It’s night and you’re driving down a dark road. You check to see if your headlights are on, and they are. In fact, your high beams (brights) are on too. So how come it still seems so dark ahead?

It may be that your headlights have become hazy, cloudy or yellowed. They may also have moisture trapped in between the light and the cover. So why do they become so dull and cloudy? Plastic!

Headlights today are made of hard plastics and are covered with a protective film. Long exposure to sun and other elements, heat from the lights and using the wrong cleaning products can break down the protective film leaving your headlights looking dull.

So why is this bad?

Well besides looking bad, there is also a very real safety issue. (Remember driving down the dark road as we mentioned above?) Your chances of running into something are greatly increased. 

 What can you do?

There are ways to prevent headlight problems, but you have to be cautious.

1. Be careful about polishing the headlights because it can wear down that clear coat. There should be no grit at all in the polish and the soft polish medium can remove early signs of yellowing.
2. Park your car in a garage or make sure the headlights face away from the sun. to prevent ultraviolet light damage.
3. Wash the lights (and the rest of the car) with an automotive soap every quarter. Washing can prevent the buildup of dirt and other things that promote the yellowing.
4. If all that fails, it may be time to have professionals step in.

At Ron’s Complete Auto Body, we can polish them up and make them look good as new!