TRUK Advice Column

A common issue that all vehicle owners face is that over time, the clear plastic lenses over the headlights can become foggy or cloudy, which degrades your night visibility.  The fogginess generally comes from a combination of sunlight damage and built-up grime. Many owners of older vehicles know that when the headlights get foggy, that can be a problem. The vehicle can become dangerous to drive at night, or may not pass important inspections that allow it to be used for a driving test or even to allow it to stay in the road.

Cloudy Headlight Lense

An example of a cloudy headlight lens in need of some TLC.

Headlight Cleaning Kit :

One of the most common ways is to buy a headlight restoration kit. These vary in quality and price. .

Pros:  Affordable, and probably the most effective cleaning method you can do at home.

Cons:  Takes time – an hour or more.  Better suited for someone more experienced with working with tools and DIY projects, as you have to be careful not to damage the lens when sanding or buffing.  Also, the headlight will begin clouding up again in a matter of months.  The above example headlight was thoroughly cleaned with a cleaning kit 14 months ago.

Vinegar :

When using vinegar to clear off headlights, fill a large bucket full of vinegar. Remove the plastic headlight cover from the vehicle and dip it into the bucket. Make sure that it is enough vinegar to cover the whole headlight as that will save time. The headlight should be left in the vinegar for at least an hour. I have never cleaned a headlight with this method so I cannot attest to the effectiveness.

Pros: Affordable.

Cons:  Labor intensive in some cases due to the fact that the headlight assembly has to be removed from the vehicle.

Sandpaper :

Unless the sandpaper is part of a packaged cleaning kit, I do not recommend this method.  The chance for permanent damage to the headlight lens is high if you use an overly course grit rating. If you’re determined, you can use sand paper to scrub off the film. Only apply as much pressure as absolutely necessary. There is no point in removing a film only to have the headlight scratched and damaged.

Pros: None.

Cons:  Very high chance of damage to the headlight lens.

Polish :

This is another method that is often used. Plastic or metal polish can be used. The polish will work best if the headlights are cloudy from being scratched and not when they are cloudy from grime.  Make sure to read the recommendations on the bottle, as some polishes will leave a thick layer over the lens.  This layer can attract even more dirt and grime, or at the least obscure the lens thus negating any benefit.  

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Using insect repellant to clear up cloudy lenses is one of the most popular DIY methods.

Pros:  Easy to do. Quick. Cost effective.

Cons: Only lasts a few months.

Before		After

How to Clean Headlight Lenses with Insect Repellant:

Step 1

Insect Repellant with DEET

Get some bug spray that contains DEET. This can be bought at almost any store. I happen to have had this bottle in the garage for a few years.

Step 2

Spray on a clean cloth or paper towel

Spray the insect repellant on a dry paper towel or a cloth rag.

Step 3

Wipe off the grime.

Wipe the repellant on the lens until the lens becomes clear. How hard you need to scrub depends on the severity of the cloudiness. In this example, I was able to clean it up with little hard scrubbing and in just a few minutes.

Step 4

Restored Headlight Lense

The final step is simply to wipe any remaining repellant off the lens with a clean damp paper towel or cloth.

Warning: DO NOT spray the insect repellant directly on the headlight lens. Make sure you spray it on your cloth and wipe. In some cases, insect repellants can damage your paint.  Years ago, I sprayed OFF repellant on a vehicle to remove some ants that had found food inside of an equipment bin.  The insect repellant made the paint bubble and ate it right off of the vehicle. True story.

This method will clean the headlight and make it pretty clear – though not “like new” as a professional cleaning will get you. However, while this is great for clearing up the headlight if there is an inspection soon, it is not a good long term solution.  Your lenses will still cloud up after several months. 

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Over time, the plastic that makes up your headlights will degrade and cloud over. If yours aren't shining quite like they used to, here's what to do.

Most headlights are made of polycarbonate plastic, which is durable and scratch-resistant. But over time polycarbonate clouds over, mostly due to UV rays that degrade the outer layer of plastic. Fortunately, there are plenty of products on the market designed to help you restore your car's 20/20 nighttime vision.

To test the latest brands, I headed over to the Town & Country salvage yard in Ann Arbor, Mich., where Mike, the guy behind the counter, proudly showed me our shared name on his work shirt and loaned me the dirtiest, cloudiest headlights in the lot; I promised to return them clean. Back in the PopMech garage, I polished half of each headlight with a different product to demonstrate what I hoped would be dramatic before-and-after improvements. I wasn't disappointed. These headlights went from filthy to fancy after less than a half-hour of work. I also applied all the products in strips to a single headlight to judge the results side by side. After soiling a stack of microfiber towels and raising plenty of sanding dust, I found out that all the products restored clarity to the lenses, but a few emerged as our favorites.

Basic Headlight Cleaning

Prep Wipe as much grime as possible off the headlights with glass cleaner or soap and water. After drying the area, tape around the headlights to ensure you don't end up sanding your car's paint. You can also remove headlights for cleaning, but you might have to align them after reinstallation.
Sand All of these products use an abrasive such as sandpaper to scuff away the outer layer of haze. This is the most important step, so be thorough.

When you're done, the entire headlight should be clear of any yellowing and have a rough, dull surface.

Polish A fine polish cleans up the sandpaper scratches and makes the headlight lenses clear again.
Apply UV Sealant There's a reason we tested only headlight lens restorers with a UV protectant. The sanding step removes any protective layer that was originally applied to the headlight, and if you don't reapply that shield your lights will haze over again in as little as a few weeks. Some products, such as the ones from Sylvania and Lenz Solution, promise extended protection.

Adjusting Your Headlights

If you've removed your lights to clean them, you need to line them up properly after you put them back on. Here's a quick way to eyeball the aiming.

Step 1 On a level surface, park the car a few inches from your garage door or the wall of a large building.
Step 2 Use chalk to mark the locations of the headlight beams.
Step 3 Back up 25 feet (about two car lengths); the low beams should still be level and pointing straight ahead to within a few inches of the chalk marks.
Step 4 If not, adjust the beams by turning the headlight's two setscrews—one for up/down, one for left/right.

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Step 1 Do one headlight at a time. Start by washing the lens and surrounding area completely using dish detergent. Normally you would avoid harsh detergent because it strips your car’s wax and dries out the paint, but that's what you need in this case. Rinse and allow to dry completely.		Step 2 Apply painter's tape to the car's body around the headlight, making sure to cover the rubber seal around the headlight (if there is one). Apply more tape for a wider margin of safety. Use a rubber spatula to press the tape down and work it into the crevices around the light. Use a razor to trim away excess tape where the rubber seal meets the lens.
Step 3 Wrap a strip of 500-grit sandpaper around a foam sanding block or large sponge. The foam helps distribute pressure on the sandpaper so you don’t leave deep gouges in the lens.		Step 4 Press the sandpaper-wrapped block to the headlight lens, and start sanding the lens in a back-and-forth motion. Every 10 seconds or so, switch the direction of sanding. This straight-line, alternating-stroke method avoids putting circular swirls in the plastic, which will show in the finished product.
Step 5 Keep sanding until the surface is uniformly frosty and completely opaque. Keep sanding until it feels as silky smooth as sanded pinewood.		Step 6 Wipe the headlight down with a microfiber cloth to check your work. Be sure you adequately sanded edges and corners. When you're satisfied, rinse the headlight with clean water.
Step 7 Fill a 5L container with water. Add dish detergent and drop in a few pieces of 1000- and 2000-grit sandpaper to soak.		Step 8 Fill a spray bottle with soapy water from the container and heavily mist your headlight. Wrap the foam block 1000-grit sandpaper and sand the headlight just as you did with the 500-grit. Keeping the spray bottle in your other hand, give the lens a fresh spray every time you change sanding directions. Keep it wet and slippery.
Step 9 Sand until the paper slides smoothly over the headlight lens and you can't feel any rough spots. Rinse and dry the lens, preferably with compressed air. Look at the lens from an angle. If you see irregularities, re-wet the lens and keep sanding with a fresh piece of wet sandpaper.		Step 10 Wash, rinse, and repeat with 2000-grit paper. Rinse and dry the lens completely when you're finished. The lens should be almost uniformly clear (with some slight hazing).
Step 11 Fold a microfiber polishing rag into quarters. If you're using liquid headlight polish, run a thick line of polish along the top of the headlight. If you're using a paste-type plastic polish, load your rag up with about an ounce and smear it all over the lens.		Step 12 Work the polish all over the lens until it’s covered uniformly, then add a bit more polish to your rag. Polish the lens with medium pressure, using the same method you used while sanding. Make complete passes over the lens, polishing in one direction; then flip the rag over to a cleaner side for another pass. The longer you polish, the better the result will be. Keep going until the surface feels completely smooth and uniform. Note: This will take much longer than you expect it to.
Step 13 Wash the headlight with detergent water, rinse thoroughly, and allow to dry completely. Wipe the lens down with rubbing alcohol and a clean, lint-free towel. Spray with lens sealer and wipe it with a lint-free towel as directed by the sealer packaging.		Step 14 Step back to admire your work. With the lens completely clear and smooth, and the sealer filling in any minor imperfections to form a perfect, glass-like sheen, your headlight should glitter, jewel-like, in the sun. Now repeat all of these steps on the other headlight.

Get two microfiber cloths—one to wash, one to dry. Microfiber cloths can be purchased at most supermarkets, auto supply stores and home centers. They are machine washable and reusable.

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Before		After

For the longest time I have thought that my headlights looked very dim and that I could probably clean my headlight covers to remedy this.  Yesterday I decided to do something about it. There are many products you can buy to do this. I am cheap and lazy so I decided to do it another way. This is actually super easy and relatively quick to do.  Searching on Google, I found people using toothpaste doing the same thing here and here and here and here and here and here.  So I figured it would be worth a shot. Get a rag or two you don't mind getting dirty, and some cheap toothpaste.  This is what we will use as our abrasive.  If you have a buffer, go ahead and use it to get faster and better results. My vehicle is about 13 years old. I don't know if the headlights have ever been properly cleaned. Apply the toothpaste and vigorously rub the toothpaste over what needs to be cleaned.  Then wipe off the toothpaste with a clean rag (or clean part of the rag). The results should come pretty fast and easy!

Warning:

Toothpaste is an abrasive.  You are essentially sanding away the haziness.  If you have a lens protectant, you will be sanding this away as well and may want to replace it after doing this. 

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