Foggy, yellowed headlights make a good car look tired — and in Cairns' UV they cloud up fast. We cut them back clear and seal them so they stay that way. Quick job, at our Trinity Beach shop or we come to you.
That yellow, foggy look isn't dirt on the inside — it's the headlight's surface breaking down. Modern headlights are a hard plastic with a protective layer on top, and UV slowly eats that layer away. Once it goes, the plastic underneath clouds and yellows.
Up here, with some of the highest UV in the country, it happens faster than almost anywhere. The good news: in most cases we can bring them back clear, and seal them properly so they don't just fog up again in a few months.
Headlights everywhere yellow eventually — they just do it quicker here. Worth knowing what you're dealing with before you spend money on new units you might not need.
Our UV index is among the highest in Australia, so the protective layer on your headlights breaks down years sooner than it would down south.
New headlight units can cost thousands. For most cars, restoring the ones you've got gets them clear again for a fraction of that.
A polish alone fogs up again in months. We seal them with a ceramic coat afterwards so the fix actually lasts.
We tape off the paint around each light so the surrounding panels are protected while we work.
The yellowed, broken-down top layer is sanded back through stages until the clear plastic underneath is exposed.
The lenses are machine-polished back to clear, so they look like new rather than just a bit better.
The bit most people skip — we seal them with a ceramic coat for UV protection, so they stay clear instead of fogging up again in a few months.
Every car's different — size and condition change things — so we'll give you an exact quote on a quick call rather than a flat number. Here's where it starts:
Both headlights cut back, polished clear and sealed with a ceramic coat so they stay clear — not just for a month. $300 a pair.
Foggy fog lights or indicators too? We'll do them in the same visit — just ask and we'll fold it into the price.
Add an exterior detail and the whole front end matches — clear lights and clean paint. From $325.
Prices are GST-inclusive and a $100 deposit holds your spot. Tell us a bit about your car and we'll sort you an exact figure.
What customers say after a Posh Wash detail.
“Recently had our car detailed by Grace — friendly, professional, and great communication from start to finish. We booked the Signature Detail package and every surface was spotless. The car looks and feels like new again. Highly recommended.”
“Had two vehicles fully detailed inside and out. Both cars came up better than expected. The whole process from booking to completion was seamless. Grace was a pleasure to deal with.”
“Happiest I could be after Grace’s amazing service. Professionalism from booking through to the finished cars was outstanding — attention to detail was exceptional. We look forward to booking again.”
“I wouldn’t trust anyone else with my car. Grace does a beautiful job — no nasty chemicals that make me feel sick. Lovely energy. Posh Wash is 5 stars from me.”
Tell us a bit about your car and we'll say honestly what it needs and what it'll cost. We can pencil you in with no deposit to hold a spot — no pressure at all.
Straight answers about headlight restoration in Cairns — no jargon.
It's $300 for the pair, and that includes sealing them with a ceramic coat afterwards so they stay clear. If you've got foggy fog lights or indicators too, we'll sort those in the same visit and fold it into the price.
Because we seal them with a ceramic coat rather than just polishing, you're looking at a good couple of years or more before they need attention again. A cheap polish-only job tends to fog back up within months — that's the difference.
For most cars, restoring is the clear winner — new headlight units can run into the thousands, while a restoration is $300 and gets them clear again. We'll be honest, though: if a lens is cracked or damaged inside, restoration won't fix that and we'll tell you.
It does — clear lenses let a lot more light through than yellowed, hazy ones, so you'll notice the difference driving at night. It's as much a safety thing as a looks thing.
Almost always, as long as the haze is on the surface — which it usually is. If the clouding is on the inside of the lens or the unit's cracked, that's a different problem and we'll let you know rather than charge you for something that won't work.
It's the UV. Cairns has some of the strongest sun in the country, and UV is what breaks down the protective layer on headlights. That's why they cloud up here years sooner than in cooler states — and why sealing them afterwards matters so much.
Drop into our shopfront at 29 Vasey Esplanade, Trinity Beach, or stay put and our mobile vans come to your home or work right across Cairns and the Northern Beaches.
