Protecting Headlights

[gabzor]

So i finally got a pair of euro headlights for my w124, is it a good idea to clearcoat the lights for protection? or will the clear not stick so well as the lights are glass?

[Mike D]

Don't clear coat the glass. No clear coat is as transparent as glass. The only way I could imagine the coating to stick would be to scratch up the glass and what would be the point? Any scratches in the lenses can be polished.

[gabzor]

yeah thats what i thought too.. maybe ill just go get some lamin-x later, i already waxed them as a mini precaution.. well rock chips can't be polished ;p

[JohnM.]

Try to find someone who does the clear-bra's locally. And see if they will sell you a few sq feet of that material. Takes some patience to lay it down properly without air bubbles. But that add a nice layer of protection against rock chips, etc. Does not affect light output noticeably.

[Strife]

I looked into this and there is a BIG difference between the "cheap" stuff and the "good" stuff (3m, XPEL). Yes, the 3M stuff is more expensive (urethane, not vinyl) but it actually does what it is supposed to do. Vinyl might be OK for very minor chips, but up against an actual rock, vinyl is too soft to do anything other than hold the paint chips underneath onto the car. Technically, ANY film over headlights is not DOT approved, so I don't think 3M approves of it or sells it; XPEL sells a thicker film for headlights.