How to Deal with Aging and Blurry Headlights?
4 Answers
Clean dust, dirt, and other debris from the surface of the headlights with a soft cloth. Be sure to use a professional car cleaning towel to avoid secondary damage to the lens. Wash the headlights with soapy water. Do not use laundry detergent (which is highly corrosive to the lens), as soapy water will not cause harm. After cleaning, polish the headlights with a clean soft cloth. Use polishing wax or polish to enhance the brightness and gloss of the headlights for maintenance.
I had yellowed headlights before and tried fixing them myself with decent results. First, prepare a restoration kit with various sandpapers and UV coating. Sanding is crucial: protect the surrounding paint with tape to avoid scratches. Start with lower grit sandpaper, like 1000-grit, using water and sand in one direction—no circular motions. Then switch to higher grit, like 2000-grit, to smooth the surface. Clean it, spray UV coating, and cure it for 15 minutes with the included UV lamp (or leave it in sunlight if no lamp). It does look much clearer afterward, but avoid back-and-forth sanding to prevent deeper scratches. Cost is just tens of RMB—way cheaper than replacing the housing.
As a seasoned driver with over a decade of experience, I believe dealing with foggy headlights depends on the specific situation. If it's just slight yellowing, spending around a hundred bucks at a car wash for polishing is sufficient. They use professional machines to brighten them in minutes, often with a protective coating included. For headlight covers with cracks or severe yellowing, it's better to just replace them outright—aftermarket parts cost only about three to four hundred, saving both hassle and effort. Prevention is key: avoid using hard brushes on headlights during car washes and park away from areas with heavy tree sap. Once, I tried a DIY trick using toothpaste, only to end up with fine scratches that made visibility worse. Remember, headlight covers are plastic, and overly harsh cleaners can actually speed up aging.
Foggy headlights are a very common issue, especially for cars that are five or six years old or more. The main cause is UV rays from sunlight aging the plastic lens covers. I recommend first checking the condition of the lens covers: press them to see if they've become brittle, and look closely for surface cracks. For minor oxidation, just use a restoration wax—it costs a few dozen yuan and can be used multiple times. The process is simple: apply in circular motions for about three minutes, then polish with a cloth. If the surface feels severely rough, it's better to seek out a professional shop. They have coating techniques that can keep the problem at bay for a year or two. Most importantly, don't cut corners: my neighbor tried to save money by sanding the lens carelessly, which led to moisture leakage, and the entire headlight had to be replaced. Driving with poor lighting significantly increases the risk of accidents.
