We can’t see if you can’t. Let’s put those headlights back in the fight.
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So you want to clean your car's headlights? Well, you’ve come to the right place as your headlight lenses may have gone yellowy over time, become fogged or filthy, or might have found new purpose as a terrarium for indigenous worms and insects. They're such an eyesore, and boy do they affect a car's overall look.
Luckily, The Drive’s top-notch How-To department is here to help get those lagging lights luminous once again. Driving with crappy headlight lenses isn’t just unsafe for you, tootling along in the inky blackness of night. It's also quite unsafe for others on the road. Restoring your headlights to fresh-from-the-factory clear is also one of the easiest ways to make your aging ride look like new.
The bottom line is your lenses need a good polishing, and here's how to do it.
Working on your car can be messy, especially when you’re cleaning surfaces you’ve never bothered to clean before—hello, bug-splattered headlight lenses—so here’s exactly what you’ll need to ensure you don’t die, get maimed, or lose a finger and that you keep your jeans, shirt, and skin spotless—hopefully.
We’re not psychic, nor are we snooping through your toolbox or garage, so here’s exactly what you’ll need to get the job done.
Let’s do this!
The Drive asked RJ de Vera, Global Customer Engagement Leader at Meguiar's, for tips on the best methods and products to use while cleaning your car's headlights.
We always make sure to include a video here so you can get a better feel for the steps we've discussed. In this situation, we also see this as a great way to give you a look at one of the more popular systems on the market. This way, you can see the product in action while preparing to take it on yourself. The clip below is from RainX and highlights its Premium Headlight Restoration kit. Even if that's not the product you'll use, it's still a solid source of information regarding the process.
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