Cerakote headlight restoration

SLOPOS

When I bought my 2013 it had some pretty faded and yellowed headlights. I originally used a 3m kit with the drill attachment to polish the lights and uv protect them based on reviews and other's experiences, but I just could not get a factory-clear look to the headlights. After I baked them and painted the insides I attempted a 3m kit again (got two with the original order) and got them relatively clear but the day I coated them it rained and while my car is under a cover, I think the humidity messed up the coating. I decided to go with the Amazon recommended Cerakote, having never heard of them but seen great reviews.

The kit comes with a bunch of chemical oxidation remover that gets rid of any hint of yellow, then 2k and 3k wet sanding discs. After the 3k the headlights were super hazy and I almost pulled out the polisher that came with the 3m kit to get them shined up before the coating but they specifically recommend that you don't do this, so I went straight from hazy wet sanding to their coating. This coating rocks. The ceramic coating they include is on some moist-towelette style cloth and goes on very thick. It self levels and has enough working time to go back over any spots you missed. The clarity after adding their ceramic coating blew my mind. My headlights now look as good as a factory fresh car and it only took about an hour and some elbow grease.

I mostly park in shaded areas but I'll report back as time goes on. Most of the long term reviews I've seen mention a 1-3 year life depending on the climate, but for $16 I'll redo it in a year if I have to.

Not sponsored and I have nothing to do with this company. Also not a pro - this was 100% DIY.