Mothers 08808 PowerPlastic 4Lights Review

  • Written by: William Copper

A headlight polishing and sealant solution, the Mothers 08808 PowerPlastic 4Lights cleaner is a very effective way to buff out scratches and UV damage while polishing to restore your headlights to a like-new condition.

Due to yellowing over time, dirt, debris, and even road salts your headlights can become not only very dirty but also develop abrasions or scratches which negatively impact your headlight visibility (to see oncoming cars and other hazards) as well as their cosmetic appearance.

The Mother’s brand is well known for its history of producing reliable, effective, and premium made auto-parts and cleaners. So if you have headlights that have become worn over time and no longer have that original clarity, or purchased a used vehicle or headlight kit and want to get the best shine and appearance possible then the Mother’s 08808 PowerPlastic 4Lights kit is the way to go.

This polishing cleaner is both affordable and practical, and with a basic microfiber cloth, the total cost can be kept relatively cheap. If your vehicle’s headlights are especially worn down, yellow, or have a lot of scratches or "micro-cracks" then it’s also recommended to consider investing in an accompanying product such as the Mothers PowerBall polishing tool maximize this headlight cleaning and restoration process using a power drill. While by no means is this method required, the work by hand using the outlined Mother’s polishing cleaner alone can be labor-intensive if your headlights are especially worn, damaged, or dirty.

While we are by no means in the business of ‘upselling’ products to consumers, the reason these other items are being presented, along with protective 3M tape, and also a Mother’s microfiber cloth is because these products have excellent reputations, feedback, and are not only priced competitively, but because they will contribute positively to the overall results of cleaning and restoring your headlight lenses.

Affordable Multi-Use Solution

The Mothers 08808 promises to clean, restore, and polish. In the process, this Mothers headlight polishing agent also uses oxidation inhibiting polymers to remove unwanted, blurry oxidation and replenish the current plastic’s clarity. It also uses a UV-Shield technology so if you live in an especially sunny climate this product is especially effective.

Customers have also reported great “off-label” use with the Mother’s 08808 for restoring and removing scratches from hard plastic T.V. bezels, prescription glasses, wedding rings, and even your taillights. (Just stay away from electronic screens of any types, or wooden materials). For consumers to trust a cleaning agent – that has the potential to be abrasive or damaging – on such valuable personal items, and their car, really speaks numbers about the quality of this product.

In comparison to competing headlight restoration and polishing products on the market, the Mother's Headlights Restoration Polish seems to outweigh the competition in terms of how long it stays clean and lasts. Although some use this product infrequently, others use it monthly, but it ultimately comes down to how often you drive your car, store it, and in what types of conditions.

Advantages and disadvantages

  • Product serve all three purposes of cleaning, restoring, and preserving the future integrity of your headlights clarity. A substantial amount of the necessary cleaning agent is included (8 oz.), so you may apply it generously to get the best results possible.
  • This headlight cleaning and restoration agent is excellent for conveniently, quickly, and profitably getting scratches, ‘yellowing’, dirt, debris, UV damage, and most other chemical abrasions (such as rock salt) out to restore headlight or taillight clarity.
  • In some cases if scratches are present on your headlights or taillights, severe yellowing, or are cloudy due to abrasions and debris like rock-salt it might be necessary to apply multiple steps and applications of sandpaper, buffing, and re-application of the product the next day or once a week until fully restored, clean, and clear.
  • Although not a ‘disadvantage’ per say, the average customer has reported back that if not nearly 99% clarity restoration, those that had more severe cases of UV damage or wear on their headlights typically reached around 50-80% restoration and clarity on average. This demonstrates how important it is to ensure you’re using a safe, soft, and effective microfiber cloth, along with giving it just the right amount of pressure it needs to get the job done right.
  • Because this cleaner is made with especially powerful and specialized ingredients for use on an automobile it can be a sticky-like fluid, which is another good reason to get auto-friendly masking tape to protect the rest of your car from exposure. However, for those with sensitive skin and just as a general precaution, investing in a reliable and lint-free auto-detailing glove is recommended and can make the experience that much safer and easier to clean up afterward.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is everything I need to clean and polish my headlights included in this kit?

Why didn’t this cleaner and polish get rid of all the yellowing, cloudiness, or scratches on my headlights/taillights?

Why does this headlight restoration and cleaning polish seems to ‘run’ so much?

Can the Mother's 08808 Kit also remove 'water spots' on my headlights?

Friendly Tip: A recommended way that some customers found helpful in using sandpaper were going from 600-grit to 1000-grit, 1,500-grit, 2,000-grit, and then 2,500-grit to finish. Just remember not to be too abrasive nor too ‘light’. To "master" this process feel free to browse the internet for helpful step-by-step videos and guides showing you exactly how to (safely) clean your headlights and remove scratches from your headlights. If you were to try sand paper for example, video bellow is quite useful and informative.

Our Editorial Rating: 4/5

If you’re looking for a reliable, effective, and not only multi-use but also buffer and ‘sanding-friendly’ headlight cleaner and restoration system then the Mothers 08808 PowerPlastic 4Lights is a great product to invest in. It is very effective, comes with a strong reputation, and has a lot of positive feedback. With that being said, we give this headlight restoration and polish kit 4/5. The reason it received such a high rating is because it works, does what it’s supposed to, and is safe while effective in cleaning and restoring even the hardest, long-term yellowing, UV damage, or weathering of your headlights.

With that being said, however, while being very affordable it does not include the necessary microfiber cloth nor protective tape that is highly recommended when completing this process in order to protect your cars paint from chemical exposure, or worse, accidental sanding/buffing.

Also, it would have been helpful if Mothers included a few sheets of sandpaper for buffing by hand. We understand that including something like the Mothers PowerBall Polishing Tool would have been costly to the company, though, and in turn raise the overall price of this product so we have evaluated this headlight restoration solution based on performance vs. results.

Buy or not to buy ? If you’re looking for an efficient cleaning and restoration headlight polish then the Mothers 08808 Headlight Polish is excellent for meeting those demands. It is applied through a simple process using a microfiber cloth, and depending on how dirty, UV damaged, and the amount or depth of abrasions you have on your headlight lenses can easily be used with a ‘drill buffing’ kit- such as the Mothers 07251 NuLens Headlight Renewal Kit.

Having your headlight lenses professionally cleaned, buffed, and polished with a preventative UV conditioning product can easily cost hundreds of dollars and even more for a total headlight replacement. Although no headlight cleaner and restoration kit should be a ‘2-minute job’, the Mothers 08808 Kit comes as close as possible to being a simple application that doesn’t require a lot of time or labor.

Even for those with severely worn, UV damaged, or scratched lenses this is a great product to accompany a proper buffing with – such as using the Mothers 3M PowerBall Polishing Tool –or a complete buffing using durable, auto-friendly sandpaper. It’s highly recommended to ensure you complete this cleaning outdoors, or somewhere where it’s dry as it does take time to complete the entire process, and a wet environment with a lot of moisture could actually make it more difficult to manage or longer to complete.