Photo of headlight restoration on a Golf GTI

Since 2006, Protouch Car Care has provided professional vehicle headlight restoration services in Cape Town.

Headlight damage that cannot be restored/fixed

Please note that we cannot restore the following headlight issues:

  • Broken, or cracked headlights and lenses
    • Broken and even repaired lights are not roadworthy
  • Replace bulbs
    • please see and auto-electrician
  • Glass headlights like on older vehicles and some modern spotlights
  • Problems inside of the headlight, typically condensation/water
  • Crazing (small cracks within the plastic).

Our Headlight Restoration Services

A clean and clear headlight is critical for your safety. It also dramatically improves the look of your car.

We restore headlights by sanding, polishing, and applying a ceramic sealant to help protect them from UV. Click here to learn more

The deeper and more severe the damage, the more sanding is required, which means a longer restoration process and higher costs

Protection can be upgraded with a longer-term ceramic coating or with clear vinyl film also known as PPF (Paint Protection Film)

Please note:

  • Booking is required for all our services.
  • Ballpark pricing is provided.
    • For an exact quote, we must see the headlights in person.
    • Photos cannot convey the information we need.
  • In regards to time: If available, we could allocate one staff per headlight/side to restore the headlights in less overall time.

Faded headlights

Fading/yellowing/milky/haziness is the most common headlight issue.

We require an in-person inspection to provide a precise quote. Photographs are not sufficient for this purpose as they cannot convey depth and headlights are translucent so you cant properly determine issues.

Ballpark pricing: from R500 to R1500 for both headlights.

Approximate Time: from 30min to 2 hours

Contact us to book now

Examples

Badly faded headlights on a Toyota RUNX

Photo of Toyota Corolla RUNX Headlight Restoration
Before
Photo of Toyota Corolla RUNX Headlight Restoration After
After
Click to see more examples

Fading, scratches, pitting, and surface crazing

Damage like scratches, pitting, and rock chipped, as well as previously restored headlights require going deeper and will therefore take more time than restoring faded headlights for clarity.

The hardness of the plastic is also a factor that affects the time it takes to restore.

Ballpark pricing: from R1500 to R3000

Approximate time: from 2 hours to a full day

We require an in-person inspection to provide a precise quote. Photographs are not sufficient for this purpose.

Contact us to book now

Examples

Deep Pitting On Mercedes S Class lights (replacement cost at the time was R120,000!)

Click to see more examples

Mercedes S-Class

Shown here is a Mercedes S-Class with severely chipped and pitted headlights that we did in 2020. Replacing these headlights at the time cost a whopping R120,000! Our charge at the time was R2000 which the clients paid with a smile.

Before
After

BMW E90 320D

BEFORE
AFTER

Advanced Headlight Protection

Ceramic Coatings

A ceramic sealant is included in every restoration to protect the headlight from the sun’s damaging rays that oxidise/fade plastic. This ceramic sealant is rated for up to 1 year. However, we recommend applying a booster, like a spray wax or sealant every 3 months in consideration of the Cape Town climate as well as the heat from the bulbs.

By upgrading to a proper ceramic coating you will get better UV protection from the suns damaging rays.

2 years or more depending on how you car for your car, exposure and mileage.

From R500 a pair – depending on coating used

Please Note:
  • Ceramic Coatings are not hard enough to prevent pitting or chipping.
  • Ceramic Coatings cannot restore a headlight by themselves, only protect it!
  • A coating, like skin, requires regular and careful cleaning for optimal performance.
Ceramic coatings can be used to protect headlight plastic.
Ceramic Coatings protect the paint, plastics, and other surfaces like headlights and taillight lenses from fading

Paint Protection Film (PPF)

PPF (Paint Protection Film) is a superior choice for paint and headlight protection. Why? Because it is significantly thicker! While a typical ceramic coating is barely 2 microns thick, PPF ranges from 150-200 microns in thickness!

This will help protect your car from stone chips and most scratches. However, anything sharp may still cut through it, especially if your car is involved in an accident.

Headlight PPF is from R2500 per pair. However, spot lights, due to their shape (typically heavily domed), do not last well.

BMW E90 Headlight being wrapped with Paint Protection Film
BMW E90 Headlight being wrapped with PPF
BMW E90 Headlight after being wrapped with Paint Protection Film
BMW E90 Headlight with PPF

Learn more about the Headlight Restoration process

PLEASE NOTE: Headlight restoration cannot repair or resolve any issues on the inside of the light, repair cracks or damage lights, or seal or cause condensation issues.

The best process for headlight restoration is to resurface the headlight by cutting through the faded (oxidized by the sun’s UV rays) or damaged (scratched or pitted) plastic of the headlight lens, and then polish it until is optically clear.

We do not remove headlights from the car, if that is required, it would need to be brought to us loose as we do not remove them.

#1

Photo of a Peugeot headlight being taped up before restoration to prevent possible damage to the paint
Safety First:
Before starting restoration we tape up around the headlight to prevent possible damage to the surrounding paint. We also make sure its thoroughly clean.

#2

Photo of a Mercedes C-class plastic Headlight being restored
The best Headlight Restoration method is to resurface the lens plastic.

This is done by hand or machine until we get below the damage.

#3

Photo of headlight restoration on a Volksawagen Golf GTI Mk5
Headlight Restoration is finished by polishing and then protecting the headlight with a quality sealant or ceramic coating to put back the UV protection lost.

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