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Will has written for several major auto sites including Motor1 since 2020, logging hundreds of hours researching and testing products ranging from child car seats to torque wrenches. Will is also Certified by Safe Kids Worldwide as a Child Passenger Safety Technician (#T836339). Wet Diamond Polishing Pad
Cloudy headlights don’t just hurt a car’s appearance. They can also reduce nighttime visibility, which is a safety hazard. Mothers NuLens Headlight Renewal Kit bills itself as a restorer of yellowed or foggy headlights, so our product review team put it to the test.
This review will cover the effectiveness of Mothers NuLens headlight cleaner, discuss its ease of use, and give an informed take on the overall value of the product. Based on extensive testing, we rank the Mothers NuLens Headlight Renewal Kit as one of the five best headlight restoration kits on the market in 2023.
For its headlight restoring product, Mothers NuLens requires wet sanding. The process involves using water to help lubricate sanding discs to help better clean the headlight lens.
Besides instructions, Mothers NuLens Headlight Renewal Kit comes with these four items:
Mothers NuLens assumes you will have a drill handy for the restoration process. If not, you’ll need to buy one. Other items you’ll need are materials for a car wash and microfiber towels for wiping the headlights off in between steps. Masking tape is also encouraged to help protect the area around the headlights.
In testing the Mothers NuLens Headlight Renewal Kit, we primarily looked at three factors: results, clarity of instructions, and price.
For our tests, we attempted to restore a severely sun-damaged headlight. Although the directions said it may take multiple passes to reach the desired clarity, we limited our test to one complete run-through.
Before putting sandpaper to plastic, we washed the headlight to make sure we weren’t sanding any dirt or grime into the existing plastic. After washing, we wet sanded the headlight with a variety of sandpaper grits until it met the manufacturer’s specifications. We then buffed the headlight and cleaned it with a microfiber towel until it reached a polished look.
Besides the entire process taking only about 20 minutes to complete, there’s plenty our review team likes about the Mothers NuLens Headlight Renewal Kit. It comes with enough extra materials to service two or three other cars and have sandpaper and polish left over.
The restoration discs work very well, and it only took a few passes to remove built-up oxidation on our headlight. We also didn’t leave any unsightly hairline scratches, and the polish immediately cleaned the headlight.
Even though Mothers NuLens supplies customers with plenty of materials for follow-up work, a renewal kit comes with only one 3,000-grit sanding disc. While this disc is the most heavy-duty of the bunch and is supposed to be used as more of a refining tool, having more than one would be ideal.
One issue with using a drill is that areas of the headlight such as corners and curves become hard to reach and properly sand. If you find uneven areas or smudges after a few passes, you can remedy this by using the sanding discs by hand. We should also mention that if you’re not accustomed to handling a drill, guiding a sanding pad may be difficult.
Amazon Review Score: 4.2 out of 5 based on around 9,000 reviews
Many customer reviews highlight how quick and easy the Mothers NuLens Headlight Renewal Kit is to use. They also tend to mention its affordability.
“Excellent! My headlights look as clear and shiny as new! Still have lots of polish left and will be using it for my motorbike.”
“Each light took me about 20 minutes, and as you start to sand the lens down with the 800-grit paper, … it all comes together after the polishing sponge. I was impressed, and for $15 and some elbow grease (with a cordless drill), it was well worth it.”
Some more critical reviews say the oxidation remover didn’t work properly or the kit did a poor job of improving clarity. In other reviews, however, users admit that they didn’t correctly follow the instructions.
“I followed the instructions, and all it did was make matters worse. It sanded up a lot of the yellowing [material] into a pile on the headlight that I could not sand off. I tried all four sanding pads that came with the kit, and they all wore out and fell apart. . . . This was with one headlight.”
“I have now tried the polishing compound twice in this kit, and it does not work as advertised. . . . I have attempted to use [the kit] one time so far without success. The sanding pads don’t seem to work very well, and the polishing compound and pad/ball was not very effective at polishing out the sanding marks.”
As is the case with any restoration tool, Mothers NuLens Headlight Renewal Kit is not perfect. However, it can be quite effective. Here’s how our team rates it overall and by category out of 5 stars.
You might consider buying this product if you have cloudy headlights and want an easy DIY project you can knock out fairly quickly. However, if your car’s headlights are already clear or you’re not very comfortable using a drill, the Mothers NuLens Headlight Renewal Kit isn’t for you.
If you’d prefer to tackle this project without power tools, the Sylvania Headlight Restoration Kit or Chemical Guys Headlight Restorer might be a better option.
Each year, we test over 350 auto products on vehicles and in our testing lab. Our team of product testers thoroughly researches top products, unboxes and puts our hands on each component, and tests the items on real vehicles before making recommendations to readers.
We publish hundreds of product and service reviews to bring car enthusiasts detailed guides on automotive tools, detailing kits, car seats, pet products, and much more. For more information on our testing methodology and how we evaluate every product, check out our methodology page here .
Using the Mothers NuLens Headlight Renewal Kit takes several steps. The first is placing the proper sanding disc on the drill attachment. The next is buffing the headlight to level consistency. After sanding, you will then apply the Mothers NuLens polishing compound until you reach the desired clarity.
Using headlight restoration kits is a cheap way to save sun-damaged headlights. While they are great at removing yellowing, don’t expect to have a headlight lens that looks brand new unless you want to spend a few hours sanding.
The longevity of a headlight restoration kit’s results depends on the materials used. These kits specialize in removing cloudiness caused by UV rays, so if a kit doesn’t come with a protective sealant to guard against sunlight, you may find yourself revisiting the restoration process sooner than you hope.
The best way to restore headlamps and taillights is by sanding and using a plastic restorer. Many manufacturers sell a buffs and polymer combo that will apply a new clear coat after you physically remove UV damage from your headlights. While some work better than others, just don’t expect crystal clarity from the renewal kit. The best way to get new-looking headlamps is to buy another pair.
*Data accurate at time of publication.
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