Toyota Highlander cloudy headlights

kenabr

About a year ago our headlights were getting dim . Our dealer referred us to a company that had a process to polish the lights and restore their brightness. Now after a year or so the lights are again cloudy and need attention. I purchased a kit but haven't tried it yet because of winter in Wisconsin.
I've also read that toothpaste can be used to clean and polish the lens on headlights.
My wife wondered about replacing the headlights but the dealers want hundreds of dollars each and who knows how much to install them. I was looking at various web sites and found that Amazon
had what they call OEM for from $45 to $75 per side. Has anyone purchased any of these and installed them themselves.

kyfdx

I'd use that kit... and a lot of elbow grease. I've seen amazing results from others.

stever

I've tried toothpaste and it does work a bit, but the kits usually have a sealer to apply after you polish the lends. The toothpaste jobs don't seem to last all that long to me. Wonder if the company you used previously didn't bother with any protective coating either. Be curious to learn if your kit has a sealer.

If you do decide to replace the lens, you can also price check online at RockAuto. But they most likely won't be OEM lights.

rcummelin

From what I've seen & read, many of the "replacement headlight assemblies" offered on sites like Amazon and eBay could/may be made in China (or elsewhere in Asia) and are NOT OEM. These light assemblies, while clearer than yours, may not be sealed properly, resulting in water entering the assembly, and/or they may not fit properly. OTOH, headlight assemblies from junkyard sellers will likely be OEM, but may not be an improvement over what you have. I had good luck with one of the polishing kits, but I had to re-polish every six months to keep the lenses clear.