Headlight assembly

[bullseye451]

I was hoping someone knows of a better option to buy headlight assembly’s for a 2005 Subaru Outback than Amazon.

I need two to replace the dulled out factory assemblies that are on it now.

thanks

[Rampage]

I just installed a set on our 95 RHD Legacy that I ordered from here https://www.carid.com  and they look and work good.

Their price was 214 for a pair. Other places wanted 150-200 each.

3M makes a kit to polish the lenses. It works great. Even Walmart has it. Type - 3M headlight restoration kit - into Google. I had to order refills of the sanding disks because of doing so many for friends and relatives. I also have the large bottles of clean and buffing compound and the polish compound to finish it off. The kit says to start sanding dry, but I start wet using a spray bottle filled with water. You will need a variable speed drill.

Every one that I did looks like new, except the few that had moisture inside the lens.

I had to take the ones apart on my cub cadet because of moisture inside, but now they look new.

[sirtokesalot]

why not refinish the ones u have? ive done mine. takes alot of time with wet sanding but they come out very nice in the end. the drivers one was as bad as the passenger one before. and yes the passenger one was leaking i replaced it with another one but had to refinish it too.

Edited December 22, 2019 by sirtokesalot

[heartless]

get the Meguires Headlight restoration kit.. comes with a couple of sanding pads, polish, and a UV protectant in one kit

follow the directions and you will find you no longer need to buy headlight assemblies.

[1 Lucky Texan]

get some Meguiars UV spray after you polish them. Helps the work last longer.

 

doh - beat by a fast typer!

Edited December 22, 2019 by 1 Lucky Texan

[Rampage]

Most of the kits work about the same. It is the final steps that make it last longer. Polish and UV protection.

Nice pictures. Wish I had taken some, but I never gave it a thought.

The reason I had to replace the headlights on our 95 is because of a deer.

[bullseye451]

Thanks I have seen the kits and the finished result but I didn’t think it lasted.

i didn’t want to do it every year

[el_freddo]

3 hours ago, bullseye451 said:

I didn’t want to do it every year

I’ve been told that waxing the headlights helps to avoid the hazing that occurs. 

I’m yet to start this practice myself though...

Cheers 

Bennie

[heartless]

5 hours ago, bullseye451 said:

Thanks I have seen the kits and the finished result but I didn’t think it lasted.

i didn’t want to do it every year

unfortunately, it is something that will have to be done on a fairly regular basis (about once a year, maybe two) I usually do mine in the fall, when headlight use is going to be more often due to shorter days. the kit will last for several uses, so it is not something that has to be purchased every year (if you can keep track of where it is, lol)

but, the cost of the kit, and about a half hour to an hour of time to clean them, vs a couple hundred dollars per headlight housing plus installation time.. it is a far more cost effective route to go.

my 02 Forester looked pretty bad when I got it, but the headlights are currently crystal clear after their latest polishing.

[Cfoust]

I have done quite a few light polishes the past few years on various cars. I would recommend wet sanding the headlight use plenty of water. Start out with like a 600 grit and work up to 2500 or even 3000. For polishing compound i know people will probably hate me for this, but i use mothers mag and aluminum polish. You can use either a cordless or corded drill and a3 or 6 inch buffing wheel. I picked up my buffing pad at harborfreight for 3

. 

https://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-polishing-kit-66713.html just smear a little polish on the lense and buff it off. They look like new after.

[heartless]

the Maguires kit comes with 2 grades of wet sanding pads and a handle to hold them, a small buffing pad you can use on a cordless (or corded) drill, and a microfiber cloth for wiping everything down, along with the polish and the UV protectant...

Like i said, comes with everything needed to do a proper job, except some water.

I have done them in the past with just several grades of wet sanding paper, and good old fashioned turtle wax even.. but the kit has everything you need and does a nice job if you follow the instructions.

[sirtokesalot]

i ment to do this the other day but kept forgetting. this is how my headlights have turned out over the last year. its been just over a year since i did the wet sand and polishing of the headlights all i did was wipe the dirt off them before the pics.

 

[Rooster2]

I have tried several kits with about the same good result. One thing I added was using a spray rattle can of clear paint with UV protection. Keeping UV at bay keeps the lenses from clouding over again.