How to prevent your headlights from turning foggy and yellow

Headlights are one of the most integral parts of an automobile. The polycarbonate lens covered lights give a clear view of the road at night and also reduces the chance of an accident with the oncoming vehicles. Hence, it is very important to keep the headlights of your vehicle clean and clear.

Usage of polycarbonate crystals for headlights came in trend during the 1980’s since the glass covers were expensive, heavier, and easily breakable. Polycarbonate is basically hard to break plastic with good insulating effect, thus making it an excellent choice for headlight covers.

Even though polycarbonate has a lot of advantages over glass, it also comes with a major drawback too. It is vulnerable to UV rays and weather conditions.

With time if the plastic is not properly cleaned and maintained, it turns yellowish and blurry, which later starts blocking the light from the bulbs. However, you can hack your way out of these foggy and yellowish headlight troubles. All you need to do is follow these simple tricks mentioned below:

Why do your headlights turn yellow?

If your car has yellowish headlights at the moment, there are chances that you are using the wrong cleaning technique. Your regular car wash doesn't promise clean and clear headlamps because the foggy yellow light is a result of prolonged exposure to UV rays in addition to dirt and other polluting elements that we come across on the road every day.

A remedy for both short-term and long-term

There are two simple ways to make your headlamps look new and crystal-clear. It's not a complex process but simply cleaning those foggy headlamps with a little bit of toothpaste added with the regular car wax. The other way is through sanding and spraying.
Toothpaste not only cleans your teeth but also polycarbonate plastic
One faster way to get rid of those foggy yellow lights is by using a little toothpaste for cleaning those headlamps. Toothpaste has certain chemicals that help in oxidizing the headlamps. All you need is a toothpaste, sponge, a neat rag, masking tape, and regular car wax to make it look neat and shiny.

You need to apply some amount of toothpaste on one side of the sponge and gently rub it on the surface of the polycarbonate headlight covers. Move your hand in a circular pattern in order to get the best result. Once you are done, clean the covers with water and dry them off with a clean rag. Allow them to dry for some time. Later polish the lamps with car wax for crystal clear headlamps. Be aware that this process will be effective for 3 to 4 months.

What's the other option for a long-lasting shine?

Opt for Sanding
This option might sound a little odd and harsh for cleaning headlamps, but according to experts, this is the best way if you are looking for a long-term shine.

You will need a 400-600 and 2000 grit sandpapers, a bucket of water, a clear coat, rubbing alcohol, and a clean towel.

To start the process, spray your headlights with clean water and immerse the sandpaper in the bucket of water. Use the wet sandpaper to clean the headlamps slowly and continue until you cover the entire headlight. Repeat the process to ensure that you do not miss even a single spot. Make sure that you keep spraying adequate amount of water during the cleaning process.

Allow it to dry for some time. Now, rub the headlamps with alcohol using a clean paper towel. Make sure that it is properly cleaned before going for clear coating. The next thing you need to do is wrap the surrounding areas with a plastic bag or newspaper and fix it with painter’s tape. Spray the clear coating evenly to cover up the entire portion and ensure that you repeat this process a couple of times. Allow it to dry and keep it untouched for a day.

You should find a pair of crystal clear looking headlamps the next day!