How to Keep Headlights from Oxidizing?

Today, most car headlights are made of polycarbonate or plexiglass. These are the materials that for many years have replaced the glass. But they, over time, tend to become opaque and yellow due to exposure to sunlight and atmospheric agents.

Obviously, to get your car back as new, it is not necessary to replace the light units. In fact, a correct cleaning operation is enough. There are many ways to do so at an affordable price. Alternatively, it is possible to do it yourself by purchasing one of the many dedicated kits available on the market.

At home or as a professional, we reveal tips on how to keep headlights from oxidizing.

What Causes Oxidation on Headlights?

The headlight turns turn yellow or becomes fogged over time. However, this causes due to lack of care and having low-quality materials.

Now let’s learn the other causes of oxidation.

The sun

Most of the time, it is the fault of sunlight, which tends to alter the glasses made of polycarbonate or plexiglass. This is because the headlights oxidize when exposed to UV light and the effect we see is a yellow clouding.

Debris and dirt

The headlight is composed of a protective coating. This coating for every km traveled is hit by flying debris such as gravel, road salt, and dirt raised as you travel the road. Over time, every single piece of debris contributes to scratching the headlight to the point of creating irreparable holes.

Water Vapor

This is one of the most frustrating reasons to have oxidized headlights. As the air outside the lightbox dries out, the vapor is trapped inside, resulting in a haze that can’t be seen by the naked eye.

Road Damage

As a result of driving on damaged roads, the polycarbonate lens of modern automotive headlights becomes pitted. Dents and pits in the lenses have been left by the gravel.

Why Is It Important to Clean Oxidized Headlights?

Headlights are essential for the safety of the driver and passengers of a moving vehicle. They make it possible to drive at night and see better in the fog and bad weather. Driving with defective headlights is considered a crime and punishable by fines.

Headlights that are too opaque will not pass the technical control. And you could therefore lose the possibility of driving your car.

Also, if you want to sell the car, the oxidation of headlights is a huge setback. It is therefore essential to pay attention to the warning signs of headlights soiled by time. As a result, you can act before it is too late!

How to Know If Your Headlight Is Oxidized?

To understand it, you have to keep an eye on the signs:

• Your headlights illuminate less than before,
• The light intensity is less important,
• The lighthouse glass is dull, mat, even opaque completely opaque,
• The headlight optics is yellowed.

These are the symptoms of yellowed and clouded headlights, so they need to be cleaned! In general, headlights become cloudy after a few years. This may be faster or slower, depending on the conditions of use and storage of your car.

Especially if it is parked outside or often in the sun, the headlights get oxidized pretty soon.

How to Keep Headlights from Oxidizing?

Here are a few tips to keep headlights from oxidizing.

Place your vehicle in a shady area

Whenever possible, park your car in the garage or find a place in the shade. Try to park your headlights to reduce exposure to the sun and UV rays if you can’t.

Remove the lens cover

Now, after removing Remove the top layer of the vehicle headlight lens and sand it using suitable sandpaper.

However, be extremely careful while doing this technique, because if done wrong, the headlights might be permanently damaged if they are not replaced.

Wash the lens cover inside out

When you’re ready to fix your car’s headlights, wrap protective sheeting over each one.

Wash your headlights often with soap, removing the dirt that causes clouding.

Now it’s time to clean it using a regular car wash shampoo and shop and a soft brush.

Polish the headlights with a microfiber towel

After washing and drying the headlights, use a microfiber cloth to polish the headlight lenses to remove the first signs of yellowing. Use headlight protection wax if needed.

How to Restore Oxidized Headlights?

If you find yourself having yellowed headlights despite having them cleaned, there are three options:

1. Relying on do-it-yourself methods

Purchasable from the market, several cleaning products promise to remove the yellowing of the headlights. These products generally consist of:

• Cleaning and polishing products
• Sheets of sandpaper – the glass sheets allow the headlight to be sanded before applying the products.
• Applicator pads for systems that attach to a sander or screwdriver.

It is important to follow all the information for correct use to avoid damage and obtain excellent results. In addition, the lights must be thoroughly washed before starting the restoration operations.

When cleaning, it is advisable not to press too much on the bodywork and lights to avoid possible scratches. When finished, it is always good to apply protective wax.

However, these kits are proposed to maintain the effect in the short term, without any guarantee over the years. If you have never used these products before, you run the risk of damaging the headlight. This can lead to much more work in the future.

2. Headlight polishing: an economical method used by body shops

The polishing of the headlight by somebody’s shop allows you to remove the external protective layer of the polycarbonate. This helps remove the yellowed external part. But this can create more problems than solutions.

Without the old protection, the headlight will be exposed to all agents who damage it over time. This means that the polycarbonate will return to yellow and opaque much faster than before.

3. Regeneration of the headlight: the method used by real professionals

Professional regeneration allows you to return to the new state without replacing it with a lasting effect over time.

Regenerating the headlight means removing the old yellowed protection and applying a new one. This lens restoration system allows you to:

• Remove the yellowing of the plastic
• Erase the superficial scratches present
• Get a smooth surface

This way, you don’t have to buy new headlights, but keep your original headlights, restoring them to their initial state.

Alternative Method: Homemade Formulas

There are some recipes for washing your headlights with the ingredients present in the house. The most common washing and renovation recipes contain:

Tip # 1: Wipe Your Car Headlights with old cloths

Are we talking about insect tracks? We can get rid of them! You just have to recycle an old pair of tights that you roll up into a ball and rub your car headlights with them to eliminate intruders. It starts strong!

Tip # 2: Wash Your Car Headlights with Baking Soda

We spend the second with a natural product to clean your car headlights! We just moisten a sponge and sprinkle a tablespoon of baking soda on it. Then rub the headlights vigorously with the sponge, and then rinse them with a bucket of clear water.

Tip 3: Use Mosquito Repellent to Clean Your Car Headlights

Always more incredible, the anti-mosquito spray would also restore shine to your headlights. Its properties would make it effective, even if the abrasive side of the product is not one of its strengths.

Even if we have not tested it, here are the steps that theoretically restore their shine to your optics:

• Apply a few sprays of product to the headlight
• Rub the headlight as a whole with a rag
• Your lighthouse says thank you!

This technique is to be used for maintenance and light renovation of the headlights.

Cleaning Car Headlights With Coke Or Toothpaste: Better Not Do It.

This is a home remedy, suggested by many, but to be taken with caution.

In practice, first, it is necessary to clean the headlights with a cloth to remove dirt carefully. And then, you must cover the bodywork and the chromed parts with adhesive paper tape.

By this, you will reduce the risk of damaging them. Once this is done, you can clean the entire surface of the headlight by rubbing it vigorously. You will gradually increase the amount of water and toothpaste.

Although there are several such tips on the net, it is good to pay close attention. The problem is that toothpaste can have different compositions. And therefore act differently on different lights.

As we mentioned at the beginning, the immediate result may give satisfaction. But there is no guarantee that the headlight will not be in worse condition in the long run than before. There is a high chance of damage by a component of the toothpaste that is too “aggressive.”

The same goes for Coca-Cola:

It is indeed considered a remedy for everything, but be careful not to make things worse. Some say that pouring a little Coke directly on the headlights and rubbing with a non-abrasive sponge removes the gnats. But it does not mean that it will restore the headlight to its original condition.

Indeed, suppose you are not careful to rinse everything. In that case, you will find yourself with the car covered with insects attracted by the drink’s sugar.

Final Verdict

That was our take on how to keep headlights from oxidizing. If you start realizing the oxidation sooner, you can find the different “recipes” on the internet and try them.

But if you do not have enough time, get professional help to take care of your headlights. Prices vary by garage depending on the make of the car and the condition of the headlights. It’s up to you to choose the expert that’s right for you.