Text your Year/Make/Model to 902-999-8266 for an estimate. Please take a few moments to read below for information on how Headlights Lenses degrade, the impact to your safety and what we can do to help keep you and your loved ones safer.

If you prefer, you may email us at:     LensMasterCA @ gmail com, though we do our best, email response times may vary.

Your Headlights are a critical safety feature of your vehicle, equal to Brakes and Tires, that also degrade with time, creating an equally critical safety issue - you can't react to what you can't see! - potentially making your Brakes virtually a moot point from an accident/no-accident standpoint. Unfortunately your Headlights don't provide any warning that you have lost a critical amount of light as your brakes or tires might with handling and/or noise issues.

Lens wear and Light Loss typically begins with Road Grit pitting and blasting away the Clear Coat finish that protects your Lenses leaving them more white(ish) than clear - Road Grit will also pit your Lens if left unprotected by Clear Coat. Once the Clear Coat wears enough to expose the underlying Polycarbonate Lens to direct UV light (sunlight), the oils in the Polycarbonate begin to leech out giving a yellow(ish) tint or color to your Headlights. All of this applies to Fog Lights as well though arguably they aren't as critical as Headlights in most cases - some vehicles don't even have Fog Lights.

These (Road Grit Pitting and UV Light) cause two problems that reduce your light significantly; scattering of your beam (think flood light vs spot light) outside the directed path created by the geometry of the internal reflectors, reducing your visibility Distance down the road and, blocking light inside your Headlight Assembly - which often causes additional (irreparable) damage to the inside of your Headlight Lenses, commonly referred to as LED Burn, though this is a general name that occurs regardless of bulb type used, early LED bulbs frequently overheated and thus the name stuck to encompass all instances of this unfortunate outcome. When this heat buildup due to trapped heat gets excessive, many Lenses also show "crazing" or "micro-cracks" but they typically occur outside the direct path of light projection and, while unsightly, may not always result in needing new Headlights.

Unlike the safety issue resulting from worn Brakes or Tires which will cost 100% of the repair cost as the last time you had them done (maybe even a little more this time), Headlight Lenses can be Resurfaced to bring back 100% of your Original Light Output (and Reaction Time and Braking/Stopping Distance) for roughly 10% of the cost of replacing them! I know, right? How many necessary "critical use" things do you own with that low cost option to make it Perform Like New again once its worn out?? Not enough I'm sure!

Road Grit Impact (like sandblasting) and UV Light can reduce headlight output by more than 40% on the average 5yr old vehicle and as much as 80% reduction on a 9yr old vehicle - particularly on brands like Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus, Nissan/Infinity, Mazda, etc... due to manufacturing process and materials. The result is an equal reduction in the Length of your Field of Vision (FoV), or night-time visibility, which multiplies your (Driver/Passengers) Risk Factor... for whatever you are not able to see early enough... be it Object, Animal or even Pedestrian. Briefly, if your vehicle has a 300ft Field of Vision Length with new/good (90%+ Clarity) Headlight Lenses, a 25% reduction due to wear reduces your Field of Vision Length to ~225ft, 50% reduction to a FoV Length of ~150ft. 

An easy at home test is to look into your headlights (lights off) and see how clearly you can see the bulb(s) and internal reflector details (geometry). Typically, if you can still make out ALL the details, you're not over 10% Light Loss - 10% obscured view would mean that you have 10% SHORTER Field of Vision Length AND 10% LESS Reaction Time, which INCREASES your overall Stopping Distance by 10%. There is a direct 1 for 1 relationship at consistent speed (faster speed and/or wet roads result in greater than liner [exponential] negative results/impact), 30% obscured would be almost 1/3 LESS Field of Vision Length and 1/3 LESS Reaction Time. It doesn't get better from here - the Headlight shown above is greater than 80% obscured, with corresponding 80% LESS Field of Vision Length and 80% LESS Reaction Time, as tested with a light meter.

What all this means is, for example, IF ALL your vehicle's other critical Safety elements are sound (good tires for traction and good brakes delivering full braking capacity) and your particular vehicle has a 300 foot Field of Vision Length with a Stopping Distance at 70KM per hour of 180ft, 10% light Loss would mean you have a Field of Vision Length of 270ft and your corresponding Stopping Distance is now 200ft - not a completely unhealthy scenario, though at 80KM per hour, your Stopping Distance would be roughly 255ft and perhaps to close for comfort for your 270ft Field of Vision given your 10% Light Loss. Further, 30% Light Loss at a speed of 70KM per hour would be a 90ft Loss of Field of Vision leaving just 210ft, with your original Stopping Distance of 180ft, this doesn't leave a lot of room for error so many times your personal  judgement or reaction time doesn't really factor into it - unless those are related to keeping Headlights in good shape because poor Headlights are simply dangerous - and easily demonstrates why Dusk to Dawn collisions/accidents are 3x higher than daylight accidents even though actual Kilometers driven are 80% less compared to daylight kilometers driven (industry averages published by insurance companies). And on it goes from there. There's a lot of data out there on the inter-webs, maybe I'll collect some and link them here when time allows but feel free to search it out.

Don't be the driver saying "I almost stopped in time, if I only had a little more room" or "it came out of nowhere, it was just there".

This isn't because you have poor judgement or even poor reaction response - because things don't magically appear in your field of vision - its because we don't notice our headlights reach (Field of Vision Length) diminishing over time until we are faced with something unexpected -  that shouldn't be been unexpected! You simply didn't have the reaction time required to prevent a mishap due to less light than was necessary, and was previously available to you, due to degraded Headlight Lenses.

Fortunately, there's a REAL, cost effective solution!

Typical "restoration" methods, be they tricks like toothpaste (a la YouTube) or even retail kits, only focus on the cosmetic aspect of making your lights look good, but do little to return the Lost Performance of your Headlight to Original Light Output Performance to maximize safety for you and your family because they do not remove the underlying damage that SCATTERS and Blocks your Light Beam (refraction).

See the research conducted by the Leading Authority, the Insurance Institute for Headlight Safety (IIHS.org) - Yes! it's a real thing, because it is a real safety hazard insurance companies are grappling with (not the mention many 1000s of families suffering serious injury and/or loss) and IIHS Studies show that even retail kits, in the hands of DIYers and Automotive Professionals alike, can't achieve higher than ~75% of original Light Output. That's because these kits aren't intended to, they are 90% cosmetic, so your vehicle looks a lot better with a 'little' better visibility (76% highest achieved according to IIHS testing of retail kits). As an aside, while insurance companies are for profit entities, I'd like to think all those research dollars into Headlight Safety are purely for the public good but I suspect it will also result in premium increases and/or claim denials at some point in the not too distant future - and may even be happening now its just not being "advertised". I know a number of provinces have started policing and issue fines (+100$) for poor headlights (not bulb out).

Retail DIY Headlight Restoration kits might loosely compare to trying to DIY the scratches out of your eye-glasses instead of replacing them when you are unable to see clearly - except eye-glasses typically wouldn't result in personal injury or loss. It's all about how light travels through materials (Headlight Lenses) to extend your Field of Vision and how light enters your eyes (eye-glass lenses) for clarity of view at Distance. Both Headlight Lenses and eye-glasses require an understanding of light and the materials/tools/processes employed to achieve maximum clarity. Lens wear is very much like Cataracts, Retail Kits are like eye-glasses, they can help somewhat with early stages but cannot correct the condition. Resurfacing is like Surgery. (We don't do eye-glasses)

Original Light Output and Safety can only be achieved by Resurfacing the Lens to original factory condition. We machine grind your Lenses (on vehicle, no need to remove them) and use only Automotive Certified Products to protect your vehicle while we work, to remove the damage from your Lenses, to rebuild the original Lens surface, then high-power polish to a crystal clear finish for maximum clarity before sealing your 'as new' Headlight Lenses with Automotive Headlight Certified, heavily endowed UV Clear Coat to protect your freshly Resurfaced Lenses.

And we stand behind both the products we use, and the process we use to Resurface your Lenses with a 1 year warranty on our work. 

Resurfacing isn't about looks or the value of your vehicle, it's about safety - the value of your life and those you love.

Text your Year/Make/Model to 902-999-8266 for an estimate. Thanks for dropping by, and please feel free to share our contact info with anyone in your life who may be at risk due to poor Headlights Lenses.

(also makes a great gift to someone you love suffering from diminished vision) 

 

Text your Year/Make/Model to 902-999-8266 for an estimate. Please take a few moments to read below for information on how Headlights Lenses degrade, the impact to your safety and what we can do to help keep you and your loved ones safer.

If you prefer, you may email us at:     LensMasterCA @ gmail com, though we do our best, email response times may vary.

Your Headlights are a critical safety feature of your vehicle, equal to Brakes and Tires, that also degrade with time, creating an equally critical safety issue - you can't react to what you can't see! - potentially making your Brakes virtually a moot point from an accident/no-accident standpoint. Unfortunately your Headlights don't provide any warning that you have lost a critical amount of light as your brakes or tires might with handling and/or noise issues.

Lens wear and Light Loss typically begins with Road Grit pitting and blasting away the Clear Coat finish that protects your Lenses leaving them more white(ish) than clear - Road Grit will also pit your Lens if left unprotected by Clear Coat. Once the Clear Coat wears enough to expose the underlying Polycarbonate Lens to direct UV light (sunlight), the oils in the Polycarbonate begin to leech out giving a yellow(ish) tint or color to your Headlights. All of this applies to Fog Lights as well though arguably they aren't as critical as Headlights in most cases - some vehicles don't even have Fog Lights.

These (Road Grit Pitting and UV Light) cause two problems that reduce your light significantly; scattering of your beam (think flood light vs spot light) outside the directed path created by the geometry of the internal reflectors, reducing your visibility Distance down the road and, blocking light inside your Headlight Assembly - which often causes additional (irreparable) damage to the inside of your Headlight Lenses, commonly referred to as LED Burn, though this is a general name that occurs regardless of bulb type used, early LED bulbs frequently overheated and thus the name stuck to encompass all instances of this unfortunate outcome. When this heat buildup due to trapped heat gets excessive, many Lenses also show "crazing" or "micro-cracks" but they typically occur outside the direct path of light projection and, while unsightly, may not always result in needing new Headlights.

Unlike the safety issue resulting from worn Brakes or Tires which will cost 100% of the repair cost as the last time you had them done (maybe even a little more this time), Headlight Lenses can be Resurfaced to bring back 100% of your Original Light Output (and Reaction Time and Braking/Stopping Distance) for roughly 10% of the cost of replacing them! I know, right? How many necessary "critical use" things do you own with that low cost option to make it Perform Like New again once its worn out?? Not enough I'm sure!

Road Grit Impact (like sandblasting) and UV Light can reduce headlight output by more than 40% on the average 5yr old vehicle and as much as 80% reduction on a 9yr old vehicle - particularly on brands like Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus, Nissan/Infinity, Mazda, etc... due to manufacturing process and materials. The result is an equal reduction in the Length of your Field of Vision (FoV), or night-time visibility, which multiplies your (Driver/Passengers) Risk Factor... for whatever you are not able to see early enough... be it Object, Animal or even Pedestrian. Briefly, if your vehicle has a 300ft Field of Vision Length with new/good (90%+ Clarity) Headlight Lenses, a 25% reduction due to wear reduces your Field of Vision Length to ~225ft, 50% reduction to a FoV Length of ~150ft. 

An easy at home test is to look into your headlights (lights off) and see how clearly you can see the bulb(s) and internal reflector details (geometry). Typically, if you can still make out ALL the details, you're not over 10% Light Loss - 10% obscured view would mean that you have 10% SHORTER Field of Vision Length AND 10% LESS Reaction Time, which INCREASES your overall Stopping Distance by 10%. There is a direct 1 for 1 relationship at consistent speed (faster speed and/or wet roads result in greater than liner [exponential] negative results/impact), 30% obscured would be almost 1/3 LESS Field of Vision Length and 1/3 LESS Reaction Time. It doesn't get better from here - the Headlight shown above is greater than 80% obscured, with corresponding 80% LESS Field of Vision Length and 80% LESS Reaction Time, as tested with a light meter.

What all this means is, for example, IF ALL your vehicle's other critical Safety elements are sound (good tires for traction and good brakes delivering full braking capacity) and your particular vehicle has a 300 foot Field of Vision Length with a Stopping Distance at 70KM per hour of 180ft, 10% light Loss would mean you have a Field of Vision Length of 270ft and your corresponding Stopping Distance is now 200ft - not a completely unhealthy scenario, though at 80KM per hour, your Stopping Distance would be roughly 255ft and perhaps to close for comfort for your 270ft Field of Vision given your 10% Light Loss. Further, 30% Light Loss at a speed of 70KM per hour would be a 90ft Loss of Field of Vision leaving just 210ft, with your original Stopping Distance of 180ft, this doesn't leave a lot of room for error so many times your personal  judgement or reaction time doesn't really factor into it - unless those are related to keeping Headlights in good shape because poor Headlights are simply dangerous - and easily demonstrates why Dusk to Dawn collisions/accidents are 3x higher than daylight accidents even though actual Kilometers driven are 80% less compared to daylight kilometers driven (industry averages published by insurance companies). And on it goes from there. There's a lot of data out there on the inter-webs, maybe I'll collect some and link them here when time allows but feel free to search it out.

Don't be the driver saying "I almost stopped in time, if I only had a little more room" or "it came out of nowhere, it was just there".

This isn't because you have poor judgement or even poor reaction response - because things don't magically appear in your field of vision - its because we don't notice our headlights reach (Field of Vision Length) diminishing over time until we are faced with something unexpected -  that shouldn't be been unexpected! You simply didn't have the reaction time required to prevent a mishap due to less light than was necessary, and was previously available to you, due to degraded Headlight Lenses.

Fortunately, there's a REAL, cost effective solution!

Typical "restoration" methods, be they tricks like toothpaste (a la YouTube) or even retail kits, only focus on the cosmetic aspect of making your lights look good, but do little to return the Lost Performance of your Headlight to Original Light Output Performance to maximize safety for you and your family because they do not remove the underlying damage that SCATTERS and Blocks your Light Beam (refraction).

See the research conducted by the Leading Authority, the Insurance Institute for Headlight Safety (IIHS.org) - Yes! it's a real thing, because it is a real safety hazard insurance companies are grappling with (not the mention many 1000s of families suffering serious injury and/or loss) and IIHS Studies show that even retail kits, in the hands of DIYers and Automotive Professionals alike, can't achieve higher than ~75% of original Light Output. That's because these kits aren't intended to, they are 90% cosmetic, so your vehicle looks a lot better with a 'little' better visibility (76% highest achieved according to IIHS testing of retail kits). As an aside, while insurance companies are for profit entities, I'd like to think all those research dollars into Headlight Safety are purely for the public good but I suspect it will also result in premium increases and/or claim denials at some point in the not too distant future - and may even be happening now its just not being "advertised". I know a number of provinces have started policing and issue fines (+100$) for poor headlights (not bulb out).

Retail DIY Headlight Restoration kits might loosely compare to trying to DIY the scratches out of your eye-glasses instead of replacing them when you are unable to see clearly - except eye-glasses typically wouldn't result in personal injury or loss. It's all about how light travels through materials (Headlight Lenses) to extend your Field of Vision and how light enters your eyes (eye-glass lenses) for clarity of view at Distance. Both Headlight Lenses and eye-glasses require an understanding of light and the materials/tools/processes employed to achieve maximum clarity. Lens wear is very much like Cataracts, Retail Kits are like eye-glasses, they can help somewhat with early stages but cannot correct the condition. Resurfacing is like Surgery. (We don't do eye-glasses)

Original Light Output and Safety can only be achieved by Resurfacing the Lens to original factory condition. We machine grind your Lenses (on vehicle, no need to remove them) and use only Automotive Certified Products to protect your vehicle while we work, to remove the damage from your Lenses, to rebuild the original Lens surface, then high-power polish to a crystal clear finish for maximum clarity before sealing your 'as new' Headlight Lenses with Automotive Headlight Certified, heavily endowed UV Clear Coat to protect your freshly Resurfaced Lenses.

And we stand behind both the products we use, and the process we use to Resurface your Lenses with a 1 year warranty on our work. 

Resurfacing isn't about looks or the value of your vehicle, it's about safety - the value of your life and those you love.

Text your Year/Make/Model to 902-999-8266 for an estimate. Thanks for dropping by, and please feel free to share our contact info with anyone in your life who may be at risk due to poor Headlights Lenses.

(also makes a great gift to someone you love suffering from diminished vision)