Headlight Restoration in Raleigh, NC That Lasts

Yes, when the haze is on the outside of the lens, which is the case for most yellowed headlights. Oxidation happens in the surface layer of the polycarbonate, and removing that layer and polishing what is underneath restores both the appearance and the light output. What restoration cannot fix is damage inside the housing: internal fogging, moisture behind the lens, or cracking through the plastic. We check for that from a photo before booking.

That depends almost entirely on whether the lens is sealed afterward. Bare polycarbonate with the factory coating removed will start oxidizing again from the first stretch of sun, which is why some restorations look excellent for a month and yellow again by the end of the season. Parking out of direct sun and avoiding harsh cleaners on the lens both extend it.

It is quoted per vehicle, based on how far the oxidation has progressed and how large the lenses are. Light hazing takes fewer sanding stages than a lens that has yellowed and begun flaking, and that labor difference is what moves the price. Send a photo of your headlights and we will quote the actual job, including whether restoration is worth doing on them at all.

Look at them in daylight with the lights off. A clear lens looks like glass; an oxidized one has a yellow or milky cast you can see from a few feet away. At night the giveaway is a beam that looks scattered rather than throwing a defined pattern down the road. If you recently fitted new bulbs and noticed no real improvement, the lens is almost always the reason.

Headlights are one of the twelve items on the NCDOT annual safety inspection checklist, alongside brakes, tires, steering and wipers. Whether a specific hazed lens passes is at the inspector's discretion rather than a fixed threshold, so we will not tell you a restoration guarantees a pass. What we will say is that heavily oxidized lenses cut measurable light output, and that is what the check exists to catch.

Yes, and it is worth knowing before you spend anything. Moisture trapped inside a sealed housing, fogging on the inner face of the lens, and cracks running through the plastic are all problems on the wrong side of the surface we work on. Restoration will make the outside clear and the headlight will still look wrong. Send a photo and we will tell you which situation you are in.

No. We work mobile across Raleigh and bring our own water and power, so no hookups are needed at your address. We need access to the vehicle and somewhere to work. You get photos as we go and payment is collected after you have seen the finished result.

Yes. The same wet sanding, polishing and sealing process used in headlight restoration works on fog lights and oxidized tail light lenses. Tell us when you request a quote and we will include them in the price, since doing them in the same appointment costs less than booking a second visit later.