Thursday, February 21, 2013

Do you have cloudy head light lens....??

Are your Headlight lens faded, darkened, milky, dim, yellow, cloudy,  out of focus... you have a problem..





 Fix.. you can do it your self... with kits but if you don't know what your doing.... your lens can become out of focus.. swirl effect.. and cost more to fix.. or purchase a new lens which depending on the car run upwards to $1200.00... Oh I miss the glass...lens The USA  Auto manufacturer, in the 90"s, were required to make headlight lens of plastic. Auto style designs made it difficult for glass lens and plastic was the answer for such stylist shapes. Also the industry was mandated to reduce weight and plastic was the right substance for this reason. [
 But this is a down function of having plastic lens.. they become out of focus because of discoloration which yellows,fades,clouds up,looks milky, diminish light which can be a hazard while driving at night.What cause the lens to discolor..?  Heat is the Culprit.... each time you turn on your head lights the lens gets heated up..and expands allowing dirt, water,street grim of oil and such. When the headlight is turned off..the plastic contracts and what entered the plastic prior remain in the plastic and or within the leans compartment. Uv rays is another contributing factor for heating the outer layer of the plastic helping to worsen yellow or cloud the plastic lens.
With 250 million auto's in the US and up to and possible over a third have discolored and faded headlight lens are the cause of multiple night accidents and going off the road.

 Cloudy, foggy, yellowed plastic headlight lenses are a factor that impacts as many as nine out of ten cars on the road today. Driver's are unaware of this discoloration because we have our car washed by machines, and engine care done for us so we don't look at the lens.. just jump in and drive off due to our fast passed life. Also the fading is a slow process and drivers do not notice until it's to late.. and they can's see in front of them while driving at night. Or worse go off the road or collide into some thing or some one.. When you finally notice a problem with your lens something must be done because this condition will not become better. You can get kits and do it your self. The kits will take a short amount of time..but problems might arise ... and the slight improvement will not last long.
Or you can have them done for you.. it might cost more but it is warranted and last longer.. nothing stops the discoloration.. it does come back .. but if done properly it should last 3-5 years or longer... the kits.. will last months..in the long run you are better off to have it done for you...


You can't reverse UV Damage. If they are relatively clear and not too bad .....maybe. If they are amber yellow - the only way is to remove the UV  Damaged Layer. (yes - That means sanding) and buffing until clear. That means with several grades of sandpaper.. if improperly done you can have distorted vision.




Without the final step, an outer spray coat of protection is not applied after cleaning and sanding all your work was in vain.. A protection that you need to spray has UV inhibiting properties.

 "Understanding Modern Headlights on Today’s Cars". By Barry Theal Describes it best
 "Often the littlest things on a car can make a huge difference in both safety and appearance for you and your fine automobile. Today’s modern headlights can quickly become hazed and yellow. This is a result of oxidation to the UV coating on the lens. In some cases the lens can be polished without disturbing the coating to a like new finish.



 Others will have to have a more complicated approach to resurface and restore. In this article I will explain why this happens and what you can do to properly fix it. Headlights use to be made of glass prior to 1980. Eventually manufacturers in the automobile industry were changing designs and needed something they could easily form to a mold. Thus they began to look into newer sleeker materials that were lighter and could contour to a more aerodynamic shape. They ended up using a material called polycarbonate or the proper name Lexan.
 Polycarbonate is used in many products today; ranging from sunglasses, safety glass, eye glasses, to basketball backboards. It’s a very tough durable material, virtually impact resistant as well. The weight is much lighter then glass which plays a major role in today’s modern sports cars. While polycarbonate has many great features it also has several downsides that could cause a concern for drivers today. Polycarbonate alone is not able to hold up to environmental issues like the sun. Over time it will become very dull and faded. Next, manufacturers decided to put an Ultra Violet coating over the lens to prevent this from happening.
While this was a great fix to keeping the polycarbonate from fading and dull out instantly while underneath the sun’s rays, it also has issues. The easiest way for me to explain this coating is like clear coat on a car. Clear coats purpose was to add protection to the paint. Remember how older cars often oxidized. We have all seen those pink cars that were once red. This is the same thing that happens to the coating. It oxidizes and fades to a dull look. This robs from a vehicles’ overall finish, and also brings a very big safety concern. Over time this dull appearance will block light transfer and the headlight will not be able to produce the amazing brightness it once had. Over the years many companies have claimed that they can restore headlights to new condition by sanding and polishing them out. This is often referred to as a “scuff and buff” fix. From first glance, the result can be amazing. However, this is not the best approach. During this process the factory installed UV coating has been removed.
Once this coating is removed there is no wax or sealant that will be able to hold long lasting results once the protection has worn down. The polycarbonate lens will actually fade 3 times as fast. This usually happens with in 3-5 months of the scuff and buff fix.
Over time you will constantly have to have your headlamps sanded and polish. Most places can charge in the range of $80 – 150 dollars for this. This is a complete waste of time and money for the consumer. Some may say 80 bucks isn’t all that bad twice a year. The problem isn’t within the cost itself.
The concern is that polycarbonate is only so thick, repeated sanding and polishing will ruin the lens permanently. In order to restore the lens back to its standards a new UV coating must be re-applied. There are several companies who can provide the coating. I will leave out all company names so no promotional advertisements are provided."

 The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten. -Benjamin Franklin

 As a detail lens restorer, It take a few hours.. sand layers of with several grades of sand paper.. then spraying a layer of UV coating and letting that dry.. sometimes, depending on weather condition , the car must stay over night to allow the drying process to cure right.. If to rainy or snowing or cold.. the moisture slows down this process.. I am now able to provide a long lasting result that I can provide with a warranty.

For quality detailing
(Smoked tail lens is also available)
Shades of Darkness Window Tinting 
within Shockwave Customs
located at 26 e. Lincoln Hwy, Frankfort, Illinois 60423
phone.. 815-469-9141
ask for Wayne for price and schedule
price varies do to style of lens and cloudiness of Headlight lens.

 Bring back the brilliants, safety, and style of your car.

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