Mobile headlight restoration Ann Arbor, MI
Every stage of a proper restoration.
A full Beacon Auto Care restoration is four stages, done at your vehicle, in 45–60 minutes. All four are included — none of them is an upsell.
What is included
Four stages, in the order they have to happen.
Stage 01
De-Yellowing Treatment
A de-yellowing treatment strips the oxidized, UV-damaged top layer off a yellowed headlight lens so the plastic underneath is clear again.
Yellowing is not dirt and it does not wash off. Headlight lenses are polycarbonate, sealed at the factory with a thin protective coating. Sun, heat, road salt, car-wash chemicals and grit wear that coating away, and once it is gone the plastic underneath oxidizes and clouds. The treatment removes that damaged layer rather than trying to clean it.
Stage 02
Wet Sanding
Wet sanding levels the lens through progressively finer abrasive grades, taking out the deeper hazing and fine scratching that polishing alone cannot reach.
This is the step most cheap kits skip and the reason their results fade. Done in stages with water as a lubricant, it flattens the surface evenly instead of just skimming the top. It is also the step that decides whether the finish looks genuinely clear or merely less yellow.
Stage 03
Machine Polishing
Machine polishing brings the sanded lens back to full optical clarity so light passes straight through instead of scattering.
Sanding leaves a uniform matte surface. Polishing refines it back to transparency under machine speed and controlled pressure, which is what returns the glass-like look. Done by hand, this step is slow and usually uneven.
Stage 04
3-Year Ceramic UV Coating
A ceramic UV coating replaces the factory protection that was lost, and is warranted for three years.
This is the difference between a restoration that lasts and one that yellows again within months. The clear lens is sealed against the exact UV exposure that caused the original damage. A restoration without a UV coating is unfinished work, which is why store-bought kits that stop at polishing tend not to hold.
Restore or replace
Refinish the lens, or buy a new one.
Restoration refinishes and re-seals the lens already on your car. Replacement means buying a whole new headlight assembly and fitting it. For an oxidized lens, refinishing is the far cheaper route to a clear headlight.
AAA had an accredited lab test headlights taken off two sedans about 11 years old, under the federal headlight standard. On low beam those clouded lenses managed 22% of what a new headlight produces. That is what oxidation actually costs you after dark, and it is why we treat this as more than a cosmetic job.
A new halogen assembly runs roughly $250 to $700 fitted at 2026 prices, HID units more, LED assemblies well into four figures, and that is per side before labor on anything that needs the bumper off. Restoration starts at $120 for the car, both lenses, in your driveway.
There is a limit to it. If your lenses are cracked, physically damaged, or have moisture sitting inside the housing, refinishing is the wrong answer and we will tell you that instead of taking the job.
Source: AAA headlight research. Replacement pricing from published 2026 repair cost guides.
Optional add-ons
While we are already at your car.
Priced separately, and never assumed — you ask for these or you don’t.
Plastic Trim Restoration
$30–$55, depending on vehicle model
Faded black plastic trim, mirror caps and cowl panels restored back toward their original depth of color while we are already at your vehicle.
Windshield & Mirror Rain-Repellent Coating
$30 flat
A hydrophobic coating on the windshield and mirrors so rain beads and clears faster. Pairs naturally with a headlight job done for night-driving visibility.
Ready when you are.
Serving Ann Arbor, MI and surrounding areas.