Updated at: 27-07-2023 - By: Lucas

When your car’s headlights become foggy and hazy over time, it reduces vision and raises the risk of an accident.

It’s a great way to save money, keep your car looking great, and ensure your safety and the safety of others on the road no matter what the weather conditions are, to learn how to fix your car’s headlights yourself.

Cleaning headlights with WD50, toothpaste, and baking soda, as well as the most prevalent causes of fogging in headlights and our best advice for avoiding damage to your car’s headlights, will all be covered in this article.

Why Do Headlights Get Foggy?

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As a car enthusiast, you’re likely to take great care in maintaining the cleanliness and condition of your vehicle at all times. ” If you don’t regularly clean and detail your car’s headlights, they will eventually get foggy or yellow, posing serious safety risks and even a possible citation in many jurisdictions.

Is there a reason why headlights become cloudy over time?

Let’s take a look at some of the most prevalent causes of discolored headlights before moving on to some of the best techniques to keep them looking like new.

Road Damage

This is one of the most common causes of yellowed headlights, which are caused by the everyday bombardment of flying debris, gravel, stones, and road salt on your headlight covers.

As the polycarbonate’s topcoat is worn away, the material weakens, causing scratches and damage that eventually result in the foggy appearance of your headlights.

Dirt Build Up

A coating of chemicals and debris can quickly build up on the headlight glass of a vehicle that has recently been cleaned, even if the vehicle has just been serviced. The plastic headlight cover on most modern headlights is protected from fading by a clear coating.

Unfortunately, the material will decay over time, resulting in the yellow/white coloration that we see today. If you’re surprised to learn this, it’s because your auto cleaning supplies contain chemicals that might cause it to decay.

Sun Exposure

The main cause of oxidation on your headlights is sunshine, which is frequently the culprit. As little as a few years of exposure to the sun might cause your headlight covers to turn yellow.

If you park in the shadow and avoid direct sunshine, it’s more often an unavoidable procedure that occurs to most headlights nowadays.

Water Condensation

Condensation is forming between layers of your headlights, which can be alarming if you examine closer and can’t reach and brush it away.

Despite the fact that your headlights have a watertight seal to prevent this, the daily wear and tear of driving can affect their performance. To put it another way, this is what causes light from the bulb to decline, which can pose major visibility and safety difficulties while driving, especially at night or in dark tunnels.

Oxidation

There are numerous common surfaces, such as iron and plastic, where oxidation occurs. After your headlight’s protective covering is worn off, sunlight and oxygen cause the product to oxidize and turn yellow.

How To Know If Your Headlights Have Deteriorated

How To Clean Headlights With Wd40.

If you discover that your headlights aren’t working as well as they used to, there are a few possible causes.

If you don’t bring your car in for routine maintenance, you may not notice anything wrong with your headlights. When it comes to fixing those annoying lights, some people may have to dig a little further into their pockets.

Your once-bright and clear headlights may have lost their luster if you frequently drive in low light circumstances. Because of the cloudiness or yellowing of the plastic, the light passing through the cover has been reduced.

Checking your headlights for damage or color changes on a regular basis is the best way to keep them performing at their peak. If they have a yellow or foggy coating when you look at them, they aren’t doing their job and delivering appropriate illumination.

How To Clean Your Headlights

There is no way to avoid the inevitable yellowing and clouding of your headlights even if you include them in your regular cleaning plan.

Polycarbonate in headlights is not cleaned the same manner as other parts of your vehicle, therefore you’ll need to use a different product. In order to keep your headlight covers clean and safe, we’ve compiled this helpful list of items that the majority of people have in their homes.

Restoring Headlights With WD40

Begin by rinsing your headlights with water to eliminate any dirt and debris that may be lurking there. This may seem like a superfluous precaution, but it will keep your headlights from being scratched more by grit and debris. Using a pressure washer to clear any lingering grime from your headlights is highly recommended.

Drying your headlight is the next step. Use a towel, paper towel, or microfiber cloth to remove any water that may have gotten on your lights. To guarantee that any moisture present is absorbed by the cloth, we suggest using a microfiber cloth.

If your WD40 has been opened in the last five years, you won’t get the same effects from it as you would with a brand new can.

To apply WD40 to your headlights, either spray it directly on them and let it sit for 60 seconds or spray it onto a clean cloth and rub it into your headlights from the inside-out.

After that, clean your headlights with a soft cloth to remove any remaining residue or extra products, and your car’s headlights should look like new!

This method can be repeated as many times as necessary until your headlights shine brighter. It’s important that you do this with both headlights.

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Using Toothpaste To Clean Headlights

To clean your car’s headlights, you can use any type of toothpaste, but whitening toothpaste with abrasive particles works best.

How To Use Baking Soda Paste On Your Headlights

Baking soda is a popular household cleaning product since it is both safe and natural. It can be used to deodorize carpets and rugs as well as clean drains.

Your headlights may be cleaned with either vinegar or baking soda and water, but vinegar produces a foam that reacts to clean your headlights.

How To Prevent Damaged Headlights

How To Clean Headlights With Wd40

Preventing fading and damage to the headlights begins with figuring out what’s going on.

You can usually fix this problem by spraying a clear topcoat on your headlights after they’ve been cleaned and reapplying it every three months or more if you drive a lot. Chemicals and other particles on the ground can oxidize and ruin this coating.

Consider switching to a different type of cleaner for your car if this doesn’t work. Many of these treatments contain chemicals that can strip and destroy the protective layers of your vehicle’s headlight covers, resulting in faster deterioration and an increased risk of dangerous driving conditions.

FAQs

Does WD40 Remove Oxidation from Headlights?

To keep your headlights clear, you’ll need to wipe them on a regular basis with WD-40 after the film wears off. As a result, while it cures the underlying issue, this does not prevent it from recurring again.

Does Toothpaste on Headlights Really Work?

To remove stains and yellowing from your headlights, use toothpaste in the same manner you use toothpaste to clean your teeth. It is the mild abrasive in toothpaste that acts to buff up your car’s headlights so that you can see better in the dark.

Conclusion

In low light, even with routine cleaning and maintenance, your car’s headlights might become foggy and yellowed, making it difficult to see anything. In addition to cleaning your headlights with WD40, Toothpaste and Baking Soda, we hope that our helpful advice will help you prevent future damage to the polycarbonate on your headlight covers, making your vehicle appear more attractive.