Aging Plastic Headlights: How to Restore Headlights with Headlight Cleaners
In the past, automakers designed headlight lenses made from glass so they were limited in the size and shape they could produce. Since then, auto manufacturers began designing cars with plastic or polycarbonate headlight lenses. This modification mainly occurred due to the change in the design of cars—cars became lighter and more aerodynamic, plus plastic was by far less expensive to produce than glass. Today this plastic material is the chosen choice because it is very light and can be transformed into unlimited sizes and shapes to satisfy new car designs.
Polycarbonate has its advantages but also has its disadvantages—namely oxidation/discoloration. To the naked eye one cannot tell that these plastic lenses are actually a porous material that expands ever so slightly when it gets hot. Degradation of the lens occurs over time. Having your headlights on or being exposed to the heat of the day causes the pores to open allowing debris from the road to get in. Debris, together with a combination of environmental factors such as the sun (UV rays), smog, acid rain, car exhaust, and harsh chemicals used to wash you car can cause the plastic headlight lenses to become oxidized.
Plastic oxidation leads to lens discoloration, which transforms new, clear, bright, shiny plastic to a dull yellow tint that appears to be foggy, hazy, or cloudy. This process (oxidation), as described above, not only becomes an eyesore but also is unsafe. Because of the degradation of the plastic lens, less light passed through resulting in diminished visibility during night driving. The car owner either had to deal with these cloudy yellow, oxidized headlight lenses posing serious safety issues or purchase expensive replacement headlights costing hundreds or thousands of dollars.
The Headlight Solution (headlightsolution.net) wants the public to know and learn how to restore, clean, polish, and clear those cloudy, yellow plastic headlight lenses on their own without putting more money into the car manufacturer’s pocket. One can restore headlights to like-new condition by taking off the top layer of oxidized plastic. This can be achieved through polishing, wet sanding, or through the use of chemicals. Auto manufacturers would rather you go to them for a headlight repair (charging as much as $150) or headlight replacement ($100-$1,000). The top layer of plastic on the headlights contains a UV polymer that retards or slows down the aging of the plastic lens. Therefore, it is important to use a polish (containing UV polymers) or UV coating to slow down the oxidation or discoloration of the lens. Parking your car in the shade or garage, or maintaining the lens by washing, waxing, and polishing a minimum of every three months, could avoid damage to the headlight lens.
“The Headlight Solution” specializes in headlight restoration. The products we use on a daily basis to renew headlights are indeed the products we sell. Rest assured that when placing an order for any of our headlight restoration kits you are getting the real deal and top quality products. Our business is restoring headlights on used vehicles, as well as restoring the emergency lighting on service vehicles. We not only come to your home or place of business to refinish your headlight lens, but also sell a headlight cleaner or headlight lens cleaner. As a matter of fact, we sell two types of plastic lens cleaners:
2. Advanced Headlight Restoration Kit (for more severe discoloration)
Both kits work extremely well. Choosing a kit depends on the severity of your vehicle’s lenses. Our kits are very easy to use and do not require the use of special tools or training. Beware of kits that offer backing plates and drill attachments. While they may save time, they may cause irreversible damage due to various drill speeds causing burning or swirls in the plastic lens. First-time users should avoid these kits because it takes skill and practice to control the drill from making these mistakes and possibly slipping off and ruining a perfectly fine paint job.
In our Advanced Headlight Restoration Kit, we even supply a small roll of blue painters tape to mask your headlight to protect your paint job during the restoration process. Along with both kits, one also receives a step-by-step brochure outlining how to clean headlights appropriately to obtain bright, shiny headlamps while restoring optical clarity to your lenses. Both of our kits carry a satisfaction guarantee. If you are not satisfied with either of our products, simply return the remaining contents of the kit for a full refund. If anyone has any questions while reconditioning their headlamps, feel free to email us and one of our trained technicians can walk you through the quick and easy process of headlight restoration.
Got Yellow Headlight Lenses? Need a Headlight Cleaner? Want Us to Restore Your Vehicle’s Yellow Headlight Lenses? Contact The Headlight Solution.
