As the use time of the car increases, the car headlights may turn yellow and decrease in brightness. When driving in foggy days and at night, it is very easy to be dangerous. If you want to renovate your car headlights, you don’t need to go to a repair shop. You can do it yourself at home. It can be done.
Reasons for brightness drop
Of course, the decrease in headlight brightness may be caused by the bulb reaching the end of its life or the lampshade being discolored and scratched. This article only focuses on the latter.
Here is a brief introduction to several common light bulb types and lifespans:
- Halogen: Most common, cheap but low brightness, lifespan 500-1,000 hours
- Xenon (xiān) gas: has higher lifespan and brightness than halogen, but has a complex structure and has a lifespan of 10,000 hours.
- LED: power saving, long life, high brightness, but expensive, lifespan 30,000 hours
Why does the lampshade turn yellow and cloudy?
- Oxidation: There is usually a coating on the surface of the lampshade, which can help the lampshade itself to be damaged. However, as time goes by, the coating wears, and due to ultraviolet radiation, the lampshade will gradually be oxidized to yellow.
- Scratches and wear: It is inevitable that there will be various scratches during the use of the car, and the scratches will gradually make the lampshade cloudy.
How to renovate
If you want to renovate your headlights, this article will introduce three options: through daily necessities, headlight repair kits, or directly to professionals.
Use common items in daily life
- soap/baking soda
Soap contains alkaline substances, which can react with oxidized substances on the surface of the lampshade to reduce the yellowing problem. Of course, baking soda can also be used.
Apply soapy water to the lampshade, let it sit for a while and then rinse with water.
- toothpaste
There are fine abrasive ingredients inside the ointment, which can also remove the oxidation on the surface of the lampshade.
Apply toothpaste to the lampshade and buff with a cloth or sponge, using a little more force.
- WD40
WD40 is not a common daily necessities, so you need to buy it separately. WD40 is a brand of multi-purpose lubricating and anti-rust petroleum preparations. In fact, WD40 has a wide range of uses, including cleaning, lubrication, rust prevention, dehumidification, and conductivity needs in cars. You can use it to get things done, it's a magical tool.
Spray WD40 on the lampshade and wash it off after a few minutes. You also need to pay attention to safety when using it, because WD40 is corrosive to a certain extent.
Headlight repair kit
If the above methods are not very effective, you can consider buying a headlight repair kit online. The kit contains a complete set of items needed for the repair process, and the price is not expensive. A simple kit usually includes sandpaper, masking film, and repair fluid.
- First, drive the car to a cool place, and it is best to perform the operation on a sunny day. The reason will be explained later.
- Clean the dirt on the surface of the lampshade to prevent surface dust from affecting subsequent effects.
- Then use sandpaper to polish off the scratches and oxidized yellowing parts on the surface. Generally, several different specifications of sandpaper are provided. Use sandpaper in order from rough to fine. In this step, the lampshade will have a frosted effect. Don’t panic. You want it. That's the effect.
- Then stick the masking film along the edge of the lampshade, because the repair fluid will be sprayed next to prevent the repair fluid from spraying on the car body. If the kit contains cleaning tablets/agent at this time, you can clean it to remove surface oil stains.
- Next, spray the repair fluid evenly on the surface of the lampshade. You can spray it several times, such as 3 times, with an interval of 3-5 minutes each time. The lampshade will be visibly brighter every time. This step is the same as spraying water on frosted glass to make it clear.
- The last step is to drive the car under the sun, because ultraviolet rays will solidify the repair fluid, which is the reason for the first step.
Leave it to the professionals
If you're not confident in your skills, leave it to the professionals.
How to maintain headlights in daily life
After the renovation is completed, how should the headlights be maintained?
- Regular cleaning/car washing
Regular cleaning will prevent dirt and chemicals from accumulating on the lampshade, making it cloudy.
- Use repair fluid
Repair fluid can help remove scratches on the surface of the lampshade.
- Park in the shade
Reducing ultraviolet exposure will help slow down the oxidation and yellowing of the lampshade.
