Headlights play a key role in keeping you safe as you drive in the dark as well as on a rainy or foggy day. When your headlights, however, have seen better days, then they are not working to their full potential. This could be dangerous for you and the passengers in your vehicle while you are driving. Of course, you can fix the situation by restoring your headlights. Family Handyman offers an excellent tutorial on restoring your car’s headlights, so you can get back to driving with bright and clear headlights.
Restore Your Car’s Headlights
Restoring your car’s headlights is simply cleaning and polishing the headlights of your car. You will not be cleaning at surface level. This is a thorough project. If you are opting to restore your headlights at home, then you will need to make sure that you have the right materials and tools. Items you will need include:
- Latex gloves
- Plastic polish
- Flannel polishing cloth
- Masking tape
- Wet & dry sandpaper. Select sandpaper with 1000 to 2500 grit.
Step 1. Wash and Sand Horizontally
The first thing you will do to restore your headlights is to wash the headlight with warm soapy water. Next, be sure to rinse off the soapy water with clean and clear water. Allow the headlight to dry. You will then tape the area around the lens. This helps you not to scratch the car’s paint job. Then you will soak the sandpaper in water. Begin sanding in one direction horizontally. You will typically sand with a lesser grit, using the 1,000 or 1,500 grit sandpaper sheets.
Step 2. Rinse and Sand Vertically
After you have thoroughly sanded the lens horizontally, you need to rinse the lens again. You will then begin sanding vertically. You will use the next grit level of sandpaper. You will continue sanding the lens vertically until you have finished sanding with 2,500-grit paper.
Step 3. Buffing the Lens
After you have sanded the lens, the next step is to buff it with polish. You will need to begin by washing the headlight really well with clean, cool water. Allow it to dry. Next, wet a corner of the polishing cloth with the polish. Applying firm pressure, you will polish the headlight in a circular motion until it turns clear.
Step 4. Polish the Headlight Lens
After applying the polish onto the lens, you need to let the polish dry completely. You will then use the end of the flannel cloth that is still clean to buff off polish residue. You will then repeat step three. There may only be a few areas of the lens that look foggy. Spot polish only those areas with the polish compound. You then need to buff the area again. Check the lens to see if everything is clear. If everything is clear, then you are good to go!
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Let Limbaugh Toyota Restore Your Car’s Headlights
While you can follow this tutorial or any other YouTube video, some things are best left to the professionals. The service center at Limbaugh Toyota has a team of professionals capable of handling any of your auto service needs. Stop by Limbaugh’s Birmingham service center for excellent automotive maintenance and service.
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