Headlight lens restoration improves safety after dark

The arrival of fall and winter means many parents find themselves shuttling children or returning from work in the dark. Those headlight beams that seemed so bright last summer now cast a muted cone of light.

Weathered headlights tend to turn cloudy and dull. Hazy lenses reduce beam distance and brightness, making night driving more precarious.How do you make them as clear as the day the car rolled off the assembly line?

“The most important thing for renewal products to do is get rid of the yellowed or hazed material,” said Mike Conway, marketing manager for 3M, makers of the 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System.

Buying new headlight lenses is not only expensive but may not be necessary.

“We’ve never had a headlight we couldn’t restore,” Conway said.

Headlights get that yellowish, cloudy look from ultraviolet light slowly breaking down the plastic lenses and housings over time, according to Conway.

That material is only a very thin layer on the thick headlight lenses and can be removed with the numerous abrasive products designed for that purpose.

Some products are a liquid-based polishing compound, Conway said. Others combine abrasive pads to be used in a drill with the finer polishing liquid for finishing work.

“The final protection layer provided in some kits does not protect headlights from ultraviolet light,” Conway said. “But it does protect against damage from flying rocks and other debris kicked up by cars. Using a standard polishing compound never brings the same clarity as a product specifically designed for headlight lenses.

The steps to using one of the products with abrasive pads are easy and can be done in less than an hour, according to Conway. He recommended the following steps:

• Wash the headlight to remove any dirt and grime.
• Place masking tape over nearby surfaces to protect them as you polish headlights.
• Follow kit instructions for using sanding pads in a drill to sand the dulled layer off the headlight lens. Different products have different processes.
• Use the liquid-based polishing compound to bring the headlights back to a factory shine. This important step will give your headlights a “like-new” appearance.
• Apply the protection compound included in some kits. This helps protect the treated headlight against environmental contaminants.

“Protecting your headlights from further damage is not easy,” Conway said. “Ultraviolet light will always work against the polycarbonate headlight materials, but using a car cover will protect the headlights, interior and paint.”