Out of sight, out of mind.
You don’t always think about the condition of your vehicle’s headlights, that is, until they’re so dim you can barely see one night!
Most people remember they need to change their oil and rotate their tires because that’s something which is repeated to car owners over and over again. And if you don’t replace it, you can cause damage to multiple components of your vehicle. But do you ever hear about maintaining your headlights?
Not as much and people don’t even think about it. How often do you inspect the headlights on your car?
How often do you even think about them?
Probably only when you need to turn them on, right?
While you, or a qualified professional, should routinely perform headlight restoration, you can also maintain your headlights by cleaning them regularly.
Your headlights are composed of polycarbonate plastic, making them scratch resistant, however they also cloud with wear and time. UV rays actually weaken the outer layer of the plastic over time, debris from the road can also cause your headlights to cloud.
If you notice your lights seem dimmer at night, they may need a good cleaning to brighten up!
To wipe away the grime from the road that sticks to the headlights, use a glass cleaner with a clean microfiber cloth. Or use a sponge and warm soapy water. Specialized cleaners are also available at Auto Parts Stores.
If your headlights are beyond just needing a good cleaning, Taylor Auto Glass is here to help, but first a word of caution if you attempt to restore your headlights yourself.
We have heard frequent horror stories of individuals attempting to sand their headlights themselves to get rid of grime and the cloudy buildup. But there are nuances to this process that many don’t realize:
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Sanding without proper protection of the area surrounding the headlight can cause damage to the body of the vehicle
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Sanding without the proper tools can destroy the face of the headlight
Removing a headlight to sand means it has to be realigned at reattachment, which is not easy to do.
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After sanding, a new layer of UV sealant must be applied or you headlights will quickly be more damaged than when you started the process.
If the good scrubbing with glass cleaner, soap or specialty cleaners hasn’t cleared the haze, give us a call at (336) 851-1380.
We’ll have you seeing clearly again in no time!
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