Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
How you do remedy the dingy yellow film on vehicle headlight lens?
By Suzyn
You can go to an auto supply store and buy a kit that will restore the lens. You can also find information on goggle.com on these kits. Type in restoring yellow headlights or words to that effect. Some posters may advise using pam or some other household liquid. They do not work. Replacing the headlight lens may cost $100 or more.
Headlight lens restoration kits are $20.00 or more and contain enough supplies for a one time only use. For about the same price you can purchase the items in larger quantity separately and will then have enough supplies leftover for future restorations, and even to use on other projects, plus you might already have some or all of the items needed already on hand to do the job.
Step 1: Wash the lenses very well with soapy water, rinse and wipe dry.
Step 2: Dip a corner of a rag in denatured alcohol (you can purchase it at paint stores and most hardware stores), rub it on the lens in a circular motion, repeat if necessary, until the lens loses at least the majority of the yellow coloration and then rinse.
Step 3: Quick soak a piece of 800 grit wet sandpaper in water, then sand the lens using small, circular motions until all yellowing is removed, then repeat using quick soaked 1,000 grit sandpaper and then again with quick soaked 2,000 grit sandpaper until lenses are smooth.
Step 4: It is a must to apply a coat of car wax afterwards to protect the lenses! Rub the wax on in a circular motion with a clean rag and then buff out after a couple of minutes.
I didn't want to pay the $20 or more dollars for the restoration kit and just put up with it for months on end. Then one day my friend and I were discussing the issue and she said that she read a tip on another site that said to use 'Soft Scrub' bathroom cleaner. I had some under my sink and thought "what the heck, it can't hurt." I used it and it made a tremendous difference!
Clean a clouded headlight lens with toothpaste. Use a soft cloth.
What can be done for interior cloudiness of headlight covers?
By Kacky from Wrightsville Beach, NC
3M makes a product to dress up the faded lens. It is available in Auto stores. You will sand the lens using products that come in the kit. You sand using an electric drill. If you go to google.com and type in "3M products to restore headlight lens" some sites will come up so you can see the product and read the step by step directions.
For a small fee a body shop will polish the lens of your headlights and they will look like new. Any dust or film that is on the inside will be removed also.
We tried a product from the auto store, kinda worked but not all the way clear. I suggest you go with Anna Parker.
The yellowing you see is oxidation from sun exposure. There are degrees of oxidation, and the degree to which it can be removed depends on how much work you are willing to do. The only way to completely restore a yellowed headlight is to remove the oxidation, exposing new live plastic.
If there is extensive micro cracking deep into the plastic, the headlight may not be restorable, but surface oxidation and micro-cracking can be successfully removed. The trick is to remove just enough plastic to make the lenses clear again and then protect them from future damage.
Yes, the creams and pastes will work to some extent in making the lens look clearer temporarily, but this is mostly a result of filling in the micro pitting / cracking on the damaged lens, and doesn't last. They are a quick cheap temp fix at best. The kits such as the ones made by Permatex, Meguires and Turtle Wax do work really well, but you have to follow the instructions exactly, or you will damage the headlight, as some here apparently have. One trick I have found that helps is to if at all possible, remove the headlight from the vehicle, as it makes it a lot easier to do a proper job.
Now to the kits. They are all basically the same in that they have 1) Abrasive sheets, pads, or sandpaper, usually in grits of 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, and 3000. 2) Some sort of polishing fluid or paste. The trick with the abrasives is to start with the FINEST one that will remove the oxidation (1000 grit is the coarsest I'll start with) and to keep the headlight and the sandpaper pad very wet. Soak the paper for a few minutes in water, and keep a spray bottle of water handy to keep the headlight and paper wet.
Spray the headlight, the, sand back and forth in one direction with the 1000 grit (keep it wet) until most of the oxidation is off and you have a smooth surface. Then wipe the residue off with a wet terry cloth towel, and switch to 1500 grit, sanding 90 degrees to the direction you did with the 1000 grit. (Again keeping everything very wet.) Wipe it off again and now go to the 2000 grit, 90 degrees from the direction of the 1500 grit. lastly, wipe it down one more time and repeat with the 2500 or 3000 grit.
Now wipe off all the sanding residue, take a clean terry cloth rag and use the polishing paste or liquid liberally, and polish in a circular motion, until the lens becomes clear and shiny. Step back and admire your hard work.
The Turtle wax restoration kit comes with a lens sealing wipe, that you apply in one direction, then let cure for 24 hours which will prevent re-oxidation. If you aren't using their kit, you can apply Plastix polish or one of the aforementioned cremes with UV protectant. Then, whenever you wash the car, take a few minutes to touch up the headlights, and you shouldn't have to do the heavy duty cleaning/restoration again.
What is the best and easiest way to clean the headlights on your car?
By GG
I haven't tried this myself, but read that a dull or dirty headlight/tail light can be cleaned with toothpaste. Slightly dampen a cleaning cloth (an old T-shirt will do!) Squeeze a small amount of toothpaste onto the cloth, and rub over the surface of the lens. Use a 2nd cloth to rinse the paste from the light lens. Wipe the light lens with a cloth or paper towel, or let air dry.
My husband and I, cleaned the headlights on my car just last week, using the toothpaste idea. Just keep in mind that it must be a toothpaste that contains a whitener. Worked great and my car is almost 8 years old!
toothpaste will do it but something better is jeweler's rouge made into a paste and apply in a circular motion using a "very clean" cloth
How do I make frosted headlights clear?
By Gail
Whether you mean the plastic cover or the bulb itself I honestly don't think there is a way other than purchasing new that are already clear.
Just a week or so ago I saw one of those infomercials advertising a new product that does just what you're asking for. SS but don't remember the name. It was something like clear lens. Perhaps you could try the "As seen On TV" web site. GL. After seeing it wish I'd paid more attention as my 97 Cadi lenses are getting cloudy!
Gale from Ca.
Hi Gail
After my 1st post to you I went to as seen on TV and found the product to clean car headlight lenses...it's called Fast Brite Lens restore and costs $10. plus shipping. Good luck. I'm going to try it too.
Gale in Ca.
Does anyone have a DIY solution to cleaning the dirt and yellow off headlight covers on cars? Mine are just so bad!
By Mary P
You could try coating it with hand sanitizer on a rag, let it sit for 10 minutes, and then rub off. Try a corner first, and if it works, do all the lights.
This is a two step process and its about as easy and cost saving as it can get. I started out with Turtle wax polishing compound (around 5.00 at walmart) ..Not the dark red rubbing compound, This is the white polishing compound which is still plenty enough abrasive to remove the oxidation and Yellow haze. Depending on the condition of the headlights, It may take awhile to to remove all of the funk. I used a soft cotton wash cloth to apply the polish and to polish the lens. Dip the cloth into the compound and apply in a circular motion. Fold the cloth so that you can cover as much surface as possible. Use enough so that it doesn't dry out while you're polishing the lense. after your finished, The lens will have a clear clean shine and you could just go with it at this point. But i took it a step further and used Meguires PasteX Plastic polish (arounf $7-8 at walmart. . I polished it with the PlasticX 5-7 times......... lightly rubbing the polish on the surface in circular strokes buffing it out with a soft dry cloth each time. By the time i was finished the lens literally looked like it did the day it was on the showroom floor! Brilliant shiny and super clear!. This is about as easy as i have seen it done. It will take some work. Remember that you are polishing with an abrasive and a mild solvent. So if you keep polishing any painted areas you can actually remove the paint. Just be mindful! I actually removed the lens from the vehicle. Not everyone can do that. If nothing else, tape the adjacent painted surfaces off to protect them. Or..just pay someone to do it. I recently saw where Maaco had it on their toke board at $40-50 per headlight. Good luck.
I have an '88 Mercury Cougar and my headlight covers are so bad, as far as being cloudy. I can no longer drive at night! I have looked and tried all the things I've heard and read about with no luck. Why if manufacturers make them for the cars, then why can't we buy them when something happens to them? Seems the car companies could stand to win in this situation!
By Lisa S. from Mt.Vernon, WA
Does anyone have any idea on how to get the fog off of the inside of headlights? I really don't want to buy new ones. The outside is clean, it's just the inside of them that is foggy. Thank you.
By k.sowders
It may look foggy on the inside but I think it is on the outside. 3M Co. mades a product sold in automotive stores that will clean the outside of the lens. A little time consuming so check out what has to be done and the price of the product. Or you could check out salvage yards to see if they have the lens for your car that would be in good shape.
I agree with foxrun - it is on the outside. The product that does the cleaning is actually an extremely mild abrasive that is applied and polished. You need to use the product from the automotive store, anything else is too harsh.
My husband and I recently purchased a Turtle Wax headlight cleaning kit and cleaned them as directed and now our headlights have a foggy film on them. What's the best way to remove the film?
By Leanne D.
How do you get hazed over looking headlights on a used car to look clear again? Thanks.
By Shirley
Call a business like Auto Zone to ask about a product that can clean the haze from car's head lamps.
What is a good, simple way to clean a car's headlights?
By Linda P.
If your headlight covers are plastic, you could spend 10 or 20 bucks on a fancy headlight cleaner kit, but I've heard that toothpaste works just as well as the expensive kit. You probably shouldn't use a blue minty gel, I'm sure that won't work too well. *L* I'd use a white paste on a microfiber cloth and scrub away. Be sure to rinse well.
I have glass lenses on my old car, so soap and water works just fine.
I tried toothpaste, the kits from the auto store and nothing helps! It's $1200 each to replace them do you think a deoxidizer will work?
By Anne
You should try using "OFF" bug spray (or anything similar with DEET in its composition). It sounds crazy, but it worked for me!
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
I just recently got my first car. To my surprise, my new car's headlights weren't the best. They were foggy and didn't look the way I thought a new car's should look.
I have a friend who cleaned his headlights on his '72 Chevy with toothpaste and they looked great but when I tried it on my '89 Mustang they just clouded up.
The plastic head light covers on my '98 Chrysler Town & Country van have developed a heavy film covering over them.
