koreywill

After having tried many suggestions as to how to get rid of the haze on my headlights I've given up and am going to buy new non HID assemblies. As I look at different sites I see manufacturers such as DEPO, TYC and others. I also see certifications such as DOT/SAE and NSF. Lexus OEM assemblies sell for just under $400 each whereas on some sites I see prices at just above $200 for a pair.
Does anyone have an idea what I should be specifically looking for? Suggestions as to what you may have purchased in the past would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your help. koreywill

funcrusher

koreywill

That's my plan. Does anyone also have suggestions that have worked for them?

Oro

Just to check, have you tried progressively wet sanding them from 800 up to like 3000/4000, then clear-coating?

My lights were VERY bad. The car was in TX for the 1st 3 years and on the road a lot; it really hammered the lights. Not at all like what PNW sun would do. This revived them nicely. Since then, one light has been replaced from a deer strike. The repaired one is clearly a little "cloudier" (but not yellow) than the brand new one, but the beams are identical - exact same hue and spread. Total cost was $7 + a few hours with various sand papers I already had, tape and paper to mask, then a can of Rustoleum UV clear.

using Aerospace 303 is also a way to prevent UV degradation other than clear-masking them. The shape of these things and my poor experience with clear masks makes me lean towards that, now.

koreywill

Hey Oro!

Short answer: Yep. Done that. I did the whole routine and took my time up through the grads of paper. Each one looked better and better but the final product just wasn't what I'd hoped for. Mostly used the 3M kit but prefaced it with 800, 1500, 2000, 3000, Trizact, rubbing compound, polishing compound, and then Meguiars PlastX. Never sprayed on clear coat as I believe there's haziness inside the passenger lens. I'm ready for fresh as I'm tired of polishing and sanding and rubbing and......

shortstop

The Hid housings are more money than the Halogen housings and are different OEM part numbers because of the need for the ballast compartment and cover. You should order the same type original to you car. either being HID or Halogen that it came with.The wiring is different, the housing, and the bulb fitment is different on the two of them.
If you plan to keep the car 5 years or more and your mileage is low, get OEM, Otherwise the aftermarkets might be OK for the money saved, but don`t expect a perfect fit or perfect seal with some of them. Even the OEM housings will start to haze and film up inside the housing from all the heat from the bulbs after 5 to 10 years more so the HIDs, The outside is easy to maintain with a good plastic cleaner, then polish, and finally a wax every few months. P.S. The halogen is easier to do than the HIDS that require you to swap over the old ballasts and wires to the new Hid housings. But both type require you to remove or drop down the front bumper cover, to remove the headlight housings to get them out, plan on a few hours to get this done.

koreywill

Hey Shortstop! Thanks for the response. I have non HID lights now and do not plan on changing. The car's got 337,xxx miles on it now so I don't really know how long it will last but I know that the current lights take away from the overall good look of a car that still looks good even though its 16 years old.
My purpose for writing originally was to ask if anyone had good (or bad) luck with any particular brand of headlight assemblies and any particular site where they had good service. Like you I believe the OEM parts are superior but in this case I don't think the extra cost is justified.
Side note: I usually find that if I estimate the time it takes to do a repair and then double it I'm usually more accurate. Slow but thorough I guess.
Again, thanks for the response!

shortstop

Your doing it right staying with what is original to the car I could see you were staying with Halogen just wanted to make sure you knew there were two different types of housings for 2002 thru 2004 with different prices and OEM part numbers. The new Halogen housings will make a big improvement to the look of the car. and they are easier to do. I am with you on the aftermarkets for a car with 330000 miles. Just don`t cheap out for made in china at the lowest price. You could also check out Ebay and Craigslist for some slightly used OEMs at reduced pricing, or maybe new with some slight scuffs marks that could buff out . If there are anymore still around. You might just get lucky.

koreywill

Well, for $239.08 I got TYC headlight assemblies from Rock Auto and couldn't be more pleased. Not mentioned in "How-to" articles is the removal of the black plastic part between the top of the front bumper and the radiator. Just a bunch of push pins so removal is pretty easy. You definitely have to remove the bumper cover. You could flex it but like someone else said that could present its own set of problems for the paint. All in all it took about 3 hours because I ran into other minor problems along the way that I wanted to fix. When I held the new headlight next to the sanded, compounded, plastic polished old headlight there was no comparison. If you've got the money, spring for new headlights. You won't be sorry. Now I just need to take a drive at night when it's dark to check on the aiming.
Oooops. Forgot to thank every one for their input. It's always appreciated.
337,261 miles and with everyone's help I hope to get to 400,000.

funcrusher

Nice! I’m installing my new headlights this weekend on my 06. Had to leave them with a shop for a week so they could do a retrofit

shortstop

Give yourself a pat on the back from all of us, on a job well done. I will bet your car looks ten years younger now.

koreywill

Hey Shortstop! Pat on the back given! And, you are absolutely correct about the car looking much newer. In retrospect it was kind of off putting to see such a nice looking car have such sad looking headlights. Completely different now.
With that being said, does anyone have suggestions as to how to keep them looking this good as long as possible? ORO mentioned Aerospace 303 which I already have and funcrusher mentioned a clear bra. Do you have a source for that? Any other thoughts? Again, thanks for everyone's input and suggestions.
One more thing: I haven't driven the car at night yet so I have no idea where the headlights are pointed. Might be entertaining the first night trip out.

funcrusher

Exotic car owners will take their car straight from the dealership to have the entire thing wrapped in clear bra. I can’t think of a better way to keep the lights from fading! It’s a good investment and not expensive if you only want the lights done.

shortstop

How would you rate the TYC headlight housings from 1 to 10 being the best, for fit and finish. Did everything fit well with the bulb sockets and did they seal well ?

koreywill

Hey shortstop! I just went out and looked at the lights. I don't think you could tell the difference between TYC and OEM unless you looked really, really close. Regarding installation two of the mounting holes were spot on but the remaining one was maybe 1/8" off from being completely centered. A little finesse moved it right into position but it was not that big of a deal. As far as the bulbs sealing well: visually they look good but only time will tell. I can't imagine there will be a problem.
All in all I'd give them a 9 out of 10 rating. Best part about them is they gleam like new and look great.