Are your headlights inhibiting your sight while driving?

Spring-cleaning isn’t just cleaning your home but your vehicle as well. People have been lining up at the car wash since last week and I know because I was one of them! We can’t resist the exquisite feel of driving a shiny clean car. However, while driving through the fog we had this past weekend I had to turn my headlights on and noticed that they weren’t as affective as they used to be.

The illumination of our headlights is definitely something we don’t think about until it has become extremely hazardous. Fortunately, I had them checked out by the friendly service guys here and they’re perfectly fine. Nonetheless, fog is one of the most dangerous conditions you’ll ever drive in so it’s best for us all to be prepared.

Replacing your headlights can be very expensive and cost a couple hundred dollars for each light, so before you buy new ones try some affordable cleaning kits first.

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There are some important things you need to understand before jumping in.

Most headlights our made out plastic and leave the factory with a strong protective coat. However, this protective material deteriorates from exposure to UV rays so if you parked your car in the sun then it’s deteriorating as you read this. Scratches and plastic oxidation can also cause cloudy headlights and discoloration.

Each headlight cleaning kit has its own way of cleaning. Some are just cleaning solutions while others require resurfacing the plastic and some last longer than others. You can purchase headlight-cleaning kits online, at auto shops, or at dealerships for an affordable price. No matter what cleaning kit you’re using, they should all attempt to remove the deteriorated surface, polish and resurface it with a new protective coat.

Here at Joe Van Horn Chevrolet, we use 3M’s Headlight Lens Restoration system and, get this, you can buy it online for under $30. The video below is from 3M’s website and it takes you through a typical headlight restoration process using the kit.

Of course, you don’t have to use this one nor do you have to do it yourself but just know that there are many alternatives out there.




With this blog post in mind, please check your headlights tonight and drive safe!