How to Polish a Tarnished Car Headlight
Headlights are essential for driving comfort and safety. However, over time, headlight lenses can become dulled due to the sun's UV rays. This can cause the light to lose its sharpness and power, reducing visibility and safety. That's why it's essential to polish the headlight from time to time. But how do you do it? Can you do it yourself?
What is a headlight lens?
The headlight lens refers to the transparent polycarbonate surface placed over the headlight to protect the bulb and lighting network. It allows the light to be spread out efficiently and gives it a specific color. The headlight lens also plays an aesthetic role. It needs to be cleaned from time to time, and polishing it is essential for maintaining its transparency and effectiveness.
Why is it Essential to Polish Headlights?
The polycarbonate used to manufacture headlight lenses is tougher than glass, but it tends to lose its transparency over time due to tarnishing, fading, or scratching. This can diffract the light beam, reducing the headlight's range and visibility. A car with faded, yellowed, or scratched headlights may not pass its MOT and can be a safety issue when driving on poorly lit roads. Polishing the headlights can restore their effectiveness and range.
How to Polish a Car Headlight?
To effectively polish a car headlight, you need to take the condition of the headlight into account. If the surface is only tarnished or faded, a simple polishing with a soft cloth soaked in soapy water or washing-up liquid, followed by rubbing with a whitening toothpaste or a coat of polish, can be sufficient. If the headlight is very opaque or scratched, polishing with fine sandpaper (grain size: 600-800 mm) or an abrasive cloth using a drill with a rotary pad, followed by polishing, can be effective. Before polishing, remember to protect the painted parts of the bodywork with masking tape. However, it's best to contact a professional to give your headlights back their full power.
Can You Trust Sekurit Partner to Polish Your Headlights?
Sekurit Partner is a specialist in your vision and visibility on the road. We offer headlight polishing among our range of services. Our fitters have been trained to restore the original transparency and efficiency of headlight lenses using special products and increasingly fine or soft sandpaper. We varnish the surface to protect the plastic from the harmful effects of UV rays. This procedure requires technical skill, and the result is outstanding. However, if the lens is too damaged to be polished or broken, we can replace it, ensuring your safety on the road.