Mobile headlight restoration in Manchester.
Cloudy, yellowed headlights restored to clear, on your driveway and usually in under an hour. A proper multi stage restoration sealed against UV, not a quick polish that hazes back over within a month. Brighter, safer, and a fraction of the cost of new units.
Get your headlight quote
Tell us your car and where you are, and we'll come back with a price.
Prefer to talk? Call 07561 790918
Why headlights go cloudy and yellow
Modern headlight lenses are polycarbonate plastic, not glass. From the factory they carry a thin protective film on the outside that shields the plastic from sunlight. After a few years of UV, road heat and grime, that film breaks down, and once it has gone the plastic itself starts to oxidise. That is when the lens turns hazy, then yellow, and eventually milky.
The problem is not just cosmetic. An oxidised lens scatters the beam instead of projecting it cleanly down the road, so your dipped headlights throw noticeably less light. You feel it most where it matters, on unlit roads at night and in heavy rain, and it is a common MOT advisory or failure.
A wash, a wax or a quick wipe does nothing, because the damage is in the surface of the plastic rather than sitting on top of it. The oxidised layer has to be taken back and the lens re sealed, which is exactly what a proper restoration does and a cheap polish does not.
How we restore your headlights
The difference between a restoration that lasts and a polish that hazes back in weeks comes down to two things: physically removing the damaged layer, and sealing what's left. Here's the full process.
Assess and mask
We check both lenses and the depth of the oxidation, then mask off the surrounding paint, trim and bonnet edge so nothing but the lens is touched.
Multi stage wet sand
We wet sand the lens through a series of grits to physically take off the oxidised, UV damaged top layer of the plastic. This is the step the cheap jobs skip, and it's the one that matters most. You cannot polish clarity back into a lens while the damaged layer is still sitting on it.
Refine through the grits
Each grit is worked back with a finer one, so the deeper sanding marks are removed in stages until the lens is flat, even and free of the coarse scratches.
Machine polish to clarity
A machine polisher and the correct compound bring the lens from flat and dull back to genuinely clear, not just a bit brighter.
Seal against UV
The fresh, bare plastic is then sealed with a UV resistant coating. This is what stops them yellowing straight back. Restore a lens without sealing it and it is hazing again within weeks, which is why the polish and hope jobs never last.
Final check
Both lenses are checked in good light and against each other before you get the keys back, so they match and there's nothing left cloudy.
Safer, sharper, and a fraction of the cost of new units
Safety first
Clear lenses put far more light on the road than oxidised ones, and the difference shows exactly where you need it, on unlit roads at night and in the rain. It also clears the common cloudy headlight MOT advisory or failure.
Takes years off the look
Nothing ages a car from the front like tired, yellow headlights. Bringing them back to clear freshens the whole face of the car, which is worth doing on its own before a sale or an MOT.
A fraction of replacement cost
New headlight units are expensive. They run from a couple of hundred pounds to well over a thousand a side on some cars once coding and fitting are added. Restoration brings the originals back for a fraction of that.
Done in under an hour
A standard pair in normal condition is usually finished in under an hour, on your driveway, with no need to book the car in anywhere or leave it for the day.
What headlight restoration costs
A standard pair of headlights in normal condition, fully restored and sealed against UV, done on your driveway.
Booked alongside any Deep Clean, valet or detail, since we're already there with everything set up.
Heavy oxidation, badly yellowed or milky lenses, and extra lenses such as fog lights or rear clusters are quoted up front on condition, so you always know the price before we start. If a lens is cracked or crazed internally, restoration will not fix it and we'll tell you honestly rather than take the work on.
A premium detailer, not a bargain headlight guy
Plenty of people will offer a cheap headlight polishing for £50 and leave them hazing again within the month. We do it as part of the same careful, proper standard we bring to every detail.
The full mobile studio
We arrive with our own water, power and everything the job needs, and work at your home or your workplace. All we need is somewhere to park.
Seven years of craft
Detailing since 2018 with a 5.0 rating built one car at a time, so a headlight restoration is handled with the same care as a full paint correction.
Sanded, not just polished
We remove the damaged layer and seal it, which is what makes the result last. A polish on its own is why so many restorations fail within weeks.
Honest before we start
You get a price up front based on the condition of your lenses, and if restoration isn't the right answer for a cracked or failed unit, we'll say so.
What customers say
"What an amazing service Detail valets provides. My car is hammered by football kids, an untidy owner and a year of neglect on the paint work. Honestly looks exactly like the day I got the car 9 years ago. Definitely fallen back in love with my motor!"
"Absolutely brilliant! I gave them a neglected disgusting car and they gave me a beautiful immaculate car which I sold the same day. I'm now going to book in my new car! Thanks for your hard work Detail Valets."
"Absolutely amazing …my car was really dirty, it now looks like brand new , thanks Dan , Will definitely recommend and definitely use you again , thank you"
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Mobile headlight restoration across Greater Manchester
Because we're fully mobile, we restore headlights right across the area, on your driveway or in the work car park. Find your town on the areas we cover page, or start with one of these.
Doing more than the headlights? If the whole car needs bringing back, a Paint Correction takes the swirls and scratches out of the paint, and a Showroom Detail covers the lot. Add the headlights to either for £49.
Explore Paint Correction →Headlight restoration, answered
How long does headlight restoration last?
With the UV resistant seal, you’re typically looking at two to three years before they’d need refreshing, sometimes longer on a car that’s garaged or sees less sun. The seal is the key. A restoration with no seal, which is what the cheapest jobs do, starts hazing again within weeks.
Will they go yellow again?
Eventually, yes, it’s a wear item that lives outside in the sun. But the whole point of sealing the fresh plastic against UV is to hold that off for years rather than weeks. When they do eventually dull, a quick refresh brings them back rather than a full restoration.
Can you do it at my home or work?
Yes, we’re fully mobile across Greater Manchester. We bring our own water and power and restore the lenses on your driveway or in the work car park, so there’s nothing for you to arrange beyond somewhere to park.
Is it cheaper than replacing the headlights?
By a long way. New units run from a couple of hundred pounds to well over a thousand a side on some cars once you factor in coding and fitting. Restoration brings the original lenses back for a fraction of that, and it’s done in under an hour.
Can you restore MOT fail or very cloudy headlights?
Usually, yes. As long as the lens itself isn’t cracked or crazed internally, even badly yellowed or milky headlights come back clear, which also clears the cloudy headlight advisory or failure. Very heavy cases are quoted on condition so you know the price first.
How long does it take?
A standard pair in normal condition is usually done in under an hour. Heavier oxidation, badly yellowed lenses or extra lenses like fog lights take a little longer, and we’ll tell you when we quote.
Bring your headlights
back to clear.
Get a no obligation quote on your car, your driveway, your schedule. From £99 a pair, sealed against UV, 5 star rated across Greater Manchester.