Anyone else feel like I do about the "crappy" plastic lenses that go over the head lights?

Mine are starting to haze over and I haven't even had the car a year. Not only, that the right side is getting dirty on the "inside". Going from my 97RL with glass lenses to the '06 with plastic was something I wouldn't have imagined Acura/Honda doing. You spend $50K for a car and the part that goes bad is the head light lens that everyone can see.

You cannot buy the lens separate, you buy the whole light assembly at $800-$1000 a side. Then you still have the same issues...hazing cover and dirt on the inside.

I read the saga of taking these out, disassembling them to clean the lens on the inside, and then putting it all back together hoping it doesn't leak water. These lens should be made of glass, it would be a better product. You can sand and polish the lens and in the end the result will just come back.

Very poor design for a very expensive car IMHO.

 

you forget that even though you didn't have the car for awhile it's 5 years old. If that's how long it takes for the plastic to start looking bad, I don't think you're doing that bad.

 

+1

In addition, there are lens restoration kits available that will get rid of the haze. Once that's done, a good coat wax will help cut down on future haze.

 

All valid points, especially the car being 5 years old.

I've had great luck with those kits, and if you arent up for the challenge for 75-100 you can pay someone to do it for you.

 

Alfa, just clear coat the plastic after you wetsand and polish it. That should give you some time. All in all, it should be about a 60-75 minute job.

 

I read a lot of good things about the 3M kit. The best part is the drill attachment! I ordered one and waiting for it to be delivered. My headlights pitted by rocks not oxidized.

P.S. You'll need to buy a UV sealer.

http://www.amazon.com/3M-Headlight-L...8844885&sr=8-1

 

The headlights on my '06 are still close to mint. Inside and out!

LL

 

my point is that the headlight should not have any issues at all. It is just Honda/Acura cutting corners (nice pun huh?) on something as simple as a headlight lens that should be made out of glass. All your points are well taken. I did leave out the part of the car being 5 years old, but that given 5 years the lens should not haze over or fill with dirt from the inside. Just a poor design overall in the lens dept. The light itself is awesome.

I will get one of those kits. Has someone done a documentary on the process?

 

Sorry to hear about your headlight lens issues. I have an 06 with 66,000 miles and my headlights are clear. Not sure why you're having issues when are cars are a similar age and miles. Wonder if there is something the previous owner did ?

 

I can assure you its not just Honda, my moms eagle talon was like that, my motorcycles have gotten like that, I see tons of tractor trailers like that... I think it caused more by the crap on the road and how you drive more than anything.

But I agree they should create a more resistant plastic.

 

Alfa, maybe this should make you feel better. After reading your post yesterday I walked past a BMW 7 series (looked like an '02 to '08 body) and gave it a quick over view. This $70k+ "Super Luxury Car" had plastic headlights that were clear as mud. I almost took a picture to make you feel better. I guess my point is that it happens to the best of them.

However, my May '07 headlights are clear as day. I wonder if climate has anything to do with it. Do you live close to the sea? I know salty, moist air can do numbers on a car.

 

I can't see the pix at work but here is one on honda-tech: http://www.honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2336666

 

someone once told me to use the fluoride tooth past to keep the lens from hazing up....

 

Mine are getting bad. I tried several different lens polishers - can't remember brand right now.
However, I have heard, but not yet tried that a product called "Buff Magic" works well. Mostly used in boating applications.

 

Sunlight is a bitch. Mine is covered from the sun, but still outside. Nice and clear still, but starting to see a little bit of hazing in small areas. 06'

For me, on my other cars, the buffing kits seems to work, but not for long. i think there is some kind of coating that gets taken of when polishing.

 

My neighbor's S320 has the same issue

Here are the instructions I used on my CL

Post #12
https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-cl-2001-2003-50/fresh-wash-wax-wetsanded-headlight-pics-484296/

 

Before


After

 

yeah my headlights are hazed out too. bothers the crap out of me. ive heard stories of people restoring their headlights and then condensation builds on the inside thats why i never did it. but if it clears up and doesnt build water up inside. i would be willing to give it a try

 

Why would the polish make them leak?

 

Resurfacing the lights using a kit such as 3M would only solve the issue for a few months before the haze comes back, at which point it would be worse than before.

The lights are made out of plastic and not glass due to the fact that the lenses and the newer cars are not flat and incorporate a whole lot more curves/corners in them compared to their old glass counterparts.

All lenses come coated with a coating from factory that protects against damage from UV rays, after so many miles worth of wear the coating fades away gradually giving way to UV rays to do their damage, hence you see spotting on the lenses first and then eventually hazing.

When you use one of the restoration kit, all you are doing is getting rid of all the protective coating from the lens, or what ever is left of it, and then polishing the lens ridding it of all the scratches and blemishes. After refinishing the lens your lenses are clean and shiny for the time being but in a matter of few months, if not weeks, the UV rays will turn them yellow again.

The best way to avoid this situation is to polish the lenses and then install precut 3M ventureshield film on it to protect against UV rays. DO NOT INSTALL ANY OTHER FILM ON YOUR OEM HEADLIGHT LENSES BUT VENTURESHIELD. Cheap precut clear bra films will eat into the plastic lenses by chemically reacting with the plastic and causing spider webbing through out the lenses, which no amount of sanding/polishing will get rid off.


When I usually resurface headlights, each headlight gets sanded down a few mil and then polished to OEM luster before a fresh coat of UV sealant is applied on each headlight.

Here is an example of a resurfaced set. Lights are from an 04 TL, hence about 7 or so years old, can you tell .

 

Fantastic post sir.

 

Supposedly, the heat caused from the friction between the buffer and lens causes tiny cracks in the plastic. This can allow for moisture to get into the housing. I personally haven't had the problem, though.

 

Interesting.

 

Yes... my drivers side headlight has condensation and it builds up everytime it rains and it had haze. i tried to buff it it cleared it up but its pissin me off that the condensation is there.

Has anyone had condensation and fixed it? Is there anyone that opens it up and re seals them? Cuz i am not gonna pay $800-1000 for a new headlight.

 

I've opened them an resealed them and that solved the problem. You need to find out where the water is getting into the light though.

 

Damn i wish you were local i would let you do mine!! Anyone in Jersey? How hard is it to do?

 

This is a great solution that I have been looking for. You get the 3M kit at your professional auto paint store? Cost?
Where do you get the Ventureshield product?

Christopher

 

I dont know anyone in Jersey. JNC might be around there. Its not very hard. Just takes some patience and a steady hand. Also need to find if water is coming from the seal or somewhere else in the light.

 

I looked up the VentureShield on Google and found out it is a 3M product. I did a 100 mile search and came up empty handed for an installer. The material is recommended to be cut with a computer aided cutter. Any suggestions on what to ask my favorite 3M store to order for me? Can I cut this by hand? Is it easy to install? Looks like it is sort of like a decal that you float onto the lens and smooth out.

My car looks like cr*p with these lenses fogging up. It is a safety hazard when the illumination is decreased from the fogging up.

As to the leakage around the headlight...take a high pressure water hose and go around the edges of the lens and you can find your leak easy enough. Apply a thin coat of clear silicone sealer to that spot and see if that resolves the issue.

 

I just got done doing the same thing (searching). I'd love to buy a precut set for my RL or even attempt cutting on my own.

 

Lamin-x has a precut set of protective film covers for the RL. I emailed the local vendor/installer regarding installation but got no response. That said, the video on the website made it look fairly straightforward...

Take care

 

I bought these and installed them on my RL within a month of owning the car when I bought the car new in 2006.

The car now has over 85K miles and not a hint of hazing. Definitely worth the cost.

http://www.autosportcatalog.com/inde...dcar=1&sc=3364



With headlights costing $300 or more, even a gravel hit can be expensive. XPel's DOT-approved 30-mil material is flexible enough to adhere to curved headlights, but has been tested to withstand the impact of gravel traveling at 120 mph. The pressed, polished thermoplastic vinyl is optically clear so it won't change the look of your car or reduce lighting effectiveness. Custom-cut to fit your specific make and model, Special 3M adhesive backing goes on in minutes. UV inhibitors ensure that the covers will remain clear even in the harshest elements. Covers both headlights. Please specify your vehicle's year, make and model. For use with factory headlights and foglights only. 5-year warranty. Custom-made in USA.

 

Here's a video for the 3M headlight restoration kit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t1RBw0IGXA

Here's a video of how to install the 3M ventureshield, I would assume it would apply to other similar products.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5btjWP6RvY

I was looking around for a set for the RL and found this.

http://www.clearmask.com/vehicle_page.php

I'm not sure if Lightguard and Ventureguard is the same thing but they're both made by 3M. I ordered the 14 Mil kit. Hopefully it's not too thick.

 

Mine too! I think it helps it's garaged.

 

If I was a service manager for a dealer, I would be offering this service to new cars to install the Venturesheild covers to the headlights, as an up-sell before the car even left the lot.

Thank you for posting all of this information. This is a great topic for the future owners of all Acura's.

 

here is a DIY i followed
http://forums..com/showthread.php?t=...ght=headlights

my head lights were so bad looking to and felt really rough with rock chips everywhere...now its good as new

 

I bought some precut for the RL from a guy from supraforums.com

His email is Reidfletcher@me.com

He has precut film for all types of cars. I forget which brand it is but its one of the known brands.

 

Just remembered. I got ventureshield.

 

I just did mine 2 days ago. I used the 3M kit. Works and looks good, although it didnt come with a protective clear coat like another brand I used before, it was easy to do. I think a slower drill works better for sanding than what they recommended because the risk of smearing and burning the lens. Then use faster speed for polishing.

 

Was that first picture unusually bad, or is that how they always were? Mine look like your second pic. That was BAD... The grill looks really nice though.