I have to say I am wildly impressed with this Turtle Wax Headlight Lens Restorer Kit. My car is 14 years old - and so are my headlamps. I recently did some research on the price of new ones, and aftermarket no-name lights run around $90 per light. Brand new headlamps from the dealer would run $600. Geez.
So I decided to take this big huge risk and plunk down the $10 or so for this Turtle Wax kit to help save my ailing 14-year-old lights (by the way, that's 98 years old in dog years!).
The change that this kit made on my lights is remarkable. They are definitely in a "like-new" state right now, since the kit of course can't take out any big scratches or pits or anything like that. It's really only for yellowing and oxidizing. The biggest thing that makes this product worthy of your $$ is the incredible ease of use. If you can sand something (without sanding your bumper) and have 20 minutes to spare (ok, 40 if you are slow and read every single word of the directions like me), you can be successful with this kit and save yourself a ton of dough on new headlamps.
There are other kits for sale, both here on Amazon and elsewhere, with varying prices. I even saw one for $100 or so. I haven't tried any of those but I honestly don't see why the higher costs would be justified.
The Turtle Wax Headlight Lens Restorer Kit comes with 4 sanding pads, a lens sealing wipe, and most importantly, two bottles of "stuff": one is a lubricant for wet-sanding, and the other is a pasty abrasive waxy liquid (Lens Clarifying Compound) used before and after the entire sanding process. You're supposed to apply the waxy liquid, then let it dry and buff off, and then start wet sanding with the #1 sanding pad until you see a noticeable improvement in your lights. For me, longer was better, especially since my lights were pretty bad. After that, you use the #'s 2-4 pads sanding in the opposite direction (e.g. up/down vs left/right) at one minute each. I probably went two minutes with each of those pads just to be sure. Next, you dry the lights, then re-apply the Lens Clarifying Compound and buff off, and finally, use the glove to wipe on a lens sealant (it felt almost like a runny gel) to seal the lens.
Here are some pros to this kit, as I see it:
-It was so easy! It took me about 40 minutes in total, from start to finish, and that's both lights too. Along the way you can definitely see improvement so it's not like you are left wondering if it will make your lights better.
-The price was extremely reasonable
-My lights are now "like-new"; the only thing that you can still see is areas where a rock hit the lens on the highway, or a crack inside the plastic (not on the surface). But it sure beats paying $180 for no-name aftermarket lights and upwards of $600 for lights from the dealer.
-They give you way more than you need with this kit. I was extremely liberal with the lubricant spray for sanding and I still have a half a bottle left after doing the procedure TWICE on both lights. Same with the Lens Clarifying Compound. The sanding pads also seem like they are still in decent shape, too.
-It seems like ANYONE could do this kit successfully; male or female, young or old, handy or not. It's that easy.
Here are some cons, however:
-I wasn't satisfied with the results the first time around. I wondered if I did enough with the #1 pad, the most abrasive (and therefore removes the most) pad. So I went out the next day and did the whole kit again (the first night I did not put the sealing wipe, so if you plan to do it twice, don't use that wipe). After another go I was really impressed with the results.
-The lens sealing wipe was the only hard thing to use. They give you this slippery, extra extra large glove to use when you apply the wipe. That, combined with the fact that the sealant is gel-like/oily made it hard to get a good grip on the little wipe. It fell out of my hand and onto the driveway once but didn't pick up any sand or anything, thankfully. I think if I had to do it again I'd try a different glove for better grip.
-I am not confident that this little wipe and sealant will actually seal the lens long-term, so I'm going to wax my lights twice once the sealant cures. They say it takes 24 hours to do so. I think waxing the lights will provide another level of protection from scratches, oxidation, etc.
A couple tips:
-When you're sanding, make sure to use the lubricant liberally. They give you enough to do so and I think it makes the results better.
-Be sure to apply a lot of pressure when sanding. The sandpaper is very fine grit so light sanding may not give you the kind of results you are looking for.
-Don't be afraid to go longer than the directions say (only 1 minute for the #2-4 pads). The second time I did the kit I really took my time and got a lot of sanding in. I think the results were much better because of that.
-Try to use a microfiber cloth to wipe your lenses and for the Lens Clarifying Compound, rather than an old rag which may scratch the lenses further. Microfiber also soak up a lot of liquid and help things dry fast. I bought a big box on here a few months ago and use them for practically everything car-related:
Zwipes Microfiber Cleaning Cloths, 36-Pack
-Do the kit once without using the sealing wipe, then wait some time and see if you like the results. If you do, apply the sealant wipe. If you don't, don't be afraid to do the kit again.
All in all, despite the minor "cons", I still give this price 5 stars because of the huge and impressive results, and of course the cost. Good luck!
| Manufacturer | TURTLE WAX |
|---|---|
| Brand | Turtle Wax |
| Model | Headlight Lens Restoration Kit |
| Item Weight | 0.01 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 2.13 x 3.06 x 6.63 inches |
| Item model number | T-240KT |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Manufacturer Part Number | T-240KT |
| Position | Front |
| Special Features | Used on all lenses, plexiglass and plastic surfaces |
