Review on 3M Automotive Headlight 🚗 Lens Restoration Kit, Model 39008 by Matt Eason

After receiving two different car headlight restoration products I decided to do a direct comparison. These two products are a 3M Headlight Restoration System. (Part #39008) and Meguiar's Perfect Clarity Two-Step Headlight Restoration Kit (hereafter referred to as Meguiar's Headlight Restoration Kit). My car's headlights began to show the obvious haze that is characteristic of sunlight and oxidation. I started with a more complex system from 3M - the process is to use a series of discs to sand down the opaque layer first and then the imperfections in the surface left by the first disc to create progressively smaller scratches smooth until you get a matte finish. Then buff the headlight cover with a polishing compound until you have a clean finish. Meguiar's product requires fewer steps: you start with a cloth, then after achieving a matte finish, spray on a clear protective coat. The yellowed headlight covers are a surprise, I think they were just as effective in restoring the headlights. Ease of Use/Effort - The 3M product took approximately 60-90 minutes to remove and polish a headlight, please note this was done using a cordless drill (you may need a suitable drill chuck as the kit nozzle is smooth and round while z my drill required a hex shank) make a few passes and rub to gauge progress before moving on to the next disc [note the instructions warning you about masking the headlights to To avoid damage to the paintwork, I would suggest a few coats in areas where depending on the car the paintwork is most likely damaged - I suggest this because at one point I cut through a layer of tape and scratched the paintwork] - Meguiar product took about 15-20 minutes, this was too intense by wiping the headlight side to side with the applicator pad and more polish add as the surface dried up. and swiping to measure progress before final spraying in step [note you will need to apply a mask here too, but now to protect the protective layer from over spraying also be careful with your spraying technique as this is am end may drip - due to overspray] In general both systems worked well as you can see in the before and after picture, the difference was mainly in the time it took to achieve the effect. Overall I like the Maguiar product better due to the shorter time (although the manual work was more intense). P-)