Cleaning Cloudy Headlights

While it’s easy to take them for granted, the headlights on your vehicle are perhaps the most important piece of safety equipment you have on board. Once the sun starts to go down, or before it comes up in the morning, your headlights are the only thing you have to see the way ahead safely.

Of course, you’d never consider heading out for a nighttime drive without functional headlights. But what about when your headlights get cloudy and don’t work as well as they should? This can be a dangerous situation, as visibility can be reduced dramatically, and you might not be able to see things that would have otherwise been easy to spot. So, let’s take a moment to talk about what cloudy headlights are and what you can do to correct this issue.

Why Headlights Get Cloudy

Before we dive into the details of how you can clean up your cloudy headlights, it will be helpful to look at some of the causes of this issue. It’s important to know the cause of cloudy headlights because picking out an accurate cause will allow you to apply the proper cleaning technique. If you don’t match up the right cleaning option with the correct cause of the problem, you aren’t going to get good results.

Generally speaking, there are three reasons why your headlights may become cloudy over time. Those reasons are as follows –
• Damage over time. As you drive down the road, things are sure to be flying by and will occasionally hit your headlights. These aren’t (hopefully) going to be major impacts – it will be little stuff like dirt and other small debris that will gradually wear on the front of the headlight. As your vehicle ages and these small little damages accumulate, you might find that your headlights become less and less effective.
• UV damage. The sun’s powerful rays can do a lot of damage, and your headlights are not exempt from that issue. As you drive in the sun, and perhaps park your vehicle in a spot where the sun can beat down on it day after day, the headlights are going to oxidize. That means the plastic will start to take on a yellow tint, and again, the light won’t be able to pass through as easily as it did when the vehicle was new.
• Condensation. When your headlights are in good condition, the seals that surround the headlight casing will keep water out. Over time, however, those seals will degrade somewhat and small amounts of water could get in. As a result, condensation can start to be an issue inside the headlight, and the water on the plastic will obscure some of the light that should shine out onto the road.

Inside or Out?

As you can see from the discussion above, the issue of cloudy headlights can be a problem both inside and outside of the headlight assembly. The first two types of damage we covered – damage from driving around and UV degradation – are problems that will impact the outside of the plastic headlight cover. On the other hand, condensation is an issue that will be seen on the inside, and is therefore trickier to handle.

Below, we are going to offer some tips on how you can improve the condition of your headlights on the outside. So, if you are dealing with that kind of cloudiness, we hope those tips will help. However, if the issue is condensation on the inside, we recommend getting professional help. Correcting this matter means having the headlight taken apart so the seals can be repaired or replaced and any other problems can be addressed.

Improving Cloudy Headlights

To work on improving the condition of the outside of your headlights, follow the steps below –
• First, identify the areas that need to be cleaned. Is there damage on both of the headlights, or just one? Is the entire plastic cover damaged, or are there small spots that need to be addressed? Take a close look and note all spots that need to be treated.
• Next, get either some toothpaste or baking soda to use as a cleaning agent. Both of these options will offer just enough abrasion to help clear up the surface without doing further damage. If you are going to use baking soda, make it into a paste by mixing it up in a bowl or cup with a small amount of water.
• Apply your chosen product to the front of the headlight and use a sponge to rub it into the plastic firmly. This is a polishing action, so move in circles and apply enough pressure to make progress on the condition of the plastic. When finished, wash off the headlights and see how you have done. You might need to repeat this process periodically to maintain the lights moving forward.

A Note About Prevention

There isn’t much of anything you can do about dirt and debris striking your headlights while driving down the road – that’s just part of the reality of driving. However, you can help protect the condition of your headlights by parking in a covered spot as often as possible. This will keep the plastic out of the sun and prevent the UV rays from creating that dreaded yellowing effect. This doesn’t even have to mean parking in an enclosed garage – just adding a carport to your property as a covered parking spot would go a long way. Not only would this help you keep your headlights in good shape, but it would also help protect your paint and the rest of the vehicle.

If you need professional help with the condition of your headlights or anything else on your vehicle, be sure to check in with Taylor & Sons Chevrolet for assistance. With an excellent service department in an addition to our selection of new and used vehicles, we are here to serve you. Thank you for considering Taylor & Sons!

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