I bought the '07 FX4 in August 2009, it looked to be babied, maybe garage kept. In 2010 I added a carport to back it into. In mid 20-teens I noticed the right head light was looking dingy, and so I bought a new set. They have all the approvals, etc ... they just looked great again. I kept the OEMs in a box, plan is to maybe sand and polish and recoat a UV layer. The right headlight seems to have turned brown in just a few weeks, and there's a big patch on the left one that has lost it's outer coat. I'm gonna sand 600 / 1000 / 2000 wet to clean all the old layer off, then recoat with a UV product. My wife had me order new ones, but I'm gonna try to get another year or two out of these. Anyone have a favorite UV protective coating they like?

Update .... I put the OEMs back in, and chose to keep the NIB aftermarket boxed up, and I repurposed the really bad lenses from the 2019 set after cutting them off the housings, see below post #8. They are now about 100% light resistant. I'll likely put the newest ones in and store the OEMs in the box now.

 

Skip the sprays and put paint protection film over the lamps after you polish them. Put the film on new lamps if you go that route too.
Weathertech makes one
https://www.weathertech.com/ford/2007/f-150/lampgard/

https://www.invisiblemask.com/imask/...oduct_id=35442

 

I ordered and got new lamps from same place as in 2019, but I've only "checked" them. I think I'm gonna just work on the OEMs that are boxed up. or the ones on the truck, and try your suggestion.

The new ones do look purty though.

I figure the day is coming they will not be so readily available.  ... and I got them on a sale, $55 shipped. Same exact manufacturer, etc, they looked great up until this winter. Where the truck sits it get's sun light on the headlights constantly, except at night. It sits in a metal carport with sides, so the rest of the truck stays out of the sun unless in use. I have a cover, but it's a PITA to put on / take off. Might cut it down, just cover the windshield forwards.

Update 11/09/2025 .... I did put the OEMs back in, and chose to keep the NIB aftermarket boxed up then, and I repurposed the really bad lenses from the 2019 set after cutting them off the housings, see below post #8. They are now about 100% light resistant black.
I have since then put the newest ones in the truck, adjusted them, and stored the OEMs in the box for now.




Yellow dust is a coat of pollen.

 

I used turtle wax, scratch out(yellow bottle) and one of those round sponge pads on drill, and got the yellowing out of passenger head light, its always in sun light, most headlights dont have enough hardcoat on them to keep from turning yellow, the inside of them have a antifog sprayed to stop the fogging on inside.

 

Well, I thought the early AM sun had killed that passenger side headlamp. Still have not used the just purchased new set, and hove not yet polished / installed the OEMs back ... but yesterday I did go to work on the passenger side lamp that was near opaque white blotchy looking. I had noticed that water made the light look a little better. I used some "glass polish" followed by a plastic wax, then some "Plexus" that I used to use on my Gold Wings. It really looks near new again, but a close look shows where the coating is gone. I also found that the driver side had lost coating, but it never looked as bad. Now both look nearly new again.

Gonna try the paint protection film on them before I try it on the new ones. Right now the new ones still in a box with the packing and the clear shipping layer of plastic wrap on them.

Looking at the location of the greatest UV coat pealing on the headlights on the truck, is towards the more forward surfaces, like in front of the main beam. Also is where bugs hit hardest and wind abrasion would be most direct.

Update .... I put the OEMs back in, and chose to keep the NIB aftermarket boxed up, and I repurposed the really bad lenses from the 2019 set after cutting them off the housings, see below post #8. They are now about 100% light resistant. I'll likely put the newest ones in and store the OEMs in the box now.

 

My fav: SprayMax Special 2K Clear Coat

 

Lately those 2019 purchased head lights have gotten worse, a lot worse while I decide about the new ones that are the exact same lights. They look like "mud crud". I might one day work on them for something to do. Today after mowing was done, I was thinking might ought to go ahead and put the new ones in, but first I pulled the other box down that held my OEM "Ford" head lights, cut the tape, opened it and ..... just "WOW". I guess I must have polished them before putting them away. Big plus is they is already aimed too. I then got a polishing kit off the shelf, got a drill, and machine buffed them both using a plastic polish from a bottle. Was a slight smudge of brown on one, but it buffed right out in seconds. They really do look GREAT!

So "yeah" I put the new 2024 bought ones away for now. I'm gonna put the OEMs back in, and try to come up with fast easy to put in place and remove covers for them as it spends a lot of time in a shed, pointed outwards and I know that the sun is the culprit. It's a lot of extra work putting a full cover on / off every time we want to go in it, so I may just put the cab portion on and leave the rest rolled up behind the cab. Maybe I'll find enough of an old full cover to fab just a front end cover, something that just wraps the front like a bra. I'd settle for two smaller covers even if I needed to open the hood to put on or remove them. Just occurred to me, I have a few of those tote sacks for car covers that are left over from past covers, two of them might work.

Our '01 Mercury and '08 Mustang both, the headlights look new still, but both live under covers and in a carport too.

Might be the ticket.

Update .... I put the OEMs back in, and chose to keep the NIB aftermarket boxed up, and I repurposed the really bad lenses from the 2019 set after cutting them off the housings, see below post #8. They are now about 100% light resistant. I'll likely put the newest ones in and store the OEMs in the box now.

 

You are here @ post #8 .......
These lights were brand new in 2019.




And the OEM lights are back in as of 05-07-2025.




Like I wrote, I still have a new set in a box like I put in back in 2019. In 2019 I thought I needed new ones as some coating had pealed in small places, but just a minute or two today about erased what I could find a couple days ago. Maybe the OEM were just better coated ? They had been in the truck 2007 to 2019.

Truck had pollen on it (happens every Spring), and other dirt so after yard work, we took it for a bath too. The aftermarket ones were black inside, the OEM are a dark grey, I do like them.

 

Today, I cut the 2019 lenses off of the housings leaving a wide lip that goes in between the hood/fender and headlight along the top and down the inner front angled side beside the grille ... but no lip at rear of side marker area or at the bottom. I was hesitant, but they really were sun trashed pretty bad, polishing showed me how bad ... lots of crazing in them too. I have a still new in box set, and since the OEMs polished up so nice, I don't see a need to keep these other than as "formed to fit" cover material. Had I left a lip on the other two sides, they would not have fit well at all (I measured). I learned too that these lenses are made of some tough stuff, scrap strips of it just bend. I even dropped one by accident on my basement floor, not a mark on it. I'm only wanting these to put on when the truck sits parked, so I'm torn as to whether a) paint, b)cover in a heavy pebble grain black vinyl, c) tint them dark, or d) just sand and maybe UV treat them. I wondered if them being plastic, if they would protect the real head lights from UV? I suspect the best UV barrier and most damage resistant would be b), a solid black covering.

I think the simple use of a small bungie cord would more than do to simply hold them in place parked. Point would be to keep them from falling off like in wind, etc and to hold them after I pop the hood to remove them before a ride. After cutting & trimming, I took them out for a test fit. They fit really nice but I need to add a "hook" so a small bungie cord will pull them snug under the hood.




I'll likely put the newest ones in and store the OEMs in the box now.

 

I suspected that my answer was in there. Maybe add some soft padding in between them and the OEM lights, and a solid outer covering of a textured black vinyl stick on. Used a roller and heat gun to work it in sections. It's sold as a step covering, so it's thick.



I do still had some trapped air, but have gotten most out by pin pricked hole in the covering and using a little roller.

I will not drive with them ...... as they are intended strictly for when parked at home.

 

Pleased with results.

Why that right side always quickly went away, turning yellow, brown, peeling, etc. Left side was not near as bad as it sees less direct sunlight.



I see that pollen too.

I did both like so. Not a tight pull, but will keep them from falling off in a wind ... or while opening the hood.



Actually I can just pop the hood and reach in with finger tips to unhook, but is easier if go ahead and open up all the way to unhook.



Dang it, cat and pollen, just washed it a couple days ago too.
YEP, I think these will stop dang near 100% of all them nasty sun light UV rays.

 

It had occured to me must be a away to put them in place or remove without opening the hood every time, so today just piddling, I came up with this. The 10" small bungie cords metal hooks were straightened just some so that a small heat shrink tube could be slid over them, then they were recurved and heat gun air was applied. The red is the smallest heat shrink I had, the white was a little bigger. I did the heat shrink to prevent any chance of scratching. They just "hook" onto the bug shields lower edges that run back under the hood. I attached the bungies to the "shades" with a couple small zip ties in two holes each. Very easy to use, or remove before driving, The plastic zip ties do not seem to touch the good OEM lenses, as I can press in the center and detect a little room, but being plastic, no harm even if they do. There is no pressure holding them in place, they fit so well, the bungies really just keep breezes from blowing them loose, apply just enough pressure upwards to keep gravity from working with any breezes.



That narrow exposed clear is new headlamp as I cut the old lenses just on higher side of the curve, and the black covering material is wrapped upwards 1/2" or so.
I think that about does it here.

Looking around on the net, looks like just covers cost might near as much or even more than I paid for entire headlights, so re-purposing those used ones was a good "hit". I think that since I have these light proof covers to cover when not in use, considering ease of use too, I will put the other brand new ones in now, and store my OEMs again in the box. May as well.

If we take it to stay a few days with family, they go with us too.

 

That's a nice-looking '07. For some reason my original lenses are still good but starting to yellow around the edges.

 

Thank You Sir.
Mine were pretty good, no coating coming off, etc up into about 2016 - 2018 but I was really tied up with health and family issues, so I just tackled the lights occasionally with polish like plexus that I used on the trike's windshield, and wax .... and then replaced them in 2019. I was surprised how they looked in the boxes recently, but the passenger side does have some crazing too, so they'll go back in a box while they look "presentable" still. My driver side sees a lot less morning / mid day sun than the passenger side, and it shows

Later in the day .... I was putting the "new in box" lights in, saving the OEM ones, but today I discovered something had changed. In all respects except one, the newest lights purchased in 2024, still in a box, are the same supplier, same box, same markings, were even the exact same price as those 2019 headlights. Today I noticed they have 4 vents each, two up high at the center back, and a single vent at the lower ends, making 4 vents .... maybe is to increase venting to minimize any condensation or speed it's clearing up?

Anyway, I found it "interesting". The OEM and 2019 set only had 2 vents, up high on the back side, near the center.



I have had condensation form inside in colder damp weather like foggy nights where the head light was used, warming it, but then condensed when that warm but still ambient moist inside air met the plastic lenses. It always eventually dried out like the next day as temperatures evened out. Thinking 4 vents will dry it better than 2. My new covers (cut from lenses with the textured black covering) fit perfect .... and these lights were even almost aimed right. The adjustment screws were a bit long like the other set so that I threaded two nuts on them and locked them against each other, then trimmed about 1/2" off which included the itty bitty hex and now a 10mm wrench fits.

 

Just an update. I find that with the external small bungies that are hooked to the bug shield, the "covers" shown above in post #12 are easy to unhook and give the bungies a slight tug and remove them both with just one hand. They fit well enough that they actually stay in place until that tug, while I unhook the battery tender. When they come off, there is a spotless headlight. As of now still, those originals seen in post #8 are clean and polished and protected in the boxes that these came in, That 2019 set live on as great covers too. If this newest set ever mess up, I have the adjusted and OEMs as backups.