for restoring old lenses are junk. If your headlights are very weathered/yellowed, the crappy 'all-in-one' polishing paste / plastic sealant included in most kits won't be enough to remove the damaged surface, and all you will end up with is a protected/sealed yellowed lens.

2) Some kits or restoration methods will include multiple sheets of different sanding paper AND a rubbing compound/protectant, and although this method will remove the damaged plastic surface, the results didn't last more than a couple of seasons for me. One winter and we're back to fugly yellowed haze.

3) The cost of new replacement lenses (bulbs included) is often less than the cost of buying a restoration kit every year. (depending...)

4) Tooth paste works as well as most of the rubbing compounds found in the cheaper kits.

I'm usually a fan of fixing something instead of buying a new one whenever possible. However, I think that maybe the materials used in many modern headlights are just not durable enough to be worth restoring more than once. Although the restoration kits may be a good option to bring lightly used lights back to showroom finish, they are a poor solution for heavily weathered, older headlights.

FWIW...just my 2 cents.

 

Exactly right. A lot of the WJ's I've seen are in pretty bad shape. Restoring only works well if they're done early one before they are really weathered. Had a set that even I thought weren't too bad a friend did professionally. Did look a ton better but still not totally clear again. Ended up buying new ones since I was doing a quad retrofit. At $89ea was the better way to go.