Restore cloudy, oxidised car headlights

How it works

Polycarbonate headlights yellow and cloud as their factory coating breaks down in UV light. It looks terrible, it fails some inspections, and owners assume the fix is a new unit costing hundreds. It isn't: you wet-sand the lens through a few grits, polish it clear, and seal it with a fresh UV coating. Fifteen to forty minutes a pair, and the result is dramatic enough that the before-and-after photo is the whole marketing plan. Post it in the local group and the next three cars come from it.

The repeatable money is not the one-off driveway job. It's the used-car lot that wants every car on the forecourt looking sharp before it photographs them, and the mobile valeter who'd rather subcontract the lenses than learn them.

What it actually takes

• A sanding kit (assorted wet grits), a polishing compound, and a proper UV-blocking clear coat or sealant. A cheap drill or small polisher speeds it up. The whole kit is under a hundred; skip the sealant and the job yellows again in weeks, which is how you lose the referral.
• Masking tape to protect the paint around the lens, and the discipline to actually use it.
• A way to reach customers: one good photo pair, posted where local people buy and sell cars.
• Realism about the ceiling. A car's headlights need doing once every few years, so there are no repeat visits from the same owner. Growth comes from volume and from trade clients, not from loyalty.

Where it goes wrong

• Skipping the UV coat. A polish alone looks perfect for a fortnight and then clouds over, and now you're the person whose work didn't last.
• Burning the lens or hazing the paint with an aggressive pad. Learn on a scrap lens or your own car first.
• Pricing it as if it were a full detail. It's a fast add-on; price it to be an easy yes, and sell it alongside other work.
• Treating it as a business on its own. It pairs with mobile car detailing; as a sole service the ceiling is pocket money.