Car Headlights Cleaning Tips | Best Methods

NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
24,305
1,323
435
Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
Some of you here have cars, some are even car dealers.
I'm sure you have all type of good easy inexpensive tips to make our cars shining brand new. And not just the headlights but everything else.

I got many questions, but one @ a time.

https://youtu.be/UzI2e_b9BUQ

https://youtu.be/0RprGfldXm4

Now this method below should last longer.

https://youtu.be/UEJbKLZ7RmM

Ok, if you have better tips I'm all eyes and ears.
 

BlueFox

Member Sponsor
Nov 8, 2013
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How do headlight covers get like that in the first place. My 2005 Mazda 3 still has clear covers.
 

NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
24,305
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435
Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
The answer is easy; plastic.
Plastic doesn't last; it gets cloudy, yellowish, opaque, scratches, ...from the sun, the cold, 24/24 of being outside.

The glass headlights of our old cars were durable and didn't discolored and get foggy.

Some of those plastic headlights are super expensive, it's good for the car manufacturers.
Glass headlights were much cheaper and much better.

You probably have a garage for your Mazda. That would explain. Or perhaps you applied new coatings every five years?

https://youtu.be/z2ZRKPshPVM
https://youtu.be/E9NP0_nF2ak
 
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treitz3

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dec 25, 2011
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The tube lair in beautiful Rock Hill, SC
After having tried 3 or 4 different kits and countless wasted hours on polishing the lights on my truck, I finally gave up. Went to Amazon and got all new lights for the truck. Cost was $225. Now the truck looks new again and install took about an hour for all of them. Not to mention, most of the lights came with bulbs, so now I have about 14 spare bulbs and some spare wiring/connectors.

I'll just replace them again instead of wasting my time and money from now on.

Tom
 

NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
24,305
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435
Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
Just the front headlights for my car are $400/pair.
And that is inexpensive.

Car owners here can check the cost of replacing their front headlights and I wouldn't be surprised to see some for $600 to $700/pair.

WD-40, baking soda, toothpaste, bug dope, paper towels, rags, sandpaper, window cleaner, etc., it's all free because we all have that already @ home.
And if we need an electric sander we can get one for $40, or less for a used one.
The cost of cleaning our headlights ourselves is between zero cents and few dollars.

Mike Lavigne, what is your take? ...As a conscientious cost-saver customer yourself, and with your vast experience in the automobile industry. ...Honda car dealership.

Mike from Ferrari car dealership, what is your take from your experience?

Everyone here has a car, two, three, and a truck, ...what are your experiences, what is the best solution to get your headlights unfogged? ...Efficient and inexpensive, without the high cost of full replacement for many cars. I know the replacement cost of Accord, Acura, Honda, Ferrari, Lamborghini, AMC, Mercedes, Bugatti, Toyota, GMC, Ford, Rolls Royce, ...headlight cars on average, and in most cases it is not inexpensive.
_____

QUESTION NUMBER TWO:

• What are your takes on the orange engine light always on? ...From the front panel dashboard.
_____

QUESTION NUMBER THREE:

• Between regular and premium gas; what is best...the car manufacturer's recommandation, requirement from the car manual, from the dealer, from car experts, consumer report, ...what is the best and smartest advice for people who love saving money? Is it ok to put regular when premium is the recommendation?
 

NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
24,305
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435
Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
https://youtu.be/c-tPxghYREU
https://youtu.be/wCP6XQc65xo

° https://www.flitz.com/headlight-plastic-restoration-kit/
° https://www.amazon.com/Flitz-HR-31501-Headlight-Restoration/dp/B002FYJWPI
___

What I like to know is how long it's going to last till your headlights get yellow cloudy again.

From researching you want to remove everything first from your headlights, and finish the job with a sealant to protect from the natural elements like the sun's ultraviolet rays.

* One single headlight's replacement cost for a regular car is $250.
Oil and vinegar, or Windex and baking soda, or toothpaste and sand paper, or WD-40 and paper towel, ...a sealant spray; between $5 and $20.

I started this thread because I want to know what's the best method, a lasting one without repeating it every month, and inexpensive of course. I simply don't have enough first-hand experience myself.

Having a car garage sure helps, so the plastic headlights are not always exposed to the heat of the sun and the UV light during the summer months and the cold and snow and ice from the winter months.
If your brand new 2019 car remains mostly outside year round, I'd say that after roughly five years (2023/2024) your headlights won't look bright and clean anymore. What do you say?
 
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treitz3

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dec 25, 2011
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The tube lair in beautiful Rock Hill, SC
No polish will get rid of internal cracking, pits or yellowing. If the plastic is dull, that can be restored.

Tom
 

NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
24,305
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435
Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
I never had that problem with glass headlights.
The only occasional issue with glass headlights is when a rock hit it hard enough to crack it and the rain entered by that crack. In twenty five years it happened to me once, or maybe twice. And the rare time when a lightbulb's replacement was required.

That's all, no serious expenses and no time wasted in restoring glass headlights, ever.

With plastic headlights it's a totally different ball game. Sure, it doesn't rust, like my prescription glasses made of plastic, but neither glass.
 

Mosin

[Industry Expert]
Mar 11, 2012
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930
Check to see if 1-A Auto has your lights. If so, they will be a fraction of what the dealership charges.

I have tried various methods, including completely sanding off the yellow. It quickly returned. The only decent fix is to replace them. There is no free ride here. That much I know for certain.

By the way, the cost for a pair for one of my cars was only $100. The other was $260. They even have replacements for our new car at decent prices, too.

Edit: The pair I bought for $100 was quoted to me by a dealer for $1,000, which included installation. Installation took all of twenty minutes.
 
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Folsom

VIP/Donor
Oct 25, 2015
6,024
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520
Eastern WA
These are more like tricks to make an easier sale of a used car. Luckily headlights for me are only $150. But current ones look ok for now.

I never realized that some where glass, and that set the shape for some when others used plastic. I think a glass front, plastic rear, and replacable modern bulb would be fairly ideal.
 

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