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YOUR RESEARCHHeadlight Glass
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Replace headlights completely, what have you got
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Suggestion
If you are thinking about swapping out the lenses on the headlights, or replacing the headlights completely, what have you got to lose by trying to polish the scratches off the current lenses?
Leading evidence: 'Replace headlights completely, what have you got' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, The most frequently discussed action is 'Replace headlights completely, what have you got' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Suggestion
Whilst you're at it, maybe you can replace the plastic film they use for the clear bra with one that's all glass
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Suggestion
Whilst you're at it, maybe you can replace the plastic film they use for the clear bra with one that's all glass
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Suggestion · Original poster
Clearly, the Porsche uses low quality headlight lenses.
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Suggestion
If so, you can use a plastic polish to restore the luster of the lens.
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Replace headlights completely, what have you got
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Suggestion
If you are thinking about swapping out the lenses on the headlights, or replacing the headlights completely, what have you got to lose by trying to polish the scratches off the current lenses?
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So our headlight "glass" in North Amewrica is some kind of plastic, whatever its called.
Is it the same in Europe or they have a real glass? If that is the case did anybody try to retrofit it and how satisfying was the result?
Why do you ask? Are the headlight lenses fogged or scratched? If so, you can use a plastic polish to restore the luster of the lens. Blue magic works very well.
A few years back, I polished the headlight lenses on my 2000 Jaguar S-Type and got them back to 99% of new. I gave the bottle of Blue Magic to a friend who had the same issue on his daily driver, a 8 year old Nissan. His came back to 95% of new.
There are other products that will also work. It took me about 30 to 45 minutes to refurbish the headlight lenses.
Yes, I realize the lenses could be polished but I read somewhere, cannot remember where it was, that the lenses are covered by a scratch and UV protectant layer which, when polished out, will lead to a catastrophic deterioration of polycarbonate in a short order; they warned it will become cloudy and yellow from UV exposure pretty fast.
So, if its true i would rather avoid having the cure kill the patient.
I have seen headlights that have been ruined, look rough and sanded and like the top coat of the lens has been worn away. I'm assuming this was done in an attempt to polish out a few scratches or chips and ended in a disaster. I'd leave well enough alone. I have however with success polished out scratches in many types of plastics, tail light lenses, motorcycle windshields, glasses, etc.
If you are thinking about swapping out the lenses on the headlights, or replacing the headlights completely, what have you got to lose by trying to polish the scratches off the current lenses? $10+/- and 45 minutes of work is all it will take. If the lenses are bad enough to change them out, what do you have to lose?
If the project fails, go to plan B) which is to buy new headlight assemblies. I don't know any source to buy only the lenses themselves. If you do manage to find some lenses, you will have to heat up the headlights to loosen the seal around the headlight lenses so you can remove them. That option, IMO, is the cure which could kill the patient.
Thanks everybody for good information.
No, my lights are NOT ruined and for the 8 years of existence and 80,000 Km (50k Miles) look quite good. But still, there are few minor chips and scratches which I intended to polish but then remembered that info re anti-UV/scratch resistant layer.
Next, I started thinking WHY the lenses are not just glass like we used to have on cars before. Or better still, unbreakable saphire glass like watch crystals.
So, before polishing I've decided to post this question.
I am still not sure what should I do: leave the acceptable alone or polish and possibly risk ruining it.
Glass breaks.
Poly carbonate is tougher than glass thickness for thickness.
Sapphire Glass on watch crystals - sure if you want to spend $10,000 per headlight that weighs double.
Still, let me address "glass breaks" comment:
I am an older guy and in my lifetime I am sure I drove close to 1mil. km (600k miles) in cars with GLASS LENSES. It just happened that I never had any glass headlight broken.
Sure, the glass CAN break, but it was very rare when cars had glass lenses. I realize that polycarbonate lens shaves an ounce or two of weight but is it really worth it if will deteriorate inevitably with time? It saves manufacturing expenses a little but adds to maintenance headaches for the owners.
Its my conclusion and I stick to it.
OK. So you mean the days when headlights looked like this?
Just remember the design limitations of a pure "glass only" lens.
Polycarbonate lenses gave birth to much more complex headlight designs with much better aerodynamics to cars.
It is also not only cheaper and lighter, it is also far easier to ship (with less chances of breakage between manufacturing point and assembly points) etc etc.
Basically there are WAAAY too many advantages to going back to old school glass lenses.
The windshield is glass...
I wouldn't mind my headlight lenses made of same glass as windshield.
Would not cost much more then crappy plastic. The whole windshield is $100 wholesale...
My 2000 VW headlight lenses went 195,000 km and have less scratches and deterioration then 80,000 km 996. Actually they were only washed whenever the whole car was washed (not too many times) and look literally like new.
Clearly, the Porsche uses low quality headlight lenses.
I would rather have Porsche source their headlight lenses together with VW. At VW production volumes I bet Porsche lenses would be not only better but also cheaper.
If it really bothers you that much, I would polish them and be happy short term. Worst that can happen is that you need to get new headlights down the road which you probably would've done anyways as someone mentioned.
Just an FYI, I've polished numerous polycarbonite headlight lenses in the past and never had a yellowing issue. I think the key for me was to keep the headlights waxed as some do provide UV protection.
As for scratch protection, you're not going to get too much protection from a rock being thrown up at highway speeds no matter what.
I think you should sell your car immediately in protest and stop driving your dangerous car with your terrible polycarbonate lenses that have been formed in the distinctive shape that it's in. I also think you should write the Hella company and tell them to immediately find a way to create low CD, highly stylized headlights in their modern cars in sapphire glass. (because car manufacturers don't make headlights - companies like Hella do)
BTW Good grief - we have 997 and 993 owners crapping all over the 996 headlights and now we a 996 owner crapping all over our headlights because it's not glass???
my headlights had a very small amount of yellowing, you couldn't even tell...but i could...so I polished them, they looked great, I even applied rejex and they looked even better.....that lasted for about two months...then they turned even more yellow! Im in sunny California, so maybe that is why, not sure.....and on top of this it made the black seal around the outside of the light start to deteriorate.....now I need to buy myself a 997 just to fix it....
