I restored my headlights on my 2003 D2. I've done this with moderate success with past vehicles but this kit finally gave the results of new headlights.

I found this kit at Lowes and is a Craftsman brand. I had to give it a try especially since the before and after pictures on their package was the lights from a 2003-2004 D2! (Notice the pictures on their package).


Before and after
If anything I figured I had to give it a shot since their sample pictures were from my vehicle.

If you don't know, most of these systems are the same. You sand down the plastic using different grades of wet sandpaper until you finally use compound polish to get the final result. This process is more time consuming than a simple wipe on solution but gives better results.

The best thing about this kit is it includes a rotary wheel and the sandpaper and polisher with velcro backing. In the past I did not have the patience to sand by hand enough during each stage to get the best results. With an electric drill it takes the time consumption part out of the equation.

I did add an extra layer of turtle wax after I was done to protect the plastic. There are some who like to spray paint a clear coat made for plastic over the lens for protection but they looked so clear I was weary of doing that.

One reason you may want to remove the painted finisher is to clean the dirt between the headlight and the finisher. Notice the after picture. There is one clip that needs to be sacrificed but can be replaced with a small zip tie

 

Nice! Does it come with UV coating or just polish?

 

Meguiar's makes a really nice spray final UV coating that seemed to work on mine without leaving any residue.

 

Just polish.

 

I did this with my dad's 2001 M5 last year and they looked brand new afterward. A year later, without maintenance, and they're back to hazed/yellow. Clearly in the process of sanding the lenses, some kind of UV inhibitor is sanded off too. So just be aware that if you do this, they'll need to be waxed and maintained.

 

I've used 2 different kits before, didn't have much luck with either of them. I still ended up getting new headlights down the road.

 

I used sandpaper (400, 1000, 1500, 2000 all wet), and PlastiX with excellent results. No rotary tool required, it can be sanded all by hand easily. I should have added an UV-protection coating, because they are faded again after 2 years. Someone here recommended Dupli Color clear coat finish.

 

I will have to work on mine. Found this method with pros and cons ---->