headlight repair

A car’s headlights are crucial for your safety while cruising in inclement weather or at night. This is why you should always carry out safety inspections and perform headlight restoration where needed. An annual inspection is not enough; this should be done on a regular basis to ensure that all headlight functions are working properly.
Two spots of light on either side mean both lights are properly working. If they flick from high-beam to low-beam then check their setting. A car lighting system is fairly simple; however there are some things that will always go wrong. In most cases, the problem is usually the bulb itself, a switch or its fuses. Before spending money on car headlight restoration, it is crucial to first understand the cause of the problem.

Repairing “Yellowed” or “Fogged” Headlight Lenses

One very common issue with most modern headlight assemblies is that they become yellowed or fogged with time. This is as a result of “leaching out” which is caused by lubricants found in the polycarbonate plastic housing. This substance causes the plastic to dry. This process is also referred to as “oxidizing” and is similar to what occurs to paint on a vehicle which leaves a white powdery appearance.
When this happens, the headlights fail to properly shine light through lenses. This calls for a headlight restoration. Much light is lost or refracted off waywardly resulting in no visibility. If it gets worse, you may not make it past a safety inspection. To repair this, you need to remove the outer lens surface to make it clear again.
To make the headlights clear again, you will need to remove the outer surface of the lens so that the clear, unaffected region of the polycarbonate becomes visible. Some people have succeeded in performing car headlight restoration by using substances like peanut butter and toothpaste. Alternatively, the trick would be to use an abrasive object to gently the outer surface of the plastic.
Moreover, you can use 1500-grit sandpaper to clean off fogged areas of the plastic. Once done, replace it with 2500-grit sandpaper in order to smooth it out. Then polish it using a cloth and plastic polish. Also, you may use a rubbing compound that is not as abrasive as sandpaper.  This means it will you will perform more rubbing, but ultimately achieve the similar results.

Repairing Cracked Headlight Lenses

Low hanging branches or flying stones could cause cracks on headlights. Failing to carry out timely headlight restoration means the crack will widen. Consequently, water will percolate through the crack and land on the hot headlight bulb thereby causing it to break. There are both repair patches and liquid repair solutions that you can apply on a headlight lens, much as how windshields are restored. After car headlight restoration, the crack may still be visible. In spite of this, the repair completely seals the cracks preventing entry of moisture, further cracking and widening of the lens.

Conclusion

Car headlight restoration is a relatively simple solution for most headlight related issues, except for problems that result from breaks and a short in the car’s wiring system. Even a home mechanic novice can easily replace bulbs and their housings, and generally repair most headlight problems, saving oneself a rather expensive trip to a mechanic.
We are in business because of you! Contact us if you need our assistance. We shall gladly step on the way to help. ColorMate offers headlight restoration, rim repair and bumper repair in Miami-Dade, Broward and West Palm Beach County regions. Schedule an appointment today with a certified headlight restoration specialist.