Restore. Headlight restoration is a fraction of the cost of replacement on almost every car. A new factory headlight assembly runs hundreds of dollars per side, plus labor to install — so restoring both headlights for under $100 typically saves several hundred dollars compared to replacing even one.
Replacement makes sense if: the lens is cracked through (not just hazed), there is moisture trapped inside the housing, the housing is broken, or you want a brighter LED upgrade and your factory housings are halogen. In any of those cases, restoration cannot help and the new lights are the right call.
Most cars on Richmond roads are 5 to 15 years old with hazed but otherwise-intact lenses — exactly the case restoration was made for. Combine the restoration with a Platinum or Gold detail and you get factory-spec lighting plus a thorough exterior clean for less than one new headlight assembly.
