When you drive at night, do you have trouble seeing the road? The sun, rain and road conditions may have damaged their plastic headlights and fogged them up. High-sweep headlights can reduce visibility by up to 50 percent. Plus, swept headlights are just plain ugly. Let’s discover the reasons why your headlights fog up and what you can do to stop them.
why do the headlights become yellow?
Oxidation: Acrylic headlights oxidize when exposed to UV light. Headlight lenses come with a clear top coat to prevent this, but eventually the coating wears off and sunlight causes the plastic to turn yellow. Water vapor: Headlights are manufactured with a tight seal, but wear and tear can cause this seal to break. Condensation then forms inside the lens, from where you cannot wipe it off. Water droplets scatter the light beam, further affecting nighttime visibility.
how to keep the headlights from turning yellow?
Park your car in the shade: if possible, park in a garage or under a shady tree. If you don’t have this option, point your headlights away from the sun when you park outside to reduce UV exposure and slow the oxidation process. Wash your car: Every three months, wash your headlights with car soap to remove dirt and chemicals that promote fogging. Polish the headlights: Use a non-abrasive polishing medium and a microfiber cloth to polish the headlight lenses and remove the first signs of yellowing.
DIY (Do It Yourself) TREATMENTS FOR matte HEADLIGHTS
To restore your headlights yourself, start by washing the lenses with automotive shampoo so you have a clean surface to work with. Then try any of these techniques to remove fog from your headlights: Baking Soda Paste: Mix 5 tablespoons of baking soda with enough water to make a paste. Apply generously to both headlights with a sponge and buff in small circular motions. Flush the headlights to reveal the results.
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DIY headlight cleaning results only last about a month. Abrasive chemicals remove oxidation but do not protect against future yellowing. Professional headlight restoration is more effective. Now that you know what causes fogged headlights, it’s clear that the best treatment option is professional headlight restoration.
Our results are long lasting for safer driving at night. Contact us today to schedule your headlight restoration services.
Buy headlight care kits
Most auto parts stores stock at least one or two products that are specifically designed to clean headlight lenses when they have fogged up from UV exposure. Look for products marked as “headlight restoration kit” or “headlight lens restoration”. Using these products is a simple way to clean your vehicle’s fog lights.
People who need to clean yellowed headlights have a few other options that can work as well.
Toothpaste and baking soda can be effective cleansers for cleaning headlights. Both products are abrasive enough to remove fog without scratching or damaging the headlights.
Polishing compounds like Rain-X might also be effective enough to repair UV damage.