So we ended up getting a new car a couple weeks ago, but it had some bad oxidization spots and scratches on the headlights. I spent countless hours over the last week on sanding them back and trying to restore them with headlight restoration kits, but I just couldn't get them back to looking clear again. I bit the bullet and took it to a detailer to get them restored yesterday and now they basically look like new. It only cost $170.
I probably spent that much on kits and tools, not to mention time. I should have just done that from the beginning sigh...
I remember after many times changing headlights myself and paying about $35 per bulb at super cheap, one time I was in a hurry and found a mechanic who did it on the spot. It cost about $40 including labour (partly because their bulb cost about $15+GST). Made me wonder if it was worth my time driving to the shop and buying a bulb and installing it.
I used to have to change bulbs pretty often (one car or the other each year or so) but now I think about it I haven't had to do it for a long time, or at all for our current cars. Must have been something weird in the electronics on the previous cars (which were a lot older).