View Full Version : Meguire's Headlight Restore Kit review w/pics..
yearoftherat
09-01-2011, 01:56 PM
My Dad's 2002 RAV4 headlights were in bad shape and needed to be refinished. Since there are no TM3 sponsors located in Winnipeg, I thought I'd give a try at a headlight refinish kit. There are a few different kits available and decided to go with the Meguire's kit:
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k22/cjlee9/Headlights%20refinish/IMG_0209.jpg
The kit comes with a buff pad, microfibre towel and a bottle of PlastX Clear Plastic Polish:
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k22/cjlee9/Headlights%20refinish/IMG_0212.jpg
These are the headlights are in pretty bad shape:
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k22/cjlee9/Headlights%20refinish/IMG_0204.jpg
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k22/cjlee9/Headlights%20refinish/IMG_0205.jpg
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k22/cjlee9/Headlights%20refinish/IMG_0206.jpg
After masking off the car and following the instructions, I spent about 30 minutes per side and followed it up with a polish the next day.
As you can tell the headlights look 100% better than before:
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k22/cjlee9/Headlights%20refinish/IMG_0208.jpg
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k22/cjlee9/Headlights%20refinish/IMG_0207.jpg
For someone looking to refinish their headlights, I recommend that you give this kit a try and see the results yourself.
Scottobot
09-01-2011, 03:37 PM
Very nice, thanks for the review!
SomeGuy
09-01-2011, 09:45 PM
If you really want better more permanent results I would use the 3m kit. It actually sands them down whereas this kit is nowhere near as agressive. I did the 3m one on my old 3 and it did a decent job of cleaning them up (mind you they were covered in rock pits that were still too deep for the sanding kit).
If you really want better more permanent results I would use the 3m kit. It actually sands them down whereas this kit is nowhere near as agressive. I did the 3m one on my old 3 and it did a decent job of cleaning them up (mind you they were covered in rock pits that were still too deep for the sanding kit).
Yup, 3M is awesome :thumbsup You can buy it at Canadian tire
zakman
09-02-2011, 08:03 PM
I have used this product also. It works great on the head lights that are yellow and such. It worked well for me. Nice result.
07carbon3
01-17-2012, 12:55 PM
is plastx safe to you use aftermarket smoked tail lights?. will it fade away the smoked colour from plastic?
07carbon3
01-18-2012, 06:37 AM
ttt
yearoftherat
01-19-2012, 12:46 PM
is plastx safe to you use aftermarket smoked tail lights?. will it fade away the smoked colour from plastic?
Plastx will remove the smoke from your tail lights as its is a mild abrasive.
yearoftherat
05-29-2013, 09:38 PM
Update: Went home to see the family and thought I'd update this thread.
After almost 2 yrs, the headlights look like this:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/05/30/saparate.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/05/30/a6y2yvys.jpg
As you can tell, the headlights have faded and yellowed. After reading the reviews of the 3M kit, I decided to give it a try. The big difference is that with the 3M kit, you are actually sanding away the haze with different grits of sandpaper. The Meguires kit is just using an abrasive compound to polish away the haze.
After approx 2 hrs, the headlights are looking a lot better:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/05/30/y4ahyqy6.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/05/30/5etydyvy.jpg
Conclusion: If your headlights are slightly hazed and need a touch up, then maybe the Meguires kit will fit your needs.
if your headlights are badly hazed and yellow, I would def recommend you spend the time an effort and get the 3M kit.
Jackal
05-29-2013, 10:49 PM
Nice review yotr. It looks like 3M makes a good product for restoring hazed headlights.
mystix
05-30-2013, 12:56 AM
I dont know the solution but you need to find some sort of UV protectant for it. I did my dad's accord and it turned back hazy after a couple of months.
Jackal
05-30-2013, 07:42 AM
You can put any coating or sealant on it but eventually it will be hazy again. It may be 2 months or two years but it will come back.
Rob23
05-30-2013, 09:01 AM
I dont know the solution but you need to find some sort of UV protectant for it. I did my dad's accord and it turned back hazy after a couple of months.
I did my headlights with the 3M kit over a year ago and they still look perfect. It comes with a polish you apply at the end so maybe that has the UV protection.
JaYson
05-30-2013, 03:13 PM
you know what does a suprisingly good job..... i'll tell you : Meguiar's leather polish
my brother in law smeared it on my headlights and it cleared them right up.
Shinglez
06-01-2013, 08:24 AM
Very nice job :) I just bought the Turtle kit myself so I'll be giving it a try soon
omalak
06-01-2013, 10:24 AM
Will the 3M kit get rid of minor scratches and pits in the lights? Have a set of xenon housings i want to refinish
Rob23
06-01-2013, 10:39 AM
Will the 3M kit get rid of minor scratches and pits in the lights? Have a set of xenon housings i want to refinish
Yes, my headlights were pretty bad and it made them look almost brand new. It only takes them down so far though so dpending on how deep your pits and scratches are.
yearoftherat
06-01-2013, 11:17 AM
Will the 3M kit get rid of minor scratches and pits in the lights? Have a set of xenon housings i want to refinish
Like I stated above, the 3M kit uses 2 different grits of sandpaper. It is a 4 step process whereas the Meguires just uses polishing compound.
trebororr
10-09-2014, 09:38 PM
Used the Meguire's kit last year on my old Taurus; it worked well, but I think next time I will use the 3M kit.
RustyMZ3
12-22-2014, 11:30 AM
To make your efforts go longer, avoid the touchless carwashes. The chemicals used in these washes will totally render your work useless. I actually used 800, 1000 and 2000 grit sandpaper (wet) on my headlights and one wash actually left etch marks on the lenses.
physhy
04-19-2016, 06:21 PM
just cleaned up both headlights on my 08 M3 GT. One side was worse from the other and I think it was mostly because of cleaning snow, brush that I have/had sucked. Went to Canadian Tire and they no longer carry the 3M product so I picked up this one.
It worked extremely well. The headlight that was not as bad looks like new. Other headlight improved 90%.
Just a word of caution for someone who might have more than "normal" damage to the lenses. This product looks good to clean most cases but if you have something that looks bad other methods will work better such as using more sandpaper grits and/or more time than they suggest on this product.
My arm was killing me after the whole process, would have been nice to have a drill attachment although I get why they don't add one. I can see some people going crazy with power tools and go overboard perhaps doing more damage than good.
overall score 8/10
jeff7670
09-07-2016, 09:15 PM
Thanks for the follow up after two years! Was very informative.
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