Review by William N. Wagner : It probably would have worked great... if...

I received the kit and read the instructions. Everything made sense and I'm sure the four-step process for sanding, polishing and refurbishing my headlights would have worked wonderfully. The problem was that I own a 2001 Grand Am with very elongated headlights and multiple spikey-pointing things sticking out of the lenses. (The spikey-pointy things are used at the factory to align the headlights.) Using the kit's 3-inch foam wheel to navigate around the spikey-pointing things (SPT's) on the narrow end of these headlights would have been nearly impossible. I would have returned the kit to Amazon.com for refund but they can't take it back because it contains `hazardous chemicals.' Check out your headlights before you order this kit. If your headlights are more circular or oval shaped, and you have room to navigate around the SPT's with the polishing wheel, I believe this kit would be fairly easy to use and would do what it's intended to do.

Review by Jared Bishop "Baitshop" : Highly Recommended.

This kit allowed me to restore all four lenses on my 1997 Chevy Silverado to like new condition. It contains easy to follow instructions and most of the materials for doing a few different lenses. To make the kit last longer, I suggest purchasing some 400 grit sandpaper and working the lenses by hand before switching to the 500 grit disks contained in the kit. If your lenses are heavily oxidized, the 500 grit disks will clog quickly. Using the 400 grit first not only speeds up the process, it will extend the life of the kit.

Review by Colin Mattson : It works, but...

When I saw the 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System, I liked the idea. Speed up my headlight polishing by using an electric drill? Count me in! It's got to beat wetsanding lenses for 30 minutes a pop.In execution, though, it definitely falls short of the idea for a couple reasons:1. 3M demonstrates the product on a mid-90s Ford Taurus, which has huge, round headlamps proud of the bodywork--perfect for the system 3M has created. If you drive anything else, you'll rapidly discover you can't safely machine sand your entire headlamp. The pad is just plain too big for many other applications, where you have tight radiuses, 90

Review by Art Diefenbach : Fantastic Product - I thought my lens was beyond repair. Not so!

This product is just incredible. I have a 6 year old Jetta which had deep pits in the headlight lenses. They looked like they had been sand blasted. [...]. The results were fantastic. The lenses now look as good as new.

Some tips from my experience:
1. If you're going to wash your car the same day as you restore the lenses, wash after you do the lenses. Some plastic dust blows around and there is some spatter on the wet sand.
2. Be sure to really protect the surrounding paint. 3M recommends two layers of automotive masking tape, which I did. But I did cut through in two places with the edge of the sandpaper. So if there is any chance of touching the body of you car with the edge of the sandpaper, put on 3 or 4 layers of tape.
3. The kit comes with plenty of supplies: sandpaper and plastic polish. The directions warn that there may not be enough supplies, but I had plenty left over, although admittedly the Jetta headlights aren't that large. I don't see any need to buy the kit with the large bottles of plastic cleaner and polish unless you need that stuff for other projects.
4. I followed the directions exactly. I went the extra mile of doing extra passes on each level of sanding to insure I got out all the original damage and then each level of sanding scratches. I got as uniform level of appearance as I could. As the instructions say doing more at each level makes the next level easier. I also ended each level with a few passes with lower pressure.
5. I'd say the only tricky part is holding the drill steady while you sand away. It can jump around if you're not careful. I set up a stool with the appropriate height so I could rest my forearm that was holding the drill on my thigh. I held the drill with both hands and then moved it steadily across the lens. I sanded the whole lens with horizontal passes overlapping on each pass and then repeated vertical passes. I used about 10 total passes at each level.

Each lens took me about 30-45 minutes. I was skeptical that my damage could be repaired. But there is absolutely no evidence of the original damage and the lenses look as good as new. It is so satisfying to see the results, what a difference.

Oh, and the price is a terrific bargain too.

Review by Mike M. : Shining Results

I was a bit sceptical about how effective this product could be for its relatively very low price. The competitive "3 and 4 stage" type products cost at least three times the price and are a lot more involved to apply. However, the 3M results were truly impressive. You do have to follow the instructions and be sure to use the foam cushion backing pad included in the kit as well as a drill with the recommended RPMs. With that said, you will get truly impressive results at a cost less than any other do-it-yourself product and certainly well below the hundred dollar plus you would have to pay a professional shop. Definitely a "best buy" and highly recommended!

Review by JBD : Great product

This item is simply amazing, I used it on my 2003 VW Jetta's headlights and they now look like new. I tried a different kit from auto zone and didn't work at all (complete waste of money). Just be sure to follow the instructions and take your time. 3m has also put a great video on youtube with detailed instructions. Also there is a nice write up on Popular Mechanics web site that also recommends this product (the reason I ended up buying this).Also a friend of mine paid $100 to have his car done by a "pro" who sprayed varnish on lights. This is a bad idea, it lasted about 3 weeks and they then looked worse then before. So if your on the fence about how to polish your headlights buy this, and use a nice wax like Meguiars nxt or some other wax with UV protectant to keep them looking new. You wont be disappointed.

Review by Christian M. Garbin "cgarbin" : Not perfect, but worth the money

The bad news: it will not restore the headlights to "as new" condition.The good news: it's easy, fast and does a pretty decent job for the money. Headlights will look 80 to 90% of a new one.Where I live, the professionals ask as much as $120 to restore the headlights of one car. For all I know, they may be worth all that money.This kit will get two or three cars to a "very good" condition for about $20 and two hours of your time. It will not look perfect, but it will look a whole lot better than it does now.I bought it once I saw the $120 ad in the dealer. I thought all I could lose was $20 if I tried this first. Worst case scenario would be an embarrassing call to the professional restorer (I can always withhold the tip if they try to be funny...).It turned out very well. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. All you need beyond the kit is a decent drill.I used it in two cars, a Jetta 2002 and a Volvo S60 2005. The Jetta of that year has the flat headlight. That one was easy. All it needed was one of each of the pads. The S60 was trickier. The headlights are significantly bigger and rounder. It used two of each pads and the corners aren't all that pretty in the end (which tells more about my hand-eye coordination than the kit itself).The second car you do will be faster and easier. If you have only one car, volunteer to do the neighbor's car first. He/she will be happy and grateful. You will have the experience to do a better job in your car.

Review by C. Aymar : This one actually works

My wife has a 2003 Corolla that we've had since new. In recent years, like a lot of cars, the lenses have yellowed and become cloudy. While I was at Advance Auto, I picked up a kit similar to this with multiple sandpaper levels and some polish, but it just didn't work and in some ways made the problem worse.I saw this particular kit demoed on The Speed Channel's "Two Guys Garage" and was intrigued. Not being able to find it in local stores, I ordered it from Amazon and decided to give it a try.First things first, this kit actually does what it's supposed to. The bad news is, it takes quite a bit of work to do it right. Additionally, do heed the warning that large lenses might require more than one kit. The Corolla's headlight lenses are large lenses that wrap around to the sides and have an ovoid, beveled theme. I ended up using the 3rd stage disc too long and the material started to break down. Had I bought 2 kits to begin with, I think I would have had much better results.In the end, my driver's side lense is now as good as new, but the passenger's side just didn't get the same level of polish because of the lack of a solid 3rd stage disc. The moral of the story is that if you're in doubt, buy two kits.Another recommendation I would make is to leave yourself at least two hours to do the job. This also means that your drill needs enough battery capacity for two hours of continuous running at high speed. You don't want to run out halfway through the job and have to wait for a battery to charge.So, in summary, this kit actually does what it's supposed to - just don't expect it to be easy. Follow the instructions exactly, don't take any shortcuts and you'll be fine. I am docking one star because I feel that 3M could have supplied a few extra sanding discs that would have made the job easier, without having to worry about conserving discs between lenses.EDIT: Got my second kit and finished up the passenger side headlight. Looks like new. The only time you can see any haziness is when the headlights are actually on - and even then, it's barely noticeable. Sure beats having to buy new housings. Well worth the trouble.

Review by T. Cho "average do it yourselfer" : Excellent Product!

This stuff works! Car was in a fender bender that had to have one of the HID assembly completely replaced with a new one, ins paid $1100. Problem was now I had one shiny new headlight next to an old and discolored one. Just couldn't live with it even on an old 2001 Infiniti, but wasn't about to spring for a new one at that kind of cost. So, reading many of the reviews for various products I tried this product out based on the reviews and hints, and even if it didn't work, it's only about $15 bucks, so what the heck.Following the instructions and others' helpful hints, to my surprise, the darn thing works. And I should know because it's sitting next to a brand new headlight assembly. It takes a sharp eye to notice the difference between the two; I'd say it took it about 95% new. Only downfall of this kind of product is that you're sanding down the plastic housing; so I did not sand down as much as I could have, so result quality could have been even better.I bought two of these, thinking I'll use the 2nd pack for the wife's 2001 minivan. The headlight on it was very opaque; couldn't see the light bulbs past the discoloration. It looks great on that too, but used only ONE package!The hardest part of doing this job was holding darn drill. It's tiring. The plastic metal pad/drill adapter is excellent for other chores too around the house.

Review by Michael H "Patrick" : SAVED ME HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS

WOW! I drive a 12 year old car that is in very good shape, with the exception of the headlight lenses. I looked into replacements, they were priced at over $100 each, ouch! So while in the local AutoZone I found this kit for 17 bucks, and thought why not give it a try. It took less than an hour to have my headlights looking like new. It was also very easy to use, with all the supplies in the kit all I had to furnish was a drill. Easy, Inexpensive, and it works! I will tell everyone I know how great this product is!!

Review by Daugenet Breaux : Pleasantly Surprised

I own an 11 year old car and the headlights had become significantly glazed over. The only thing the drill doesnt come with is a drill. (which would really drive up the cost of the kit) The steps are pretty easy to restore your headlight

1. Clean the headlight and tape around the headlight edgeds to protect the paint job.
2. Use the "yellow" sanding disk with the drill attachment. The headlight will take on a more cloudy, but uniform, appearance
3. Use the "white" disk and smooth out the surface
4. Use the "gray" disk (with water) and begin the polishing of the surface
5. Finally use the "orange" foam disk with the polishing compound and complete the job.

Instructions are included with the kit and are pretty straightforward. I would say that anyone can do this job in approximately 2 hours or less. The drill attachment is WELL worth the money.

I was actually able to do two cars with one kit. Obviously this will depend on the condition of your headlights. I would recommend buying one kit per car though.

When using the kit I actually wiped off the "dust" that was created between steps. This wasnt mentioned in the instructions but I dont feel that it effected the results either. If you do the same thing then you will not see much of the "white slurry" described in the instructions when using the gray disk.

I hope this review helps and I will try to check back later to see if anyone has some comments that need answering.