★★★★★100+ five-star Google reviews
Foggy, yellow headlights wet sanded and sealed with a ceramic coating, so they're clear again. Added to any detail at our drop-off shop at 2043 O St.
Pick your package, then add headlight restoration when you book. 25% deposit, fully refunded if you cancel more than 72 hours ahead.
Headlight restoration is a $50 add-on to any detailing package at MC Auto Detailing, our family owned drop-off shop at 2043 O St in Lincoln, NE. We wet sand the cloudy, yellow layer off your headlight lenses, then seal them with a ceramic coating so they stay clear. It usually adds just 30 to 45 minutes to your detail.
Do your headlights look foggy or yellow? Maybe the road looks darker at night than it used to, or worse in the rain. No worries. You don't need new headlights, and you don't need to take them apart. Most of the time that haze is on the outside of the lens, and that's the part we fix.
Pick the package that fits the rest of your car, an Essential Interior, a Full Interior or one of our Inside and Out packages, and add headlight restoration when you book.
Most people add it for one of these reasons:
Selling soon? Read our guide to detailing your car before you sell.
Most headlight lenses are clear plastic with a thin protective layer from the factory. Years of sun, heat, road salt, gravel and car washes wear that layer down until it oxidizes. That's the cloudy, yellow haze you see, and it builds up on the outside of the lens. That's why sanding it off and sealing the lens works.
Nebraska is tough on headlights: hot summer sun on cars parked outside all day, then a winter of road salt and sand. Cars that live outside usually start to yellow sooner.
Haze or moisture on the inside of the headlight, or a cracked lens, can't be fixed from the outside. We look at your headlights first and tell you what to expect before we start.
Headlight restoration takes the right steps in the right order. Here's exactly what happens to your headlights at our shop.
We check each lens for cracks, chips and haze on the inside. If there's damage restoration can't fix, we tell you before we start.
We tape off the paint and trim around each headlight before any sanding, so nothing around it gets scratched or scuffed.
The cloudy, oxidized outer layer comes off with wet sanding. This is where the yellow goes away.
We step down to finer sandpaper to smooth out the sanding marks, so the lens goes from hazy to clear.
A ceramic coating goes on the bare lens to guard against new yellowing. It lasts over a year, and closer to two if your car sleeps in a garage.
We work on the headlights while other parts of your detail are drying, so it usually adds just 30 to 45 minutes.
We check both lenses one more time before we text you that your car is ready.
Before we start sanding, we tape off the paint and trim around every headlight. That way nothing around your headlight gets scratched or scuffed while we work on the lens.
This Mazda3 headlight is already restored and ready to go. The tape is the last thing to come off.
No new lenses and no taking the headlights apart. Your original headlights are restored right on the car.
Every photo is a real customer car from our shop. No stock photos.
BEFORE
AFTERHonda CR-V getting ready to sell: foggy, yellow headlights restored and sealed
BEFORE
AFTERToyota Corolla: a cloudy, yellow headlight, clear again
BEFORE
AFTERNissan Frontier, driver side: yellowed and foggy, now clear
BEFORE
AFTERSame Nissan Frontier, passenger side
BEFORE
AFTERA cloudy, yellow lens wet sanded and sealed with a ceramic coating
BEFORE
AFTERA yellowed lens on a black sedan, clear again
A few more cars from our shop after their detail.
Real Google reviews from our customers, including one who had headlight restoration done with an interior detail.
“Very good job of interior cleaning and headlight repair. Will recommend to others and bring my vehicles back. Very professional, friendly, and communication on the status of my vehicle.”
“Great customer service! Received an itemized quote within 1 hour of inquiry. All questions were answered promptly. Was immediately greeted when dropping off the car. Updates were given throughout the cleaning process. The detailing was amazing. The car looks brand new. Would highly recommend.”
“I was very impressed. Car looked brand new after 6 years with two kids. Reasonably priced and great customer service! Would highly recommend!”
“Thank you! My car hasn’t looked so great since it was brand new. I will definitely be back.”
“Staff are very polite and accommodating. They do a beautiful job. My jeep looks better than it did when I bought it brand new. It has a deep luster and shine, everything is perfectly clean.”
“Given what they were handed (a hot mess), I was extremely impressed with the results. Looked like a brand new car 👍”
“Absolutely incredible work! I can't believe this is the same car I dropped off. It looks better than I expected and the staff was so friendly and helpful. I highly recommend MC Auto Detailing to anyone wanting to restore their car to showroom quality.”
Quick answer: headlight restoration is $50, added to any of our four detailing packages. It can't be booked by itself. Here's what each package comes to with it, for a coupe or sedan.
with headlight restoration
from $240
$190 package + $50 headlight restoration
A full vacuum, a wipe-down, door jambs and inside glass. For interiors without stains, heavy dirt or pet hair.
with headlight restoration
from $310
$260 package + $50 headlight restoration
Everything in the Essential Interior, plus the seats, carpets and mats shampooed and stains treated.
with headlight restoration
from $280
$230 package + $50 headlight restoration
The Essential Interior, plus a hand wash, clay bar and long lasting ceramic hand wax.
with headlight restoration
from $360
$310 package + $50 headlight restoration
The Full Interior, plus a hand wash, clay bar and longer lasting, more durable ceramic hand wax.
These are starting prices for a coupe or sedan, and bigger vehicles cost a little more. See every package price by vehicle size. A 25% deposit holds your spot and comes off your total, and it's fully refunded if you cancel more than 72 hours ahead. Deposit policy
If the lenses are just foggy or yellow, restoring them is the easy call. If they're cracked or damaged inside, replacement is the fix.
| Restore at our shop | Replace the headlights | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $50 with any detail | Hundreds of dollars per side, plus installation |
| Time | About 30 to 45 minutes, while your detail dries | Depends on the part and the shop |
| How long it lasts | Over a year, closer to two if your car is garaged | As long as the new lens holds up |
| Best for | Foggy, cloudy or yellow lenses with no cracks | Cracked lenses, broken tabs, or moisture or damage inside |
The quick rule: if your seats or carpets need more than a vacuum, you need the Full Interior. If a thorough vacuum and wipe-down will do it, the Essential Interior is all you need.
from $190
Choose the Essential Interior if your interior has:
You get: a full vacuum, a wipe-down of the dash, console and doors, clean door jambs and inside glass, and an air freshener.
from $260
Choose the Full Interior if your interior has any of these:
You get: everything in the Essential Interior, plus seats, carpets and mats shampooed with commercial grade carpet extractors, stains treated and light pet hair removed.
Pet hair? The Full Interior includes light pet hair removal. The Essential Interior doesn't include any, so pet hair removal is an add-on from $40, and more than light pet hair is from $40 with the Full Interior too. The price depends on how much hair there is and how much you'd like removed. Still not sure? Book the one you think fits and leave a note. We look every car over at drop-off and confirm the price before we start.
Here's the easy way to get exactly what your car needs, and nothing it doesn't. Prices are starting prices for a coupe or sedan.
Every headlight restoration goes with a package, and every package starts with the inside. Use the quick rule above: the Essential Interior from $190 is a thorough refresh, and the Full Interior from $260 is the deep clean.
Going with the Essential Interior? The Essential Inside and Out adds a hand wash, clay bar and long lasting ceramic hand wax to keep your paint looking good too, from $230.
Going with the Full Interior? The Full Inside and Out adds a hand wash, clay bar and longer lasting, more durable ceramic hand wax to protect your paint, from $310.
Add any of these when you book. They can't be booked on their own.
✓ Headlight restoration, $50, done while other parts of your detail are drying
✓ Engine bay cleaning, $50, for a dusty, greasy engine bay
✓ Pet hair removal, from $40, depending on how much you want removed (the Full Interior and Full Inside and Out already include light pet hair)
✓ Enzyme cleaning, $60, for pet accidents
✓ Iron decontamination, $20 with an Essential or Full Inside and Out, to remove yellow iron particles from your paint
Then schedule online in about 2 minutes and leave a note about anything we should know. See every price by vehicle size
FOAM BATH
HAND WAXEDEvery Essential and Full Inside and Out starts with a thick foam bath and a hand wash, then gets a clay bar and ceramic hand wax. See the Hand Wash and Wax
Cloudy headlights are one of the first things a buyer notices, and they make even a clean car look older than it is. Clear ones are an easy way to make a great first impression, in person and in your listing photos.
If you're getting ready to sell or trade in, here's what we'd book: the Full Inside and Out, headlight restoration and, if the engine bay is dusty, engine bay cleaning. That's the whole car, inside, outside and under the hood, in one drop-off.
We're in the Telegraph District, on the east edge of downtown Lincoln and just across O St from Union Plaza. We're open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 AM to 6 PM, so it's easy to drop off on a weekend.
Drop off in the morning and most cars are ready the same day. Cars dropped off after 1 PM are ready the next day. We text you as soon as yours is done.
Drivers come to us from the Telegraph District, Downtown, Near South, Clinton, Havelock, South Lincoln, near UNL, and towns like Waverly, Hickman, Seward and Crete. See drive times from your part of town.
Headlight restoration is $50, added to any of our detailing packages. With an Essential Interior that comes to $240 for a coupe or sedan, and with a Full Interior, $310. See every package price.
No. Headlight restoration is an add-on, so it goes with one of our four packages: the Essential Interior, Full Interior, Essential Inside and Out or Full Inside and Out.
If your car is garaged most of the time, well over a year, and sometimes closer to two. If it sits outside all the time, you'll still get over a year of clear headlights with the ceramic coating.
It usually adds 30 to 45 minutes. We work on the headlights while other parts of your detail are drying, so it rarely adds much to your total time. Most details take 3 to 6 hours.
Yes. In AAA's testing, cloudy, yellowed headlights put out only about 20% of the light of new ones, and restoration brought them back to about 70%. That's a big difference on a dark road or in the rain.
The plastic lens has a thin protective layer from the factory. Sun, heat, road salt, gravel and car washes wear it down over the years until it oxidizes, and that's the yellow, cloudy haze you see.
Most of the time it's on the outside, which is the part we restore. If there's moisture or haze on the inside, or the lens is cracked, restoring the outside won't fix it. We'll look first and tell you what to expect.
Our process works on modern plastic headlight lenses. If a headlight has deep cracks or damage inside, there's only so much we can do, and we'll let you know before we start.
No. Before we start, we tape off the paint and trim around each headlight, so nothing around it gets scratched or scuffed while we sand the lens.
No. We restore your existing lenses by wet sanding away the damaged layer, then sealing them with a ceramic coating. You get clear headlights for a fraction of what replacement costs.
If the lenses are only foggy or yellow, restore them. It's $50 with any detail, and new headlight assemblies cost hundreds of dollars per side. If a lens is cracked, has broken tabs or is damaged inside, replacement is the better fix.
Pretty much. People call it headlight cleaning, polishing, buffing or lens restoration. Ours covers all of it: the oxidized layer wet sanded off, the lens refined until it's clear, then sealed with a ceramic coating.
No. The ceramic coating we use is just for the headlight lenses, to keep them from yellowing again. We don't offer ceramic coatings for paint. Our Inside and Out packages include a ceramic hand wax for the paint.
Park in a garage or in the shade when you can, since sun is what yellows them. Keeping the car clean helps too. When they start to fade again, we can restore them with your next detail.
Yes. Cloudy headlights are one of the first things buyers notice. Pair it with a Full Inside and Out and engine bay cleaning and the whole car is ready to list. More tips in our guide to detailing before you sell.
Yes. Just call or text 402-525-7201 and we'll add it and adjust your total.
No. We're a drop-off shop, and every car is detailed inside our shop at 2043 O St, Lincoln, NE 68510. We're open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 AM to 6 PM.
Schedule online in about 2 minutes: pick your vehicle and package, add headlight restoration and choose a time. A 25% deposit holds your spot and comes off your total, and it's fully refunded if you cancel more than 72 hours ahead. Questions? Call or text 402-525-7201.
Everything else we do, plus a few guides worth a read before your detail.
