How to clean the headlights in a few simple steps

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So you want to clean the headlights of your car? You are in the right place. Headlight lenses may have turned yellow over time, become foggy or dirty, or have found a new purpose as a terrarium for worms and native insects. The Drive Crack advisory service helps you to make these lights even brighter.

Driving with bad headlight glasses is not only dangerous for you when you snuggle into the dark darkness of the night, but also for others on the road. Restoring your headlights at the factory is also one of the easiest ways to give your aging device a new look. Ultimately, your lenses need a good polish, and that's how it works.

The basic concepts

Estimated time: 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Difficulty: beginners

Vehicle system: lighting

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safety

Working in your car can be difficult, especially if you are cleaning surfaces that you have never cleaned before ( hello, headlight glasses) . That's why you need to keep your jeans, shirt, and cleaning clean.

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Everything you need

We are neither clairvoyants nor we search your toolbox or your garage. That's exactly what you need to do your job.

List of tools

• Paper napkins
• Water spray bottle
• 3 microfiber towels
• A bucket of soap and water.
• Grinder / polisher - optional

List of items

You also need a flat surface such as a garage floor, a driveway or a parking space on the street. Check your local laws to make sure you don't break a code while using the road as we won't get your car out of the waiting yard.

When working with chemicals, make sure your work area is in an open, well-ventilated area.

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Organize your work area

If you organize your tools and equipment so that everything is easily accessible, you will save valuable minutes while waiting for your practical child or four-legged assistant to bring you sandpaper or a blowtorch. ( You do not need a flashlight for this job. Please do not allow your child to give you a flashlight - ECM )

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How to clean your headlights

Let's do this!

Clean and mask your headlights

1. Wash the headlight lenses, these plastic sets that protect the light bulbs, with soap and water. Pay special attention to surface defects, insect carcasses and all deposits that have been embedded on the surface.
2. Dry the lenses thoroughly.
3. Glue the areas around the lenses to protect the paint on your car when sanding and polishing.

Grind headlights

1. Use the spray bottle to dampen a sheet of 1000 grit sandpaper.
2. Spray the entire lens with water to moisten it well.
3. Rub wet sandpaper evenly over the lens and occasionally spray the lens with extra water to keep it moist (dry sanding the lens can damage it).
4. Continue for 5-10 minutes.
5. Clean the lens with a microfiber cloth and spray it again with water.
6. Dampen a sheet of 2000 grit sandpaper and repeat the sanding process, occasionally spraying the lens with water.
7. Continue for 5 minutes.
8. Clean the lens with a microfiber cloth.
9. Repeat the wetting and sanding process with 3000 grit sandpaper.
10. Continue for 5 minutes.
11. Clean and dry the lens completely.
12. Repeat the entire process with the second headlight lens.

Polished and waxed

1. Press some varnish onto a microfiber cloth or clean the tampon.
2. Rub the paint on the lens in a circular motion as shown.
3. You will know when you are done when the goal is clear.
4. Grow the lens the way you would grow the rest of the car.

Is over!

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Tips from a professional

The Drive asked RJ de Vera, the global leader in customer loyalty at Meguiar , for advice on the best methods and products for cleaning your car headlights.

• If you have headlights with a slight rust or yellowing and want to work by hand, you only need a basic set. Can I suggest the Meguiar® Basic Basic Headlight Restoration Kit ?   With this kit, it is recommended to hide around the headlights and put the supplied pads in water for one minute. Then lightly sand with each of the four different pads, rough to fine. This is repeated several times on each headlight until they are clear again.
• If your headlights are heavily rusted and you have a cable drill (YAY, POWER), may I ask that Meguiar® Heavy Headlight Restoration Kit to consider pulling ? Use this kit to clean the lights carefully and then mask them around each light. Lightly sand with two different types of fine sandpaper and water. Work the first disc horizontally and the second disc vertically and make sure that they have an even sanding pattern before proceeding with the included cleaner and enamel. Use a standard wire drill to apply the varnish to the supplied wool polishing pad to polish the plastic until it is transparent. Clean the residue for 1 or 2 minutes before drying, and repeat if necessary until the lenses look new. Clean with a good glass cleaner and apply a middle layer of the headlight supplied   Coating that covers your passports 50 percent. Let it dry and apply a second coat for a complete seal. Is over.

Everyday tips.

Since you may not have access to the right tools or have a friend to get rid of, we have also put together a list of our best tricks to make your life easier and less empty.

• Make sure the headlight bulb is not the problem. Older onions can lose intensity with age, and a simple replacement can be enough.
• Ordinary toothpaste with its slightly abrasive properties can be used to clean headlight lenses. Simply dampen a clean microfiber cloth with water, add a few paste stains, and rub the lens in a circular motion. Add water and toothpaste as needed and continue for five minutes per lens.

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