can i find OEM quality headlights for around $200

If you want to save some $, do the headlights right. They shouldn't have yellowed (assuming this is what's going on) again in a year or less after polishing. I'm not saying you incorrectly followed the instructions; it's the fact that most kits don't come with a way to properly protect the lights from having the same issues down the road. I used this with great results. It comes with the UV protectant/coating that you need to apply 2 coats of. Like a maroon (Buggs Bunny reference for those that don't know), I only applied one coat, but it's still holding up very well. It's worth a shot for the price. Don't be afraid to really cut away the top layer of UV and into the plastic. This is where people botch it; they think once they get to the point where it "looks better", they just stop then start polishing.

I'm not going to knock the product, but a lifetime warranty seems a little ambitious. The only thing I see protecting headlights, even semi-permanently, is a headlight film, and even that will show wear after time.
I restored the lights on my car last summer, here's a DIY I wrote up:

Car is question is 2000 Passat.
The factory headlights on the car were HORRIBLY hazed and deteriorated, worse than the typical yellowing you see on most cars with plastic headlights. At night, I was lucky to see 20 feet in front of the car, and the high beams and fog lights were equally ineffective.

On a whim, I stopped by my FLAPS to see what they had to offer as far as restoration/refurbishment products. Among others, I came across this:

It was a about $25, more than other products offered, and included a bottle of Meguiar's PlastX plastic polish, a drill-powered buffing wheel, and a microfiber cleaning cloth.
I bought this kit because of the buffing wheel (less work for me!), the guarantee, and the fact that I have used and like other Meguiar's products.

Once home, I decided to proceed with the side marker lights first, as they were also yellowed and would be a good test of the product. I used a DeWalt corded drill, I didn't think my cordless would have enough RPMs to do the job. After using painters tape to protect the surrounding body work, and taping off half the light, I put a dab of PlastX on the wheel and went to town. I was impressed by the results (the left half of the light was polished at this point): :thumbup:



So far so good, so I decided to tackle the headlights.



Again, I taped off the body work and started polishing, and after about 10 minutes, I had exactly NOTHING to show for my work. The PlastX and wheel did absolutely nothing to the headlights.

For reference, the following photos show the poor quality of the light at this point (the drivers side bulb wasn't sitting correctly in the lamp, which is why it looks low):
Low beams

High beams

Low beams/fog lights


Soooooo, I got online and did some checking, and found a few DIY write-ups regarding headlight restoration. After combining some site knowledge, I armed myself with the following:
Trigger-style spray bottle
600/1200/2500 grit wet/dry sandpaper
Dish soap
Paper towels

I soaked the sandpaper in water, and filled the spray bottle with a water/dish soap solution (the dish soap helps keep the paper lubricated as you sand) and proceeded to start wet-sanding my lights. I sprayed the lights, and starting with the 600 grit, sanded across the headlight, using the sprayer to keep the light saturated. But after a matter of a minute or so, the 600 grit filled up, and became useless. I found some 400 grit, but the same thing happened. I grabbed a 220 sanding sponge and took to the light, and make progress. After about 10 minutes, the rough, hazed surface had levelled off, and I was back to a smooth, although milky white (from the sanding) surface. So, I took to the 600 grit for about 5 minutes, moved up to the 1200 grit for another 5, and followed that with the 2500. The lights looked 98% better, but they still needed polishing. So once again, I broke out the Meguiar's kit and polished up the lenses. Holy hell, what a difference! I can actually SEE the bulbs now, and the light output has to be better than 100%. I haven't taken it for a ride at night yet, but I'm THRILLED with the results thus far. The lights could use another go around from the 600 paper, as there are still fine sctatches from the 220 pad, but I ran out of time.
Anywho, the results:


Low beams

High beams

Low beams/fog lights


So, for about $25 I did a pretty good job (IMHO) of refurbing my headlights (I had the other supplies on hand). I had contemplated replacing them, but this is a much cheaper solution. When the kit failed on the headlights the first time around, I wasn't too suprised, seeing as how they were in such bad shape. But with a little elbow grease and about an hour (for both lights), the difference is pretty astounding.

Before and after (and yes, they ARE the same lights):