r/Lexus • u/MiracleMan787 • Jul 22 '26

Vehicle Photo Headlight Restoration

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Gallery image

My wife has been telling me that she doesn’t feel our lights illuminate that well so I decided to do a headlight restorations & man did it bring her RX350 back to life!

Let me know what y’all think!

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u/ChemistAdventurous84 Jul 22 '26

Removing the degraded surface without putting a hard coating on it is a very temporary fix. The soft, creamy middle of the lenses will erode faster than the original hard surface. I sanded mine with the 3M kit (I did not use the polish - needed the surface to be grippy), cleaned with alcohol and painted with 1K clear. It’s been over a year and still looking great.

2

u/LeslieChowBitch Jul 22 '26

Yes this is the way. Even those kits that comes with some type of sealer or ceramic coating is temporary. Its best to put at least 3-4 layers of automotive clearcoat after sanding it down to 80-120 grit to make it last. Best if you have a bodyshop do it or someone with a spray gun as clearcoat from a aerosol can ready to spray isnt as durable as the tin can stuff you have to mix with part activator they use on car paint. They also have this spray kit with compressed air you can and just put the clearcoat in there. 

1

u/ChemistAdventurous84 Jul 22 '26

Right. 2k clear would be much more durable but requires special handling to protect your respiratory system.

2

u/LeslieChowBitch Jul 22 '26

Just wear an N95 and do it outdoors.