How to clean headlights

If you park your car in the beautiful but harsh Aussie sun, or do a lot of driving on dirt roads, your headlights may be looking a little worse for wear. Most headlights will eventually appear foggy or faded due to age and wear, which is why they need to be looked after.

Foggy headlight covers not only look dull, they make it difficult to illuminate the road at night, which reduces visibility . It can also mean that other drivers will have difficulty seeing you on the road.

To maintain visibility while you’re out on the road, it’s important to make sure your car’s headlights are clear and clean, so let’s take a look at what you can do to keep them in top shape.

How do headlights get dirty?

Headlight cover lenses nowadays are generally made out of hard-wearing, light-weight polycarbonate plastic that can be moulded to any shape or size. That’s great in manufacturing terms, but it means that over time they can turn cloudy or yellow due to:

This means that even when you wash your car, the lights will remain a dull yellow or translucent white.

Although some of this damage is unavoidable, cleaning your headlights regularly can extend their life by getting rid of chemicals, dust, and dirt that could lead to damage over time.

You can help keep your headlights clearer for longer by parking your car in the shade or garage, and out of the sun. This will protect it from the harsh UV rays.

Why clean car headlights?

Besides being unsightly, having hazy headlights can be dangerous when driving at night.

Degraded plastic can make the lights appear dimmer, so even if you’ve replaced the bulbs, the light won’t be able to properly penetrate the murky plastic covering.

It’s important to leave nothing to chance when cleaning and maintaining your headlights, so let’s look at how you can get them back to being clear and bright.

Cleaning car headlights: What to do

There are a few ways to clean your headlights if they’ve become murky, which can be very easy and inexpensive by using some things you may already have at home.

Here’s a few steps to get you started:

1. Clean: Get the lenses clean with some soapy water, to ensure that any oil, dirt, and grit has been removed. This is important, as any grit left on now could further scratch the headlights as you polish them. Completely dry the surface.

2. Tape: Tape around the headlight housing with painter’s tape or masking tape to avoid damaging the surrounding paintwork. Make sure the tape isn’t too adhesive, as this can also affect the paint.

3. Polish: You can use something as simple as toothpaste or bicarb soda (or both). Apply some to a clean rag or brush and rub using circular motions over the headlight cover.

4. Rinse: Remove the residue by rinsing with water, and dry the housing with a soft cloth

When cleaning just isn’t enough, call mycar

At mycar, we can carry out a professional headlight restoration when you bring your car in. We use a quality cleaning kit specifically designed for restoring headlights.

If your lenses are chipped, cracked, or heavily oxidised, the housing will need to be replaced as they won’t be able to be restored. The seals surrounding the headlights can also wear, letting in water and dirt.

If your headlights need a little extra care, bring them into mycar and one of our experienced mechanics will assess them for repair or replacement.

Don’t delay - for maximum visibility on the road, call your local mycar today for quality headlight care, restoration or light replacement.