Real curb-side work · Joplin metro

Gallery.
Restorations.
Real results.

Ten before/after pairs from the last stretch of jobs — five headlight restorations and five black trim revivals across the Joplin metro. Every photo was shot at the curb, on-site, with the same wraparound lighting the crew works under.

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  • Ten real-world curb jobs
  • Headlight + trim coverage
  • Side-by-side & stacked views
  • Joplin metro + Four States

The set at a glance

  • Pairs10
  • Headlight jobs5
  • Trim jobs5
  • Clear-coat warranty1 yr

Photos are shot vertically on-site. Pinch-to-zoom on a real result to read the finish at the lens edge — the Owner can swap any of these ten in seconds.

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Showing 5 of 10

Five headlight restorations.

Each card shows the same photo pair — before on the left, after on the right, with a short caption under each image and a result blurb below. Mobile stacks the same content into a single column for swiping.

Photos are placeholder until the Owner drops the real pairs in at the same file paths. Layout, captions, badges, and result blurbs are all live now.

01
Headlight

2014 Ford F-150 XLT · lenses

Before restoration — 2014 Ford F-150 XLT · lenses Before
Road-fog and salt haze — driver-side lens read cloudy at five feet.
After restoration — 2014 Ford F-150 XLT · lenses After
Crystal clarity, sealed under a one-year UV clear coat.

Both lenses came up nearly new — yellowing lifted through the sand progression and the clear coat bonded cleanly across the full lens face. Pair parked in time for the Carthage commute.

One-year clear coat bonds to the lens and is warrantied against yellowing.

02
Headlight

2011 Toyota Camry LE · lenses

Before restoration — 2011 Toyota Camry LE · lenses Before
Oxidation haze with light pitting on the lower half of both lenses.
After restoration — 2011 Toyota Camry LE · lenses After
Sand progression through 3000 grit brought the lens back to clear.

Atypical pitting on the lower half sanded flat, then compounded to match the upper half. Customer said it looked like the car had spent its life in a garage — which it had not.

One-year clear coat bonds to the lens and is warrantied against yellowing.

03
Headlight

2007 Chevy Silverado Classic · lenses

Before restoration — 2007 Chevy Silverado Classic · lenses Before
Twelve years of UV — lenses looked frosted before the bulbs even warmed up.
After restoration — 2007 Chevy Silverado Classic · lenses After
Compounding + fine polish, sealed under warranty-grade clear coat.

Work truck parked outside every day — the haze was nearly surface-wide. Two-step compound pass + fine polish brought both lenses back to lamp-shop clarity. Truck left with the owner’s daughter driving it home from college.

One-year clear coat bonds to the lens and is warrantied against yellowing.

04
Headlight

2018 Subaru Outback Premium · lenses

Before restoration — 2018 Subaru Outback Premium · lenses Before
Light surface haze from a few winters — caught just before it set hard.
After restoration — 2018 Subaru Outback Premium · lenses After
Soft polish + clear coat, lens left glossy under the daylight LEDs.

Owner caught it early, only a few winters in. Single-stage polish with UV protection was all it needed — finished inside the 90-minute headlight window.

One-year clear coat bonds to the lens and is warrantied against yellowing.

05
Headlight

2016 Honda Civic EX · lenses

Before restoration — 2016 Honda Civic EX · lenses Before
Asymmetric haze — driver-side lens far worse than the passenger side.
After restoration — 2016 Honda Civic EX · lenses After
Both lenses evened up to match; one-year warranty started fresh.

Asymmetric haze is common on cars that face one direction in the driveway. Driver side caught the higher UV, so it took an extra compound pass. Both lenses cleared and now read uniform at any distance.

One-year clear coat bonds to the lens and is warrantied against yellowing.

Why the results hold

The polish gets the lens back. The clear coat keeps it there.

Six steps at the curb — graduated sand progression, compounding, fine polish, clear coat, photos, warranty — and the same UV-stable seal goes on trim to lock the satin black back in place. Every pair on this page comes with the full year warranty and the receipt + photo record emailed the same day.

  • Graduated sand stack · no shortcuts
  • UV-stable 1-year clear coat
  • Same-day before / after photos
  • Joplin metro · Four States route

Ready when you are

Have a lens or a trim piece you want back to right? Send a request with the vehicle and the address — the crew replies with a flat quote and an arrival window.

Email restore@ratcave.comSend a request

Saw the result you want?

Pick a pair. Book the curb visit.

Tell us your vehicle and which service you want — headlight, trim, or the combo visit. We confirm a flat quote and an arrival window — most appointments schedule inside a week.

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Joplin metro · Four States region · Mobile service