Failed coating or something else

[chilly]

When my wife bought our Tacoma in late 2017 she let the finance guy talk her into a dealer installed “coating” as well as a couple of other add ons

Some crap called Xzilon

We were living in our condo at the time and the truck sat outside for about a year and her favorite parking space was right by sprinklers that came on nightly

She also had a friend “detail” it for her several times

By the time we bought our house and I was in a position to take over caring for it, the paint was a disaster of bird bombs, water spots, swirls and scratches, etc

I did a full correction with 3D One and actually was able to get 95%+ of the defects out without stressing out the clear coat

The headlights weren’t bad so I just hit them with 3D Speed and topped the whole truck with Poxy and OCW

Over the last couple of months I have noticed SOMETHING peeling off one headlight with each wash I do

It’s a fairly soft, fairly thick plastic of some kind and I am concerned it may be a factory UV coating

It is coming off in small sheets

I could easily blast it off with my pressure washer but until I know what it is I’m babying it along

It could also be that garbage sealant coming off

Is there a factory layer on headlights that would come off like that?

I know headlights have UV protection but I always assumed it was IN the plastic, not on top

The other headlight isn’t doing this and other than this upper edge the plastic is crystal clear and free of defects

Sorry for the lousy pics

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[Buster906]

Could be Paint Protection Film on the headlights ? How are the headlights under the film?

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[chilly]

Could be Paint Protection Film on the headlights ? How are the headlights under the film?

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I think it’s too thin to be PPF and the plastic underneath looks smooth and clear

So far it’s just the upper ledge of one headlight

Thanks for replying




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[evo77]

The polycarbonate lens of all factory headlamps are sprayed with a cured UV hard coating. The most common reason for failure is when this hard coat is pelted by sand/debris over time which compromises the coating. Once the PC material is exposed, the deterioration of the lens begins (yellowing) and the rest of the hard coat starts to peel away.

In your specific case it COULD be the UV hard coat failing for whatever reason. But to be sure you can try a few different chemicals to ensure it isn't something else. Try Stoners Tarminator or Citrol Degreaser or something that can remove adhesives and bonded contaminants. If those don't remove it then its most likely the UV hard coat.

 

[chilly]

The polycarbonate lens of all factory headlamps are sprayed with a cured UV hard coating. The most common reason for failure is when this hard coat is pelted by sand/debris over time which compromises the coating. Once the PC material is exposed, the deterioration of the lens begins (yellowing) and the rest of the hard coat starts to peel away.

In your specific case it COULD be the UV hard coat failing for whatever reason. But to be sure you can try a few different chemicals to ensure it isn't something else. Try Stoners Tarminator or Citrol Degreaser or something that can remove adhesives and bonded contaminants. If those don't remove it then its most likely the UV hard coat.

I can probably find one or the other products locally

I will give it a try and see what happens

I guess worst case scenario is I get to use one of the new headlight coatings

Thanks


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[Rsurfer]

Bust out the sand paper. Same thing happens on all my vehicles. The top portion is exposed to more UV and it's the first to go.

 

[chilly]

Bust out the sand paper. Same thing happens on all my vehicles. The top portion is exposed to more UV and it's the first to go.

Thanks Ron

I had to do that on my TT in Alaska and I’m not looking forward to it

Heavy sigh




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[glen e]

I would take it to a body shop. Before you go buy a bunch of stuff a body shop will probably clear this up for 25-35 bucks. Or you could try the headlight kits from Maguires that use a cordless drill.I did this a couple years ago with a friend. Sandpaper is absolutely the way to go, however you’re going to need a rotary buffer with a pad and some abrasive to bring them back to clear, then you need to coat them with a true coating like CQUK something like that. Do a test spot first before you use any solution on that. Things like acetone or goof off will completely screw them up.

Of course you might get lucky and some type of aftermarket coating could be dissolved perfectly with rubbing alcohol.

 

[chilly]

I would take it to a body shop. Before you go buy a bunch of stuff a body shop will probably clear this up for 25-35 bucks. Or you could try the headlight kits from Maguires that use a cordless drill.I did this a couple years ago with a friend. Sandpaper is absolutely the way to go, however you’re going to need a rotary buffer with a pad and some abrasive to bring them back to clear, then you need to coat them with a true coating like CQUK something like that. Do a test spot first before you use any solution on that. Things like acetone or goof off will completely screw them up.

Of course you might get lucky and some type of aftermarket coating could be dissolved perfectly with rubbing alcohol.

Thanks

No body shops available

I have corrected headlights myself before so if it comes down to it I can handle it

The truck only lived outside for about a year and still only has about 12,000 miles total so I’m surprised the factory UV coating would have failed

If I do any testing with chemicals I will proceed cautiously

Thanks


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