How To Resurface Headlights

Last time we covered some important tips for driving at night. Having clear and working headlights is essential in any low-light situation; one cannot rely on a car navigation system with an in dash navigation screen alone. Most modern headlights are made out of polycarbonate, which is great because it is durable and will not break easily in a minor fender-bender. The downside to polycarbonate is it oxidizes over time and turns cloudy and yellow. Hazy, yellowed headlights do not provide proper visibility – good news is you can easily resurface your existing headlights instead of having to replace them. Here is a quick guide for restoring your headlights.

 There are many kits out there for restoring your headlights, but they all have the same basic tools you can get from anywhere you like. The main choice you have is whether you want to polish them by hand, or use an electric drill. Using an electric drill makes the job go quicker and easier, but some people do not have this tool so it can be done by hand.

Start by masking off the area around your headlight. Use two layers of thick masking tape around the headlight itself.  Then thoroughly scrub and clean your headlights, making sure they are free from dirt or caked on tar and bugs. After they are scrubbed and dried, get them extra clean by wiping the surface with rubbing alcohol.

Most kits include several different grits of sandpaper or buffing wheels. They polish the surface of your headlight using polishing discs and compounds. You can also polish your headlights without a kit by wet-sanding. We will cover the wet-sanding method first. 

Buy wet/dry sandpaper in 1000, 1500, 2000, and 3000 grit increments. Soak the sandpaper in cold water for 10 minutes or so before you begin. Spray the surface of the headlight with water, and begin with the lowest grit sandpaper first,  sanding in one direction back and forth over the surface of the headlight. Make sure the surface remains wet – if it starts to get dry, spray it down again.

Next once the headlight sheds the yellow color but is cloudy from the sandpaper, switch to the next grit of sandpaper, working in the exact opposite direction of the first grit and keeping the surface wet.  Do this again with every grit, switching the direction, until you get a nice, polished surface. The last step with 3000 grit sandpaper will probably take quite a while without a buffing wheel, but will make your headlight look like new.

After resurfacing your headlight, wash them off thoroughly and wipe them dry. Then apply a UV Plastic sealant to the headlights so they don’t oxidize so quickly in the future. This should keep them looking nice and bright for years to come.

 Using a kit with an electric drill is much the same as sandpaper, just a bit quicker. One main difference is that you often do not need to wet the surface, and instead will use a polishing compound. Each kit has specific instructions so make sure to read them carefully to get the best results. Work with the drill on a low setting and use light to medium pressure – if you press too hard, you can heat the plastic and cause it to warp.  After you have finished with the last and finest polisher, your headlights should look like new. Make sure to clean the surface well, dry thoroughly, and apply a UV Sealant the same as you would if using sandpaper by hand.

The end result should be a shiny, brand new-looking headlight that is protected from UV and thus further oxidization. You can clean and re-apply the sealant at the intervals suggested on the product to retain your headlight’s clarity and shine. With clean and clear headlights, you’re free to enjoy night driving as much as you like.

How To Install New HID Bulbs

Many times the headlights of a car seem to be dull or dirty which is “yellowing” that occurs for a number of reasons. Like the sound from your car radio or in–dash navigationscreen the headlights can degrade over time too. Chemicals used for cleaning the car can sometimes cause this effect on a headlamp and other times it is the weather. Acidic rain or just unrelenting sun can cause yellowing along with the “salt” used to deice roads is also huge reason for yellowing headlights. Just like the Giants beating the Packers...the cold can always be a factor. Many times the effect is so bad on a headlight that the unit must be replaced. 

When replacing a headlight it is not always necessary to replace all the bulbs at the same time. HID bulbs are pretty expensive and most of the time will still work perfectly fine in a new assembly. Unlike conventional bulbs they do not dull over time since they are gas powered not filament illuminated. The part of changing these bulbs is to purchase the correct headlight housing for your application. While the same year, make and model headlights may “fit” in your car it is not always the same part if those lights did not have HID. 

The first step to taking apart the old headlight unit that was in the vehicle, which requires removal of the old unit. With the unit removed from the car remove the clips or screws holding on the dust cover and pull the bulb out of the assembly. Be sure not to touch the bulb at all on the glass, the oil from your finger will cause the bulb to shatter once it heats up. Next remove the ballast for the HID unit and inspect both the bulb and ballast for damage.

For the install part of this process, place the bulb in the new assembly and secure with clips or screws depending on the application. Now attach the ballast to the headlamp and reassemble all the other parts of the light. Attach the power source to the headlight to check that all bulbs and signals are working. Once the proper operation is certain, install the unit and check for proper “Gaping” around the unit. Gaping is the space around the unit to the body panels which should all be even. With the headlight in place test the unit once more. If everything checks out the install process is complete.

Do Your Eyes and Headlights Make a Good Team?

I’m not sure if it’s just me getting older or my car, but it’s getting harder and harder to see the road while driving at night. It’s one thing to make sure luxury items like your Car Radio or Car Navigation System are working, but it’s even more important to maintain parts that affect your safety. Headlights begin to dim over time, and as the days get shorter in these winter months their brightness becomes even more important.

There are many different types of headlights such as incandescent, halogen, and xenon. Incandescent bulbs are the more traditional bulbs and tend to dim faster as the filament inside evaporates over time. Xenon bulbs use newer technology, specifically the HID (High Intensity Discharge) xenon bulbs which use two electrodes in a xenon gas-sealed bulb rather than a traditional filament. We are seeing these bulbs more and more in newer cars because the light they create is not only three times brighter than a halogen bulb, but lasts ten times longer. While three times brighter seems great for the driver, I can think of a time or two I’ve been blinded by an oncoming Audi or BMW, thinking their brights were on. Some headlights out today, such as bi-xenon, are so bright that they require self-leveling so they don’t blind other drivers on the road.

No matter which type of headlight your car uses, if you’re squinting to see the road at night you either need new bulbs or a pair of glasses. If you do notice your yellow-glowing halogen lights are much dimmer than they once were, be sure to change them both at the same time! It’s also fairly easy to upgrade them to xenon for that new, fresher look. Dimming headlights is a common problem but an easy fix, so don’t sacrifice your safety or the safety of other drivers on the road.