“If you trust them, they can fix any headlight crack, 100% guaranteed,” say customers in unison about a shop located in Toyokawa City, Aichi Prefecture.

The headlight repair specialist, Car Goshigoshi.

Every month, they receive around 25 headlights from customers who were turned away by dealers saying they couldn’t be repaired.

A headlight crack refers to numerous fine cracks that resemble a spider web.

These cracks are generally perceived as “cracks on the inside of the headlight” because they can’t be felt as bumps or snags from the outside.

As a result, when taken to a dealer, customers are often told, “It can’t be fixed. You’ll have to replace it with a new one.”

Replacing them with new ones, especially for a Porsche, can cost over 300,000 yen for both headlights. Due to the high cost, inquiries from Porsche owners who search online for “a way to fix it somehow” and find Car Goshigoshi have been increasing recently.

Car Goshigoshi started as a coating company and is now in its 12th year. About five years ago, they made a significant shift to become a headlight repair specialist.

We spoke with the owner, Mr. Mise, who has earned the unwavering trust of customers for “fixing any headlight crack 100%.”

Car Goshigoshi: The Headlight Repair Specialist

Mr. Mise: “For local customers, they bring their cars directly to the shop for repairs, but for the most part, we have customers send their headlights by mail, repair them at the shop, and then send them back.

So far, we’ve repaired about 600 headlights. We can handle any make or model.

When we first started as a headlight repair specialist five years ago, there were honestly some headlights that we thought, ‘This is beyond repair.’ At that time, I felt very sorry for the customers and frustrated with myself.

Since then, through daily research and improvements, we have reached a point where I can confidently say we can fix any headlight crack, regardless of the make.”

During the repair process[/caption>

Causes of Headlight Cracks and Repair Techniques

 

Mr. Mise, who repairs headlight cracks almost daily, explains the causes of these cracks.

Mr. Mise: “The causes of cracks differ between domestic cars and European cars like Porsche.
For domestic cars, exposure to UV rays often leads to deterioration and cracking. That’s why it’s said that ‘cars parked outdoors are more prone to cracks.’
On the other hand, for European cars, the main cause is the ‘change in air pressure inside the headlight due to temperature fluctuations throughout the seasons, causing the material to contract, but the hard coat covering the headlight is too rigid to expand and contract, leading to cracks.’
It’s like inflating a balloon coated with a hard resin on the surface; the balloon covered with hard resin has nowhere to go and bursts. That’s the image.

In other words, even if a European car like Porsche is parked in an indoor garage to avoid UV rays, the material of the headlight can contract due to seasonal temperature changes, causing cracks.
Mr. Mise also says that cracks can occur not only in older cars but also in relatively new ones.

Mr. Mise: “Recently, we’ve seen an increase in repair requests for headlights from previous-generation Boxsters and Macans. Owners often say, ‘The body is very clean, but only the headlights are cracked.’

If the parking lot is equipped with air conditioning and dehumidifiers, maintaining the same temperature and humidity throughout the year might not be a problem, but realistically, that’s quite difficult.”

However, since these cracks can’t be felt as bumps from the outside, they are generally perceived as “cracks on the inside of the headlight.” How exactly are these cracks repaired?

Mr. Mise: “Customers often ask, ‘Can you really fix the cracks on the inside of the headlight that even the dealer refused?’

Actually, to be precise, the cracks are located ‘inside the hard coat, yet on the outside of the headlight.’

So, the logic is that by first polishing the outer hard coat, reaching the cracks, and then polishing those cracks cleanly, the headlight can be restored to its original pristine condition.

However, restoring the headlight while maintaining its shape is no easy task, and I believe there are three key points to consider.

The first is to ‘be thoroughly familiar with the shape and structure of the headlight.’

The shape of headlights varies by manufacturer, model, and even within the same model.

For example, Porsche headlights have a very beautiful roundness, but the shape and design differ between the ‘911 and Boxster,’ and even within the 911, between the ‘991 and 992 models.’

If you polish without understanding these shapes, it can result in unwanted distortions in the headlight’s beautiful roundness, or the gloss may not be restored.

Having repaired headlights from all sorts of manufacturers and models, I now have a thorough understanding of their shapes and characteristics, which I believe is a crucial point in headlight repair.

The second point is ‘adjusting the grit of the sandpaper.’

Porsche’s hard coat is quite hard, so regular polishing machines won’t cut it. Therefore, we use special polishing machines.

Initially, we use coarse sandpaper to grind down the hard coat and the polycarbonate material, but gradually the headlight turns white like this.

Moreover, due to the structure of Porsche headlights, once a crack forms, it penetrates deeper than any other manufacturer, resembling a spider web.

Therefore, we adjust the grit of the sandpaper according to the depth of the crack, but of course, if we over-polish, it becomes irreversible, so we proceed carefully while adjusting the grit.

The third point is ‘taking the time to polish carefully.’

Instead of polishing all at once, we repeatedly work carefully, imagining the original pristine state.

Sometimes, we polish continuously for 1-2 hours in a focused state, and it takes about 5-6 hours to complete the repair and apply a protective film, so honestly, it’s quite tiring (laughs).

However, imagining the joy of customers when they see their headlights restored to a like-new condition keeps me motivated as I work on each one with care.

Usually, it takes 3 days to a week during busy periods from the time we receive the headlights to repair and return them.”

Removing headlight cracks to restore them to their original state requires a high level of skill. Mr. Mise not only restores headlights to their like-new condition but also considers durability after the repair.

Mr. Mise: “When customers bring in headlights from luxury cars like Porsche, they often ask:

‘By removing all the original hard coat, will the durability of the headlights be compromised after repair?’

I completely understand their concerns. It’s natural to worry whether the stylish headlights of their beloved car will become more prone to damage after crack repair.

However, to conclude, removing cracks does not compromise the durability of the headlights.

There are two reasons for this. First, ‘headlights are not so fragile that their durability is compromised by a little polishing.’

A long time ago, I tried to see how much I could polish a headlight before it would get a hole, but even with considerable effort, it didn’t make a dent, and I gave up halfway through (laughs).

Even deep cracks are at most about 0.5 mm, while the thickness of a typical headlight lens is about 5 mm.

Even if you intentionally try to polish or drill a hole in the headlight, it won’t make a dent, and in regular work, we carefully polish to remove only the cracks, so it doesn’t affect the durability of the headlights.

The second reason is that ‘after removing and repairing the cracks, applying a protective film makes the headlights more durable and high-performance than when they were new.’

The headlight protection film is highly functional, with features like:

・Fluorine processing for super water-repellent and anti-fouling properties
・It won’t penetrate even if hit by a stone at 200 km/h (the headlight lens remains intact)
・Self-healing function that removes car wash scratches with heat

These features make it more high-performance than the original hard coat.

The film thickness is also 150 microns, which in most cases, sufficiently compensates for the thickness lost during polishing. So, you can rest assured about the durability of the headlights after polishing.”

With different shapes and characteristics, repair requires both skill and effort. It’s understandable that many shops refuse crack repair, considering the risks involved. How does Mr. Mise view these risks?

Mr. Mise: “Now, I can confidently say, ‘I can fix any headlight that comes my way,’ but when I first started, it was very daunting.

In addition to high technical skills, time and effort are required, so I understand why dealers decide that ‘considering the risks and effort, it’s better to have it replaced with a new one.’

In fact, there was a time when a dealer contacted us saying, ‘We tried to repair the cracks by polishing the headlights, but the surface turned completely white. We can’t do anything about it now, can you fix it?’ and we actually repaired it for them.

Of course, it’s unrealistic to say ‘100%, absolutely,’ but I now have the confidence to say that I can fix any headlight that comes my way with a probability close to 100%.”

The Background of Becoming a Headlight Repair Specialist

Why did Mr. Mise decide to start a headlight repair specialty shop in the first place? We asked him about the reasons.

Mr. Mise: “I didn’t initially plan to start a headlight repair specialty shop. After opening the shop, I pondered, ‘What area can my shop become number one in Japan?’ and eventually arrived at the idea of a headlight repair specialty shop.

It might sound strange to car enthusiasts, but I wasn’t originally a ‘car lover.’ I just wanted to ‘work in a job where I could wear coveralls.’

The reason was that I couldn’t imagine myself working in a suit at all (laughs).

After graduating from high school, I entered a technical school for mechanics, and as I studied cars, I began to think, ‘Cars are deep and fascinating.’

That’s when I started to become interested in cars.

After obtaining a mechanic’s license at the technical school, I joined a major road service company. Then, in my fifth year, I had a fateful encounter.

When I was called to a coating shop for a dead battery, I saw the coating work and thought, ‘What an interesting job! I want to do this work!’ It struck me.

After that, I went to Tokyo to train, learned the techniques, and opened a car coating shop.”

Although Mr. Mise opened his long-desired coating shop, the business didn’t go smoothly. Previously, coating specialty shops could secure a certain amount of work by outsourcing coating from dealers. However, as dealers began to internalize coating services, work stopped coming to the shops. Mr. Mise’s shop was no exception.

Mr. Mise: “I couldn’t just sit back and watch as coating work disappeared.

So, I thought long and hard about ‘what technology or service my shop could be number one in,’ and ‘what service could cater to customers nationwide, not just locally.’ About five years ago, I decided to ‘focus on headlights.’

However, at that time, I had no knowledge of headlight repair, so I visited headlight manufacturers to learn about headlight structures and methods for removing yellowing from scratch.

During that learning process, I discovered that ‘headlight cracks can be repaired.’

It was a revelation.

Although it was an area other shops didn’t want to venture into, I decided, ‘This is the only way for my shop to win. Even if it’s technically challenging and other shops don’t want to do it, I will become number one in headlight repair!’

To improve his skills while minimizing expenses, Mr. Mise purchased cracked, worn-out headlights on Yahoo Auctions. He polished them at night after work, making them clean and then selling them again on Yahoo Auctions, gradually honing his skills.
He then made a fresh start as a headlight repair specialist, offering to repair all headlights that other shops refused.

Helping Customers Enjoy Their Car Life More

Currently, Car Goshigoshi uses LINE to handle customer inquiries. The reason for using LINE instead of email is Mr. Mise’s desire to make it easy for customers to communicate and feel assured and confident in entrusting their headlight repairs.

Mr. Mise: “Customers often say, ‘It’s more convenient than email, so I’m glad we can communicate via LINE.’

Through LINE, we have customers send photos showing the cracks, answer questions, and send photos of the same model after repair, ensuring they feel ‘confident and assured in entrusting us.’

When asked about the rewarding aspects of his work, Mr. Mise, who is fully committed to headlight repair, gave the following response.

Mr. Mise: “Receiving words like, ‘I thought it was impossible to fix and that I had to pay a high price to replace the headlights with new ones, but thank you for fixing them so beautifully!’ is the greatest joy.

I imagine how surprised and delighted customers will be when their cracked headlights return looking like new, and receiving such words of joy from customers is the most rewarding aspect.”

Finally, we asked Mr. Mise about his future prospects and thoughts after specializing in headlight repair.

Mr. Mise: “I want more car owners to know that ‘headlight cracks can be repaired.’ Many people give up, thinking ‘it’s impossible’ after being turned away by dealers.

If it’s within the warranty period, they might replace it for free, but once the warranty expires, for Porsche, it would cost over 300,000 yen to replace both.

Of course, some owners might pay that price to replace them with new ones, but I think many owners would prefer to ‘keep costs down and restore them to like-new condition.’

I want to inform such people that ‘headlight cracks can be repaired.’

That’s why we’re putting a lot of effort into our website, so troubled car owners nationwide can find us.

The cost for crack removal at Car Goshigoshi is about 40,000 yen. It’s a bit higher than the industry average. But we pride ourselves on having the skills to satisfy our customers.

Instead of temporarily making the cracks look clean with a little polishing, we understand the characteristics of the headlight material and perform appropriate surface preparation so that even without applying protective agents like coatings, it can maintain durability for years.

I hope customers can see the value in that.

Mr. Mise: “I’m sure there are people nationwide who feel disappointed every time they see the headlights of their beloved car parked in the garage and decide not to go for a drive.

It’s a shame to feel that way about a car you bought because you liked it.

But once the headlights are clean and the car is restored to its original state, you’ll want to go for a drive even more, and your car life will become even more enjoyable.

To help car owners nationwide enjoy a fun car life, I will continue to hone my skills.”

Having repaired numerous headlights, Mr. Mise, who boasts high technical skills and provides satisfaction and inspiration to customers, is just beginning his journey.

■ For more information on the headlight repair specialist “Car Goshigoshi,” visit their website:
https://headlight-kibami.com/