2003 Lincoln Town Car Executive: Headlight lens cover are about shot,

[ScatCat]

what is best way to replace these?
Just do the covers only, or replace complete?
Halogen Headlight Set For 2003-2004 Lincoln Town Car Driver and Passenger Side | eBay

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

I’m not sure the covers are replaceable. But if they are and you can find some, that’s probably the cheapest route.

I replaced the entire light assembly and they lasted ~6-7 years.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

My 2003 Cartier

 

[Action]

The head lamp assembly is not made to be disassembled.
One could do that by cutting the plastic. And there are no replacements for just the lens.

Buying the entire assembly is necessary.

Action

 

[driller]

An alternative would be to buy a headlamp restorer kit from just about any automotive parts store. YMMV

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[oktowncar]

Lots of Youtube helpful videos on headlight restoration

 

[Action]

To add a comment, I have replace head lamp assemblies on three vehicles rather than fiddle with any head lamp restoration.
All of those vehicles were older than 19 years with milage well into 6 figures.

Not exactly sure if there is a preventive measure to the degradation. I am coating the lens with a generic plastic treatment to see if I can extend the service life.

Action

 

[ScatCat]

The head lamp assembly is not made to be disassembled.
One could do that by cutting the plastic. And there are no replacements for just the lens.

Buying the entire assembly is necessary.

Action

Was afraid of that . . . LOL

 

[ScatCat]

To add a comment, I have replace head lamp assemblies on three vehicles rather than fiddle with any head lamp restoration.
All of those vehicles were older than 19 years with milage well into 6 figures.

Not exactly sure if there is a preventive measure to the degradation. I am coating the lens with a generic plastic treatment to see if I can extend the service life.

Action

What are you using?

Just curious, anyone have a good guess on how long a set of assemblies will last until they will not pass state inspection?

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[ScatCat]

Lots of Youtube helpful videos on headlight restoration

I am not very good at those kind of projects but you got me thinking, are there any guys who do this?

 

[ScatCat]

An alternative would be to buy a headlamp restorer kit from just about any automotive parts store. YMMV

I will check this out, thanks

 

[ScatCat]

Thank you all! Looks like a set of new ones is my most logical option.

Now, the question is: What makes the best quality replacement sets? Where do I begin to look?

 

[bbf2530]

I am not very good at those kind of projects but you got me thinking, are there any guys who do this?

Hi ScatCat. As others mentioned, virtually any auto detailing shop will perform headlight restoration. And you can have both restored for less than the price of buying one replacement.
Many regular auto repair shops will also restore headlights nowadays.
Try Googling “Headlight restoration near me”, scroll past the sponsored links, and you will find some shops in your general area.

In addition, as others also mentioned, there are inexpensive kits (and more expensive ones) available to do it yourself.

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

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[oktowncar]

I am not very good at those kind of projects but you got me thinking, are there any guys who do this?

Automotive detailers more than likely offer that service

 

[driller]

The automotive detail shop local to me does offer headlight restoration.

As far as replacement recommendations, there are many available across the price spectrum. I tend to shy away from cheap eBay/Amazon offerings. When I replaced the headlamp housings in my 2006 Designer (due to water infiltration, not from foggy lenses), I chose a set from Oracle through CarID.com . Pricey, but I intend on keeping the car for a long time.

 

[Nongmin]

I use the Cerakote product for this issue. Works quite well and gives about 18-24 months of clear lens results.

It seems no amount of UV protective solution will keep these lens forever clear. Just keep up with the problem as it becomes evident and you should be okay.

 

[ogre01]

I've tried DIY polishing and have not liked the results; and I'm okish with the tools of the trade. Using a detail shop, the guys that do paint correction, are the best option short of replacement. A local guy near me does BETTER paint polishing than even a full-line paint and body shop that I also use; the little shop does nice work on headlights too. There is a big difference in experience of the guys doing it.

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