Recondition headlights

Hello, I’m new here and this is my first Cayman. I’m a long time air-cooled Porsche wrench and am just learning this model. Very cool. My headlights were very crazed so I decided to try Cerekote’s headlight restore kit. So far, I’m impressed and it was stupid easy to do. I liked not having to spray paint UV protectant clear over it. Can anyone vouch for longevity?

Glad to hear the restore worked! If you don't have any UV protectant on there, it will oxidize and craze again, really... so you need to find something to help protect it. Many use a PPF that can offer UV protection.

Cerakote has a UV wipe that leaves a drying film. I did mine...but can't comment on longevity yet. Kit worked great though.

Im not affiliated with them in any way, I just like things that are simple, inexpensive ($17!) and seem to work well. CERAKOTE® Ceramic Headlight Restoration Kit Cerakote Headlight Restoration is completed in 3 quick and easy steps, with no power tools required. Cerakote is different than other headlight restoration kits because we manufacture a true professional grade ceramic coating that chemically bonds to the headlights and provides UV protection... cerakoteceramics.com

Fair enough... I wouldn't trust a wiped-on film to last that long, but it's better than nothing.

I have seen mixed reports on ceramic coatings lasting on headlights . But most of the naysayers were speaking theoretically and not from firsthand experience with it or the Cerakote kit specifically. I plan to tackle this job in the next few weeks. But, my plan is to use PPF instead of a ceramic coating or clear coat. The PPF should offer good UV and pitting resistance and can be replaced without having to polish the headlights again. I’ll update my post if my experience is different this time, but from past experience I can say that working with PPF isn’t terribly complicated on a smaller and flatter surface like a headlight. I’d suggest buying a little more film than you need and watching a few YouTube videos. I’d also recommend getting an Olfa or X-ACTO knife for the final trim and trimming the edges once the film has set up a bit and really tacked down, otherwise trimming the film can sometimes lift the edges.

I'm starting to get some light hazing on my cerakoted 987 headlights after 2 years. Garage kept summer driver. i.e not out in the weather all then much. I'm not impressed with the cerakote life span. The clean up part works really well though.

PPF has been on my '09 987.2 headlights since new - that's 17 years now. The headlights still look like new. I have done ceramic coating over the PPF, that just helps keep the bird-poo sliding off. I also had PPF on my '11 Cayenne Turbo (traded in 11/25 for a 2025 Cayenne) - they looked like new. I'm planning on doing it to my 2025 Cayenne before winter sets in. It just works, and despite Porsche telling you never to put anything over the headlights, I've yet to hear of one person who experienced a problem due to using PPF. It's much better than redoing the polishing on the headlights every 6-12 months (which you'll end up doing based on sad experience with too many cars..) if you rely on spray-on or wipe-on coatings. I suspect I am to blame for the headlight polishing industry. About 25 years ago, I wrote an article about how to do it for the BMW-Car Club of America magazine. It was quite a popular article. Shortly after, guys started showing up at dealership lots - doing it to the used cars. And next thing you know - kits appeared. Funny thing, my early career at Bell Labs was in a lab where we specialized in polishing rare forms of crystals to be used for early pulsed lasers.. and to this day, it's one of my favorite relaxing things to do. Nowadays I do it mostly to watch crystals (I collect oddball "electric" watches, like the original Accutrons..) Anyway - right move on the PPF.

07 CS with 129k. Every 2-3 years, finally applied ppf 3-4 weeks ago after a refinish. Go ppf or plan every 2-3 years if outdoor kept

Welcome to P9. I opted for what turned out to be serious light protection from Lamin-x , 13yrs now and all good. Used the blue covers on my GT Silver Metallic RS60. I think it works. They are easy to apply and fit well with minimum triming needed. Bought these blind and was pleasantly surprised at quality and thickness! Come in clear, light and dark smoke, yellow and blue. You can also opt one color for headlights and different color for fog, if you choose. Enjoy the ride. Eyes up, look ahead

I have firsthand experience with Cerakote use on my family fir mobile Sienna. I was pleased with the results and used the UV coating but was a little disappointed with the longevity in the Hawai'i sun, The crazing on, my Cayman was too deep and I sent the headlight modules to California to be restored.

Oh, thats a method I hadnt thought of.

evil i used the ppf from invisiblemask, perfect fit, good video instructions and they offer "replacement" kit for a fee if you screw it up. this seems to be working very, my Cayman is an outdoor vehicle so the lenses really take a beating.........

That rocks. Sound like my next step once this system wears out.

Just to confirm: Are those polishing kits suitable for a headlight lens repair? I'm trying to find out an alternative to sending them out and have the lenses replaced, like rennlights .com or lightwerkz.net. I have a 2014 Cayman and the lenses are starting to look crazed.

Yes. You clean them per instructions in the kit, then wet sand them with the included paper and holder, then apply the ceramic coating . So far I’m seeing people having several years results which is pretty great given the low cost and simplicity. I’d also recommend the PPF route mentioned above. A physical film barrier sounds like a durable and inexpensive solution.

In most cases, I don't think you'll be able to eliminate the crazing - that's a deeper crack that you'd have to sand REALLY far to clear up. If you can leave those, then the kits work great to remove surface scratches and oxidation. For example, mine looked like this on the original headlight assemblies: I had no expectation of those getting polished out, as they were deep. The oxidation would be fixable (you can see it get patchy near the top of the lens here, where it looks yellowish-cloudy) - that's where the kits work great.