Reviewed: Husky Shield HeadlightGuard

[Zane]

Reviewed: Husky Shield Headlight Guard

By Zane & Josh Merva

GM-Trucks.com

Copyright 2015

Part Number: 07217

Suggested Price: $44.95

Editor's Note: This product was provided at no cost for the purposes of a review. We only publish our honest opinions and give no consideration for the gratis product.

Tested On

2011 GMC Sierra All-Terrain SLT Ext. Cab

What are they for?

Husky Shield headlight guards are UV protected film shields applied to your headlights to prevent damage from rocks and bugs. They are also made to extend the life of your headlight housing by preventing long term yellowing or hazing.

What's Included

- Headlight and foglight film

- Bottle with soap/adhesive solution

- Clay bar

- Application squeegee

Required Tools

- Spray bottle filled with water

- Another set of helping hands

Basic Installation

Installation was easy and only took us about one hour. We suggest having another person around to help as there are many times where holding the film and keeping it wet with a the spray bottle would be difficult without assistance.

The first step in this process is cleaning the headlamp surface. We washed our entire truck to be safe and minimize contamination. Then, while spraying a dawn and warm water solution we used the included pea-sized piece of clay bar to remove all contaminants from the surface of the headlights and foglights. While it initially seemed as if we didn’t have enough clay bar, the included piece was adequate. We made sure to spend a lot of time in this step as any remaining surface contaminants can severely affect how well the film will apply.

After the headlight/foglight surfaces were fully cleaned and rinsed, we mixed the included solution and water in our spray bottle. This is when having an extra set of hands came in very handy.

While our help sprayed our hands and the film completely wet with solution from the spray bottle, we slowly peeled one section of film from the sheet. Then we had our help spray down the surface of the headlight that we were applying film to along with both sides of the film.

While keeping our hands, the film, and the headlight wet at the same time we positioned the film on the headlight carefully. We took special care to prevent the film from folding over on top of itself.

Once you are happy with its location, squeegee the film slowly and lightly until all bubbles and fluid are pushed out. We continued to keep our hands and the outside of the film wet to help with this process. If you rush and squeegee too hard, you risk stretching out the film. Proper placement leaves a 1/8th inch gap around the entire headlight surface. According to the instructions, even if the film does stretch accidentally you can simply trim off any excess.

Finally, once all bubbles were removed and we were happy with the placement, we heated the film with a hair dryer to ensure a good contact and eliminate any final moisture.

Product Impressions

Before installing the HuskySheild we were concerned it would change the look of the headlight in some way. Our biggest surprise is that the film is for all practical purposes, invisible when applied. And thats a good thing. You don't want anything that will block the headlights or change the light pattern in anyway and in this regard, Husky has succeeded.

The product also claims to block damaging UV rays that will eventually yellow the plastic and affect the performance of the headlight. Headlight restoration kits address this issue directly but only after the problem has occurred. With UV protection its nice to know we've stopped this problem dead in its tracks. But only time will tell (a really long time) if the UV protection in this product works as stated.

The shields also promise to protect against rocks and chips to the lights. Prior to this installation we didn't see a need for headlight protection but during the install we noticed damage from rocks especially on the fog lights. Its no doubt that over time this kind of damage will take a toll on your lights, and the right size rock could also destroy the whole light resulting in a costly replacement. The husky shield stops that kind of damaging from occurring, and with one even a fog light replacement costing more than this product, its a little bit of extra insurance to help you sleep at night. We protect our screens on our cell phones and entertainment systems, so we think it makes sense to protect our lights as well. We will report back on how this product preforms over the life of our truck.

Editor's Note: This product was provided at no cost for the purposes of a review. We only publish our honest opinions and give no consideration for the gratis product.

[youn1033]

Looks good, would you say that these are superior to Laminex Light covers?

[Zane]

On 10/17/2017 at 12:42 PM, youn1033 said:

Looks good, would you say that these are superior to Laminex Light covers?

We've never used the Laminex covers, so I can't really say. I can tell you that after two years, these Husky covers still look brand new. Our headlights are still protected, clear, and looking perfect.