Car headlight lenses are usually made of strong polycarbonate plastic which is ideal for taking on harsh road conditions without breaking. However, these lenses find difficulty in surviving the sun. Even though the lenses are coated with UV protective film at the time of manufacturing, the coating gets damaged by UV rays over time. This makes the plastic get oxidized.
If your headlights have started hazing or become yellowish, then it’s a clear sign that the oxidation process has begun. However, there's no need to break into a sweat yet. You can get those headlights looking as good as new again by following these steps:
1. Buy the Essentials
Start by making sure you that have all the materials that you’ll need. You can go for a complete headlight restoration kit, which will include all the necessary parts. If you already have some of the parts, you can buy the others separately. Basically, you will need a few different grits of sandpaper, polishing compound, paste wax, painter’s tape, a couple of microfiber towels and a UV sealant.
2. Clean the Headlights
Begin the actual process by washing the headlight lenses thoroughly with car soap and water. While you're at it, wash a bit of the surrounding areas too so that the painter's tape sticks well in the next step. You can buy quality car headlight cleaning and restoration wipes designed specifically for your vehicle from the very professional Car Fit Experts.
3. Tape off the Headlights
As you’ll be sanding your headlights, it’s important to make sure that you sand only the lenses and not the surrounding paint or trim. For this, use the painter’s tape (and not a duct tape, mind you!) to block off the headlight completely and protect the rest of the car. Doing this will keep the rest of your car protected, even if your hand slips while sanding.
4. Sand Away
This is the most crucial step in the process of restoring headlights. If you get this step right, you will get to see pretty impressive results. Go for the most abrasive sandpaper option; we suggest you begin with 1000 grit. Wet the sandpaper and the headlight. Then sand the lens in straight and horizontal strokes. Make sure that you keep the surface wet at all times as you sand. Otherwise you will end up scratching the lens due to build-up of grit particles.
Repeat this process with the less abrasive sandpapers like the 2000 and then the 3000 grit. Change the direction of your sanding motion to diagonal in this round and opposite diagonal motion in the next. Do not forget to keep the paper and lens wet with water. You can use s hose or spray bottle for that.
5. Polish and Wax
Wipe dry your headlights and polish them with the help of polishing compound and a clean microfiber towel. Rub in the polish in circular motions for a few minutes. After that, you can take the wax to it. This will clean the headlights with a thorough finish and prepare it well for the final step.
6. Apply UV Sealant
As you have removed the old oxidised sealant completely in the process of sanding, it is time to apply a fresh UV sealant to your headlights. For this, you'll need to wet a paper towel and apply the sealant in sweeping broad strokes. Make sure that there is full coverage and you follow the instructions of the kit very well. Let the sealant cure after application by parking the car in a dry space.
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