How to Restore Headlights

Refresh Your Headlights at Home

You may not notice it at first, because it happens so gradually, but after so much time on the road, getting scratched, scuffed, rained on, heated, cooled your headlights become clouded and sometimes even yellowed. If this gets bad enough, it can lower your visibility at night when you are relying on bright headlights. In West Jordan, Utah, nighttime visibility is important for your own safety and the safety of the community. Instead of spending $100+ on replacing your headlights altogether, our technicians have put together four easy steps so you can polish them at home for a quarter of the price. All you will need are a flannel polishing cloth and polishing compound, latex gloves, masking tape, and wet and dry sandpaper (we recommend 1000 to 2500 grit).

Step 1: Horizontal To begin, you will want to wash the headlights with warm soapy water. Rinse and dry thoroughly and apply masking tape to the edges of the metal to protect it from accidentally being scuffed by the sandpaper. Sand the headlight with the lower grit paper first, only moving horizontally. Move up gradually to higher grit paper.

Step 2: Vertical Without soap, rinse and dry the headlight. Begin the process of sanding vertically, gradually increasing the grit of the paper you are using. By now, your headlight should begin looking clearer and less yellow.

Step 3: Circular Polish Next, use your flannel cloth and polishing compound and begin to buff in slow, firm circles over the entire surface of the headlight. Do not rinse the polishing compound.

Step 4: Buff Once the polishing compound has dried, use a clean flannel and buff the residue away. If you still see areas that are cloudy or yellow, you can repeat the process as needed.

Whether you are hoping to improve your visibility at night or you are just concerned about a few scratches, polishing your headlights at home is an easy and cost-effective way to update your vehicle in no time!