Plastic headlights come in a variety of shapes, size and usage conditions. While some are crystal clear, others are slightly cloudy and hazed, and others are just neglected. Maybe during the day, it doesn’t matter, but at night when you turn on the lights, the illumination is greatly diminished. Why headlight fades and gets yellow?
There was a time when headlights were only made up of glass, but those days are long gone. As plastics and technology advanced material known as polycarbonate plastic was used as a replacement of glass because it’s lighter, cheaper to manufacture and resist breaking driving down the street. But of course, there is a catch, polycarbonate is a porous material. Think about it if you have a light bulb shining inside and UV rays shining from the outside, plastic gets beating on both sides. Understandably, the manufacturer’s UV coating deteriorates quickly.
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Here are the reasons that make your headlight looks terrible.
Oxidation:
When car’s headlights are exposed to UV radiations of the sun, they get oxidized. Though lights have coating films, it wears off eventually, and sunlight makes the plastic yellow.
Debris:
While having a ride on the road, few things get kicked up like gravel, small road debris, and other tiny items. It also wears down the transparent protection film and gives scratches and marks on headlights, thus making it cloudy and ugly.
Chemicals and Air Dirt:
A thin layer of chemicals and dirt in the air happens to appear after several miles on the road. This disturbing layer effect and dims the light beams coming on the lens.
Water vapor:
Headlights come with a watertight seal, and it breaks eventually. There forms condensation and you can’t swipe inside the headlight. The beam of light gets scattered with these water vapors making night time visibility difficult.
How to keep headlights from turning yellow?
Shaded car parking
Always try to park your car under the shade of a tree. If shade is not available to park the car in the opposite direction of the sun to make the oxidization process slow as it reduces the UV exposure.
Car washing
Wash the car weekly; it looks good and displays your personality. After every three months use automotive soap to remove the dirt and chemicals on headlights.
Headlight polishing
Use a microfiber cloth to avoid early signs of yellowing.
Treatments of Foggy and Yellow Headlights:
We have split the most common remedies into three distinct categories: Home remedies, DIY and lastly professionals. Some of them are good, and some of them last longer.
The most common home remedy cleaning with toothpaste is somehow effective, but it’s a very short term fix. Toothpaste contains peroxide and baking soda to clean or wash your teeth while brushing. But it’s not enough nor a proper kind of impressive thing to clean a heavily oxidized plastic.
The second category is the DIYs. These are kits typically found at your auto stores that contain foam and wool pads with drill attachments. It is a very useful and popular correction method. Add compound to your woolen pad and began to buff the lens with overlapping position and consistent speed and pressure. Next is foam pad and polish which will remove the fine scratches by the wool.
Now being professional on headlights cleaning. Because professional techniques are a bit more complicated. Professional headlight cleaning protects against yellowing shortly. It includes polishing, sanding, sealing and fixing the watertight seal.
After all the arrangements if still, your headlights are foggy and yellowish it’s time to meet us. We at cash for cars Melbourne have extensive knowledge of cars from car wrecking, car removal, maintenance of vehicles and car parts. You can have a deal with your car or can buy the parts. We offer long lasting better quality car parts at very competitive rates. Let’s make sure your nighttime driving safer. Schedule and contact us today for headlights or any car part.
