How long?

[olo77]

How long can you expect a Headlight Restoration to last?

[Jonathan]

How long can you expect a Headlight Restoration to last?

It depends on whether or not you put a protective coating back on the lens. Vehicles that come off the factory line have a coating originally put on the headlights. That coating is what keeps the lenses looking good for a few years. Eventually, that coating wears off and the lenses start to discolor. With the Delta Kits HLPRO302 and the coating that goes on in the last step, you can expect the headlight restoration to last around 2 years or more. Others, who don't put any protection back on the (now bare) lens can see discoloration returning in as few as a couple months (depending on your location).

[just chippen away]

Johnathan
You may want to retract that last statement " you can expect the headlight restoration to last around 2 years or more".
I have done it both ways, The ones that have been recoated with the 2 part sealer wind up yellowing or coming back off 60 % of the time with in 6 months. Even if I have the customer polishing them every 3 to 4 months can still haze over with in on year.
And please do not say I must be doing something wrong... I have been doing it longer than you all have at DELTA. You may be doing more that I am but that is not the point. The point is do not lead a customer to believe it will last 2 years on the average.

I now remove the sealer and polish them down to a shine and maybe coat them with a good wax polish and they have lasted 3 times or more longer....
My autos are my test subjects along with my repair customers. And every year I will do a total once over for my autos if they need it. The ones with the 2 part sealer I use to remove to coat and reseal. But now I have most all of them switched over to polish only and do not have to do much of anything to them...

I started with Polish to shine years ago then went to the 2 part and thought they were good looking and faster, but it has been coming back to me and biting me in the back side. I have returned to the polish to a shine over a year ago again with a few twists and I can see the difference it has made.

I do not spend that much more time on them after my changes I have done even some are faster.

I use to have a HL free maintain program for the older folks and lady's, now I do not have to do much of that either.

The old saying is "The proof is in the pudding"

I could go on but I got my point across. I really do not want to have a pissing contest on this. Just getting my point across.

[Brent Deines]

Obviously our experience has been much different than yours, so I guess we will just have to leave it at that. Jonathan's comments are based on our experience and the combined experience with hundreds of our customers who also provide headlight restoration services. We too have tried it both ways and believe the lens with Coat2Protect will stay clear far longer than a lens with no coating applied. However I do agree that not all coatings are the same, so I only speak for the products Delta Kits sell.

However, regardless of whether you use a coating or not, how long they stay clear is partially determined by how you care for your headlights. How often you wash your car, what type of soap you use, your driving habits, and your vehicle storage habits have a great deal to do with how long your headlights stay looking good. The weather also has a lot to do with it. Headlights in Oregon do not deteriorate nearly as fast as they do in Arizona for instance. Most waxes are not meant to be used on polycarbonate and may actually discolor the lens according to the dozen or so manufacturers that I have spoken to, but if a good polish made for acrylic is used every few months I agree with you that a coating may not be necessary. If you have found a wax that is compatible with polycarbonate I would assume that would work similarly well. Unfortunately most of our customers will not apply a polish every few months so we have opted for the coating and our customers have been very satisfied with the results.

We have done a great deal of testing and feel quite confident in offering a 2 year guarantee on every headlight restoration service we perform, but every technician has to make that decision for themselves.

We have a difference of opinion based on our own personal experiences.

[t4k]

I agree with both of you guys to a certain degree. The coating, which ever brand you choose, will last longer than just a sand and buff but it will not last two years in my area.

I am in the Southeastern US and I have tested several brands that have lasted about 10-12 months before a noticeable amount of deterioration was evident.

I have just applied a new product about a month ago on two test vehicles and I am eager to see how this product holds up to weathering.

[hls2010]

Ok. I'm concern now about how long it will last. Turns out it depends were you live and your weather conditions. If anyone in California is using deltas clear coat please let me know how long its lasting for u. Also it would help if everyone here using deltas hard coat would please post how long its lasted for u. Again im in California and its sunny most of the time. Please everyone let me know your experience. I would like to offer at lease a 1 year warranty.

[Jonathan]

Ok. I'm concern now about how long it will last. Turns out it depends were you live and your weather conditions. If anyone in California is using deltas clear coat please let me know how long its lasting for u. Also it would help if everyone here using deltas hard coat would please post how long its lasted for u. Again im in California and its sunny most of the time. Please everyone let me know your experience. I would like to offer at lease a 1 year warranty.

HLS2010,
Since no one else has responded to your post, I will. All of our experience and testing shows that the coating will last around 2 years. While it is true that there are a lot of variables, we still offer a 2 year warranty here in our shop in Oregon. In our opinion, you should have no problem offering at least a 1 year warranty with confidence (even in California), assuming you are using Delta Kits products. We cannot speak for the performance of other systems on the market.

If you are still concerned about the warranty, another opinion is to offer an extended warranty program to your customers if they come in about once a year to get their headlights maintained. For instance, you could charge $25 per year to maintain their headlights. This would only require you clean the lenses up and reapply the coat2protect. Under this sort of program you could theoretically warranty the headlights for the life of the vehicle, as long as the customer came in every year to have them serviced. If they didn't come in to get them maintained, the warranty would be void. This is just a thought, but it might be a good way to keep your customers coming back to you, while being confident in the warranty you offer.

[just chippen away]

I did not see your post. I thought it was dropped when Brent spoke up.

The number one thing to take in consideration is, THE UV, and if you are close to the beach. The salts.
If you have strong UV were you are at of if you are close to the beach, You may have a problem sooner that one up in the mid west.

[Brent Deines]

Good points on the UV and the salt. Pollution is another contributor which is why you will find the passenger side headlight (the exhaust of most cars is on this side) is worse on many cars, especially those in heavily populated areas. Strong detergents, wash brushes, and road debris are also factors to consider.

Polycarbonate is very porous so although we may not agree on what is the best way to protect the lens after the original factory coating has been removed, I think we can agree that protection is needed if you want the lenses to retain their finish more than a few months.

[hls2010]

Wow, I was expecting alot more feedback from people using deltas hard coat.