987.2 headlights covered with a special OEM coating?

My 2010 BS headlights appear to have been partly buffed by a careless detailer at some past point. Hard to see but I was planning on addressing them with one of the products specifically for headlight, and them getting PPF . PPF shop tells me that Porsche says no PPF on headlights , as it will eventually cause an issue with the coating (I think it says the coating will come off with PPF if that is removed at some point). In any case, I haven't seen any particular Boxster issues about headlights clouding over, which suggests that Porsche actually did something), and have never heard about a coating. Does anyone have info?

All polycarbonate headlights are factory coated as far as I know. PC isn't very UV resistant so it needs a coating to keep it from fading. With enough time and wear the coating itself will fade or peel. At that point you can sand it off and re-polish the headlights , but if you don't coat them with something the bare PC will fade pretty quickly again. There are UV-cure coatings you can buy that will last a long time.

My 987.2 had PPF from day one in 2012. Back in 2020 or so I removed the degraded PFF and had new film installed. No worries.

It sounds like the detailer might have caused some damage, but great that you’re planning on addressing it! Regarding PPF , Porsche ’s caution around applying it to headlights is valid, they often warn that removing the film could compromise the factory coatings, which might cause clouding or peeling. The 987 Boxster headlights do have a clear coating from the factory, and over time, they can degrade due to UV exposure, especially without protection. If you’re set on PPF , you could look into a film that’s specifically designed for headlights , as some modern films are much gentler on coatings. Otherwise, a good headlight restoration kit followed by regular UV protectant could also help keep them clear.

Great to see you still here, @mbsl98 - Hope the hard top is still hanging in there and please send my best to your son! As for the 987.2, mine came without PPF but the surfaces were totally sunburnt toast (like many polycarbonate headlights). After a careful standard headlight restoration process (sand, buff, seal), I then PPF-ed them and they look fantastic. So AFAIK, there's really nothing special about the 987.2 headlight delamination as opposed to any other car. The 981 was the model that really had a major issue with headlight delamination. Mine came PPF-ed and I'm just leaving those on for now and will likely redo them in a similar fashion down the road if/when the PPF dies. As for the 987.2 taillights, that's another story as they CAN delaminate quickly. I originally bought two brand new OE taillights sets (made by URO) and they delaminated just by sticking to the non-adhesive plastic wrap in the packaging they came in -- and I sent both packages back -- went with an aftermarket version instead. YMMV.

Both of my cars are garaged, it makes the lenses stay clear longer than any other factor IMO.

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The top still looks just like it did when we swapped, other than tinting window It doesn't see snow, and garaged year round. This pic is from 2019. The headlights also benefit from garage and look pretty good except for the old buffing marks. I do think those are getting more obvious, which does go with having old coatings starting to age out. My son actually has the BS for several days while he works on his Volvo V70R

Oh, wow - that's fantastic and thanks for the blast-from-the-past photo! Again, I'm so glad it worked out -- it was meant to be. Although I may no longer have the silver 987.1S (aka, "Oohlah") and her hardtop, the silver is definitely showing up in my hair since that photo was snapped. 6 years will do that to someone, I guess! If you do a search on here and online, you'll see that when you're ready -- the headlight resto process is pretty easy and straightforward -- especially if you have an orbital buffer. I'd let it ride for now, TBH. Great to hear from you!

My 2009 has had PPF on the headlights as far as I can tell since it was new. That's now 16 years (or maybe 17) ago. The headlights still look like new. When they don't look like new anymore I'll replace the film. Chances are - that will never happen. I did my 2011 Cayenne when I got it 11 years ago - I had PPF put on the first week I owned it ( headlights looked perfect) - the headlights still look like new, despite the car living outside ( Boxster got the garage) 100% of the time. Right now it actually looks yellow - the pollen and dingleberry situation in NJ has just about hit critical - my eyes are watering 24 hours a day (not my best look..

the short answer is that all the headlights have some coating at least with the 987.2 onwards. I've had to polish the headlights and replace rear lights on the 987.2 and fix the plastic cracks on the 718 front lights. I wish they made them a bit better!

As far as I know, there was no record of replacing any of the lights on my Boxster before I got a bumper boop, and a tiny nick out of one to the taillights. The insurance company sponsored a brand new Porsche taillight on that side. It looks IDENTICAL to the one that's 16 years old. Admittedly, the car has been garaged most of its life, but it's been outside for about 80,000 miles now while being driven, and I've done nothing special with the lights except ceramic coating them when I did the rest of the body. I suspect environmental conditions may be coming into play on yours.