3M™ Headlight Lens Restoration System 39008, 4/Case

To my utter astonishment, this product blew me away! After following the step-by-step instructions, my 2007 car lenses look amazing! In polishing out all the scratches, my headlight visibility has substantially increased!! The best part is that I saved hundreds of dollars in replacement headlights which was worth this small investment!

This thing works like magic! I got a 2007 Camry that had legit yellow plague over the headlights! It took most of it out and my lights looks perfect ! Very simple to use and quick fix for old cars

Before you buy this, don't. Get the 3M 39045, which has the top coat included in the kit!First, the before and after pictures are not an exaggeration. The system will indeed produce a clear lens by following the directions. That part of the process I would give 5 stars to. The directions are very clear, but I would add a few items of my own, having made some mistakes.1) If possible, remove the covers from the vehicle and secure to a stable work surface!! If not, put a triple layer of masking tape around the edges of the lens to protect everything within 1.5 inches of the cover. (Use the green 3M tape or blue if you have to, NOT the tan kind!!) If you are inexperienced with using a pad mounted in a drill, you will have trouble holding the pad on the surface at first and you'll end up with nicks and edge marks around it.2) Use very, very light pressure on the first stage. Let the sandpaper do the work. This will help you keep more of the pad in contact while you control the pad's movement. Plus, it will help you avoid digging in the edges of the pad and causing very difficult-to-remove marks or burns.3) Use a slow speed at first. The instructions give a min/max RPM recommendation, but I found the pad difficult to control when it was spinning that fast, plus it was very easy to cause burn marks. Once I dropped the speed to slow, it became very easy.4) The first pass is what does all the yellow removal, so take your time, use up all the sanding disks (3 per lens), and wipe the lens often to see where you've missed. If you dig into the lens a little, then concentrate on that spot more. The second pass will not correct deep scratches, so work them out on the first round.5) The remaining steps are simply to remove the previous step's sanding marks. Use light to medium pressure. Wipe often.6) With the final tri-zact pad, it takes light pressure. Be careful not to damage this pad, since there's only one in the kit. It had no problem going the distance, but be cautious around the little nibs that stick up from the lens, etc. Keep the pad wet, and also keep the lens wet. The instructions say "damp", but you'll have better results with more moisture (to a point.) Rinse the slurry off and wipe with a terry cloth often. If you have a light handy, shine it at an angle to help see any sanding marks you've missed.7) With the sanding complete, you'll need to polish. The sponge pad is very absorbent, but a little compound goes a long way. The first time you add compound, use the recommended dime size and work it lightly around and into the pad with your finger (drill turned off.) Then put another dime sized drop on and place the drill on the lens lightly before turning it on. Same as sanding, but now you're using medium to firm pressure for the first 4-5 passes. Cover the lens in repeating passes left/right and up/down until you've been over it 4-6 times (per directions.) Use reduced pressure for the last couple passes. You will probably have to add compound a couple of times, but after that there will be plenty in the pad. I only had to add it once on the second lens. If it slings off or builds up, you've got too much on the pad (just squeeze a little out on a rag.)8) Finally, use a microfiber cloth to remove the hazy compound.You are NOT done, however, because this kit only cleans off the lens. It does NOTHING to protect the lens! It's going to yellow again within a year if you don't protect it somehow.3M makes a protectant product, which is included in another kit - 3M 39045, which is an overall better choice than this one (the protectant and green tape are included in that kit.)You can also clear coat it with a clear gloss spray-can finish (as long as it's an exterior grade finish.) You've already got it taped up, so mask off the area and go for it. That will last much longer than the 3M protectant. Don't forget to do an extra prep cleaning before spraying.That's it. My total time was about 1 hour for two lenses on a Toyota Corolla. Overall, I'm satisfied, but I wish I'd known about the more complete kit for just $4 more...

Have tried other restoration kits in the past. The 3M kit worked better than expected.Easy to use, instructions are clear and worked easilyWould definitely recommend this product for anyone looking to clear their hazy, yellowed headlights

Oil, filter and tire changes are taken for granted as periodic maintenance necessities. Others, as wiper blade replacement, are more often neglected until their declining function forces attention. But your dimming headlights are such a gradual process that it's easy to go completely unaddressed though degraded lighting poses a real safety threat. The clear plastic covering the headlights is exposed to chemicals splashed up from the road surface and acid rain which is constantly baked on by the intense heat of modern bulbs. Oxidation happens until it looks like it's wrapped in wax paper and your headlight beams are severely compromised. This kit and 20 to 30 minutes of your time can render those lenses crystal clear and looking like new. The instructions note that you will need to have access to an electric or battery powered drill. The kit comes with a disc pad holder that fits into the drill. Small circular sandpaper discs are attached to the pad via a velcro-like backing. There are supplied several discs of 500 grit, 800 grit, a "trizak" disc for further polishing, a foam pad and and a small amount of polish/rubbing compound cream. Before beginning work, the area around the headlight needs to be protected with recommended masking tape. 3M Kits I'd purchased in the past included this tape, but this particular kit does not. (Kit #39014 also sold on Amazon includes 25' of tape but costs about $7 more. If you already have suitable masking tape from a painting project you can save a few dollars with this kit though.) I used blue masking tape found in big box home supply stores in the painting section. Two layers are recommended to assure no damage happens to the adjacent car body paint surrounding your headlights. Once taped, the lens should be washed with soap and water to remove any dirt. Attach the first disc and with light to medium pressure go over the entire lens, making certain not to stay in one spot too long which would heat and damage the plastic. You might feel some uncertainty and wonder if you're destroying your lenses because they become a milky white. Be certain to periodically pat the disc to remove any residue dust buildup. When you have a consistent surface, move on to the next finer grit, the white 800 disc. This refines the surface though still an opaque white. The lens should be wet with a spray bottle or damp cloth and kept wet while using the Trizak disc. Finally use the foam pad attachment with dime sized amounts of the polishing cream. It's best to put the cream at the center of the disc and then slide it around the lens before you turn on the drill to have an even distribution and less spatter. If you don't rush through the process and do each step completely, you should now have headlights that look completely new. I've used perhaps 5 of these kits over time and the results are consistently amazing. There are kits that are easier to use with only fluids you apply by hand and elbow grease. They work ok, depending on the degree of residue and oxidation you have to remove. But if you want a professional looking restoration and you have a little patience, this kit provides outstanding results. Just be certain to purchase the necessary masking tape and try not to rush through the process.

Works as advertised on my 15 year old KIA Forte. While I was able to remove discoloration, some areas had a fog that I just could not remove. The lenses' have micro cracking that will not be affected by the use of this kit.The polish compound will be kind of messy getting slung off of the buffing pad. You may want to cover the area, inside hood and engine bay to keep the white droplets from get all over the place.I think my time and money would have been better spent in buying new clear lenses', and just swapping out the bulbs.