How To Repair Car Headlights?
Car headlights are one of the main parts in your car’s exterior body. It’s very important to maintain your car’s headlights because it not only helps you to see the road but also helps others to see your car and protects from road accidents.
The plastic material of the headlights becomes hazy, yellowish, and opaque because of the sun exposure and other environmental factors. The unclear foggy headlights reduce your car’s aesthetic appearance and also can be risky for your life.
This article provides you with a comprehensive guide on car headlight restoration and important protective measures.
Reasons for foggy headlights:
Oxidation:
Headlights are, made of the polycarbonate material, covered with a protective coating. Its top protective layer deteriorates with time, and direct exposure to sunlight and UV rays makes them yellowish and foggy.
Environmental circumstances:
Exposure to the harsh weather causes the outer protective coat to degenerate over time. Then, during rainy seasons, muddy water splashes over the headlights. In winter, because of the high humidity level, headlights are mostly covered with moisture. Makes an unclear, opaque layer over its surface that makes it blurry and also reduces its visibility.
Water vapors:
If there is a crack or any seal breakage in the headlights, then moisture can easily pass into the lenses. Tiny water drops deflect the light and affect its visibility at night.
Dirt and grime:
One of the most common reasons for blurry headlights is the plain dirt and grime that accumulate over their surface while driving. Change your headlights to a yellowish color that makes them less visible.
Material required:
Detailed process of headlight restoration:
1. Clean the headlights surface:
Firstly, wash your headlight with the warm water and detergent. Use brushes to rub over its surface to remove dirt and extra dirt. Rinse off the headlights and dry their surface with soft towels.
Make sure that surface is properly clean because headlight restoration efficiently works on clean surfaces.
2. Masking the area:
Masking the tape around the headlights to protect the surrounding car paint from scratches.
3. Sand the headlights:
Now use sandpaper of different grades to make your surface smooth. Remember that sandpaper gets finer with the higher grit. We’ll use three sandpapers of 800, 1500, and 2000 grit.
We’ll start with the lowest-grit sandpaper, as it is more abrasive. Sand the surface with 800-grit sandpaper in a horizontal direction, and keep sanding the entire surface in the same direction for 10 minutes. Make sure that the hazy layer has gone. If you feel that your headlight’s surface is more oxidized and is not being cleared with this sandpaper, then you can use 500-grit sandpaper.
Wet the headlight’s surface with water and then start sanding with 1500-grit sandpaper. Repeat the same process but in the opposite direction, in a vertical direction. And try to keep sanding consistently in this direction. Now use the third sandpaper over the wet surface and repeat the same process again in a diagonal direction. It provides extra smoothness to your headlight surface.
4. Degreased the surface:
Now clean the surface with alcohol and plastic degreaser to remove sand dust and other dirt particles.
5. Polish the headlights:
Apply the polish over the surface with the small pressure in a circular motion. Allow it to dry and then buff off the polish residues. Inspect the surface to see if it’s completely clean or not. Repeat the polishing process until you get a flatten, soft and clear surface.
6. Apply sealant:
Now apply the UV sealant, a protective layer that protects your headlight’s surface from fading and oxidizing over again. It ensures your headlight doesn’t need restoration quickly again.
Material required:
How to protect headlights from oxidation:
Conclusion:
Headlight restoration is essential to increase its visibility and minimize the risks of accidents. You can repair your headlights with the detailed DIY process, but if you feel it is time-consuming or your headlights are cracked or extremely cloudy, then you can consider Car Detailing Abu Dhabi for a quick and permanent headlight restoration service.
