Anyone have success with Headlight Restoration Kits?

**amusante** · 04-06-2018 05:10 AM

Hey Guys, so my 2010 is at about 71K miles, and the headlights are showing the signs. Up close they look pretty beat up from highway miles, and with the lights on you can see the cloudiness. So my questions is, has anyone used one of those headlight restoration kits, and if so, feel free to recommend one. They seem pretty easy, so if it works on our headlights, I would love to give it a go.

**waxxonMTL** · 04-06-2018 05:39 AM

you need wet-sanding, good polishing and bare minimum a nano-coating or a professionally applied UV clear coat = Bottom line, it would cost you more than 500$ to get all these parts, pay a local bodyshop/detailer to do it :) but they do work.

**MrFunk** · 04-06-2018 06:02 AM

I'd buy replacements if you can afford.
Next best is polish them yourself with a proper buffer and product. I've had great success with that. A finishing polish is best. Wet sanding also works if you know what you're doing then finish with polish.

**A4 Centaur** · 04-06-2018 07:27 AM

Locating 1000 Grit or 2000 Grit wet sanding paper is done by going to an auto painting supply shops or on amazon where everything is found: https://www.amazon.com/3M-Wetordry-S.../dp/B0061JM4HG and Home depot: https://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-Wetor...3003/303173623

Lot's of water and arm strength is needed. Finalized with Brasso and or another brand of metal polish. This works pretty well, but takes tons of time. https://www.mscdirect.com/browse/tnp...SABEgKTt_D_BwE

However, having done that with other VAG cars, I found buying the lenses on ebay the easiest method. They cost around 150 bucks for the set.

**TEB** · 04-06-2018 08:08 AM

A bit of a threadjack, but I did the sanding and buffing on my kids' Pilot. They look fantastic for a few months then need redone. I've just gotten in the habit of buffing them any time I'm doing detail work. What are the UV sealants that people are using? Do they work to maintain the looks for a long time?

I really don't mind the buffing, but before I sand off the coating on any other lenses, I'd like to have a good sealer to use.

**amusante** · 04-06-2018 08:21 AM

Originally Posted by A4 Centaur

Locating 1000 Grit or 2000 Grit wet sanding paper is done by going to an auto painting supply shops or on amazon where everything is found: https://www.amazon.com/3M-Wetordry-S.../dp/B0061JM4HG and Home depot: https://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-Wetor...3003/303173623

Lot's of water and arm strength is needed. Finalized with Brasso and or another brand of metal polish. This works pretty well, but takes tons of time. https://www.mscdirect.com/browse/tnp...SABEgKTt_D_BwE

However, having done that with other VAG cars, I found buying the lenses on ebay the easiest method. They cost around 150 bucks for the set.

Thanks for all this info. So if I went the route of new lenses, this means I would have to "bake" them to melt the glue holding the current lens and glue the new ones in? Not sure I would feel totally comfortable doing this myself after destroying a set of MKIV Jetta headlights back in the day.

**b8s4me** · 04-06-2018 08:31 AM

Originally Posted by amusante

Thanks for all this info. So if I went the route of new lenses, this means I would have to "bake" them to melt the glue holding the current lens and glue the new ones in? Not sure I would feel totally comfortable doing this myself after destroying a set of MKIV Jetta headlights back in the day.

Yes you need to bake them. I did them myself, it's extremely easy. I used some kind of silicon glue I bought at Auto Zone to seal the lenses, although the OEM glue just re-heated and sealed the new lense

**tar** · 04-06-2018 08:35 AM

Replace lenses best and cheapest way.

Plus a good time to ditch those amber side markers.

**grovlet** · 04-06-2018 10:52 AM

I had good luck with:
McKee's 37 Headlight Kit

Worked fairly well for just a drill attachment - and the protectant seems to hold up well. I will say they do have a newer "Coating" that is designed to hold up longer...

Also note - the Headlights in my case were not fully hazed over - but just dull

- but came back cleaner than ever

**red4life5** · 04-06-2018 03:23 PM

I just re-did my headlights with the clear lenses swap. $120 for the lenses, $20 for the sealant, then I went $60 for the clear laminated so they won’t get destroyed again. If you have a $20 best gun the lenses come off easy and are easy to put back together; seriously. Everyone should do it

2010 A4 S-Line Prestige

**TEB** · 04-07-2018 07:33 AM

Originally Posted by red4life5

I just re-did my headlights with the clear lenses swap. $120 for the lenses, $20 for the sealant, then I went $60 for the clear laminated so they won’t get destroyed again. If you have a $20 best gun the lenses come off easy and are easy to put back together; seriously. Everyone should do it

Do you have a link to the lenses for sale? I did some searches, but no luck.

**tar** · 04-07-2018 07:42 AM

Originally Posted by TEB

Do you have a link to the lenses for sale? I did some searches, but no luck.

EBay type in audi b8 headlight lenses or similar

**Bruno_s4** · 04-07-2018 09:57 AM

I did the lens and reflector replacement last year. Very easy. So worth it.

Sent from my Samsung S8+

**PopTart** · 04-07-2018 12:11 PM

On A Budget

**CrownSeven** · 04-07-2018 02:57 PM

Aren't those kits meant for plastic lenses and ours are glass? Didn't think glass lenses have the cloudiness problem. Pitting sure but can that even be fixed with polish?

**joe biker** · 04-08-2018 04:12 PM

Are we talking plastic or glass ???

**A4x** · 04-08-2018 06:01 PM

Originally Posted by amusante

Thanks for all this info. So if I went the route of new lenses, this means I would have to "bake" them to melt the glue holding the current lens and glue the new ones in? Not sure I would feel totally comfortable doing this myself after destroying a set of MKIV Jetta headlights back in the day.

Originally Posted by red4life5

I just re-did my headlights with the clear lenses swap. $120 for the lenses, $20 for the sealant, then I went $60 for the clear laminated so they won’t get destroyed again. If you have a $20 best gun the lenses come off easy and are easy to put back together; seriously. Everyone should do it

2010 A4 S-Line Prestige

The B8 lenses are easy to remove with a heat gun. There are a few DIYs on here. You can find OEM replacements on eBay, from China, for about $100.

Really you can't go wrong replacing the lenses.

**CrownSeven** · 04-08-2018 07:52 PM

Originally Posted by joe biker

Are we talking plastic or glass ???

Our lights are glass which is why the only way to repair them is with new lenses. Polishing is for plastic.

**Tuneman7** · 04-08-2018 10:58 PM

Originally Posted by PopTart

On A Budget

This doesn't really work all that well, it will clear the cloudiness to a certain extent. With the UV coating already stripped the cloudiness will come back in a few days if that.

I would suggest replacing the headlamp or the lens if you can. Unfortunately the DIY kits will never hold up as well as the OEM UV coating from what I've read.

I replaced the headlights on my Dad's 2006 Camry that had this issue, fortunately a good set of replacement headlamps were 100$ combined. I believe on B8/B8.5 S4's they are more in the realm of ~500 per headlight.

**TEB** · 04-09-2018 06:33 AM

Originally Posted by CrownSeven

Our lights are glass which is why the only way to repair them is with new lenses. Polishing is for plastic.

You sure about that? I believe they are all poly-carbonate.

**jonwoods** · 04-09-2018 06:39 AM

Try an off the shelf lens polish kit first. I’ve had moderate luck with these. Or you can just wet sand and use various grits of polish the exact same way you would fix clear coat. You have to be careful not to get the plastic too hot tho.. The more elbow grease you apply, the better the result. Doesn’t last though (regular maintenance is required) and it doesn’t cure heavy pitting.