Are your headlights turning yellow and starting to look a little dull? Although they might look like they need replacement, you can actually restore them in a few easy steps. Then, they will look like new once again.
How do you permanently restore your headlights?
As usual, ChrisFix has the answer to this question.
He says to:
- Tape off your headlights to protect your paint
- Wet sand the oxidization to restore the finish
- Reapply the clearcoat and automotive wax
Is it a bit more involved than that? Of course, but you don’t have to go at it alone. You can follow along with Chris Magello to get your headlights shining bright without spending a ton of time or money.
Steps to Fixing Your Hazy Headlights Permanently
Chris explains that your headlights start to look yellow as UV rays wear off the clearcoat. Once that happens, the clearcoat oxidizes and creates a dingy finish. Thankfully, you can easily clean it all off permanently by following these steps.
1. Get Your Supplies Together
Skip the premade kits and go with your own collection of supplies. Otherwise, the results will only be temporary. Here’s what you need for a permanent fix:
- Blue painter’s tape
- Trash bag
- Paper towels
- Scissors
- 400-, 600-, and 2,000-grit sandpaper
- 70% rubbing alcohol
- Spray bottle filled with water
- UV-resistant gloss clearcoat for plastic
- Automotive wax
- Buffing towel
2. Tape off Your Headlights
Apply the painter’s tape on the painted surfaces around the edges of the headlights. Don’t put any tape on the headlights themselves, or you’ll miss out on cleaning up those spots.
3. Gently Wet Sand the Surface
Look at the haziness on your headlights. If it’s super bad, use 400-grit sandpaper. Otherwise, start with the 600 grit. Spray the headlight all over with water, and then spray your sandpaper as well.
Gently rub the sandpaper on the surface of the headlight using a circular motion. Keep spraying water on the surface to keep it nice and wet.
Once you’ve gone over the entire headlight with the 400- or 600-grit sandpaper, do a final pass using a horizontal motion. If you started with the 400 grit, repeat this step with the 600 grit as well.
Before moving on to the 2,000-grit sandpaper, spray water all over the headlight and dry it with a paper towel to remove the plastic particles. If you skip this step, those plastic pieces could scratch your headlight and ruin its finish.
After that, get the headlight surface and sandpaper wet. Rub the headlight with the 2,000 grit in a circular motion, then using horizontal strokes like before.
4. Clean the Surface with Rubbing Alcohol
Dry the headlight with a paper towel, and you will see that it looks quite hazy still. Instead of looking yellow and dull, however, it will just look a bit milky. That’s what you’re after.
Pour rubbing alcohol on to a paper towel and wipe down the headlight surface, including around the edges. The alcohol will remove all the plastic fragments and oil from your fingerprints.
5. Spray Several Light Coats of Clearcoat
Cut open the trash bag and spread it out over your hood and bumper with your headlight at the center. Tape it in place and carefully cut out the area around the headlight with the scissors.
Then, tape around the edges to finish protecting your paint. Wipe down the headlight once again with alcohol before moving on.
Once the headlight is dry, you can apply the clearcoat. You’ll want to apply several thin coats across the entire surface of the headlight. If you apply the coats too thick, the clearcoat will run, so take it easy. Wait about 5 minutes between coats to let each one dry.
6. Remove all Tape and Let it Dry
Let the clearcoat dry for about an hour. Remove the trash bag, but leave the tape on the paint for now.
Look at the clearcoat’s finish to see if you’re satisfied. If not, wet sand with 3,000-grit sandpaper.
Then, apply automotive wax and buff it out until it shines. Take off the tape around the edge of the headlight and step back to admire your hard work.
Repeat for Both Headlights to See Clearly Once Again
Once you’ve finished shining up one headlight, turn your attention to the other. You’ll love how beautiful they both look once they’re complete.
If you’re not satisfied with the results, no worries. You can take your car into the shop to have the headlights replaced. Grab a Vehicle History report before you go to give your mechanic a look into your car’s past.
