[ashokabs]

Toothpaste is actually an abrasive and one could liken it to the very fine polish used to polish paintwork. It has been used for years to polish perspex to a fine polish for use in experiments in laboratories. It is sort of like Brasso without the chemicals in Brasso which help in removing corrosion in brass or copper based alloys. One doesn't need to use it regularly but once or twice a year should not do any damage to the headlights or the fog lights.

[prateekvidya]

Actually, one should only be using Colgate (regular) or any of the white regular toothpastes for these. It works well to clean the lens of cellphones, those small gaps on the steering wheel around steering mounted controls, and the space inside the fuel compartment (not the tank itsef, just the area around the fuel lid).

I have never tried with windshield, but it did work well with my headlamps. Although the scratches are still visible, the cleanliness looks much improved (or atleast seems so).

Any recommendations on how to manage windshield and body damage due to flying stones - I have like a 100 of those in my car, and they are looking way more prominent after I got a body coat done at 3M (which was originally with the intent of removing them but that didn't work out very well).

Thanks

[rohansachar]

Originally Posted by prateekvidya

Any recommendations on how to manage windshield and body damage due to flying stones - I have like a 100 of those in my car, and they are looking way more prominent after I got a body coat done at 3M (which was originally with the intent of removing them but that didn't work out very well).

For scratches, if the 3M coating didn't help, there's not much anything else will do either.

I've heard a lot of people try to those 'magic pens' which are 'supposed' to remove scratches, doesn't work.

[gkveda]

Looks very neat! I always thought that the Head light glass(or plastic) gets blurred internally since I have tried washing Headlight glass from outside several times but it had never regained its clarity.

I am keen to know whether this blur on Headlight glass/plastic is only external and NOT internal? Please clarify

[rohansachar]

Originally Posted by gkveda

I am keen to know whether this blur on Headlight glass/plastic is only external and NOT internal? Please clarify

The blur in my case was external, however, please note, just washing it didn't help. But the mentioned application did.

Go ahead & give it a try, not much effort & not much to loose.

[gkveda]

Originally Posted by rohansachar

The blur in my case was external, however, please note, just washing it didn't help. But the mentioned application did.

Go ahead & give it a try, not much effort & not much to loose.

Unfortunately, my car headlight had blur from internal. May be it is due to formation of water vapors inside. Hence, the above process of cleaning did not help much on removing internal vapors. However it cleared the other headlight where there was no internal vapor formation.

Is there any way to clean the internal water vapors? Can someone suggest a way out ?

[Unavowed_X9]

Originally Posted by gkveda

Unfortunately, my car headlight had blur from internal. May be it is due to formation of water vapors inside. Hence, the above process of cleaning did not help much on removing internal vapors. However it cleared the other headlight where there was no internal vapor formation.

Is there any way to clean the internal water vapors? Can someone suggest a way out ?

If u can open up the headlight, use a Ezee mixed water to rinse it followed by drying with a hair dryer. Gives you amazing results. Tried, and tested.

Secondly, the toothpaste act is a good solution. Alternatively, try using a hand sanitiser for those corners using an earbud. Works amazingly well to reach the crevices in the dash, AC vents, etc without giving out any odors! Tried and tested again.

[shankar.balan]

Toothpaste used to be one way of restoring those old hand mirrors in case they got a bit cloudy.
Hence I guess it is fine for headlamps too. Though I have no idea whether this will contribute to the light splitting and troubling on coming traffic.

Personally I would rather spend some money and change the headlamp glass covers or domes or indeed the entire sealed beams themselves!

[ashokabs]

Just though this would kind of add some more knowledge on the clouding of headlamp and fog lamp casings. Basically they have not been glass for many years but polycarbonate. Most plastics are susceptible to ultraviolet light. They tend to become cloudy. Also, they pick up scratches quite easily and get nicked by stuff thrown up on the road by other vehicles. To protect against UV the plastic covers are coated. The coating does not last forever. The polycarbonate can be polished with very fine polishing paste. One of the home remedies is to use toothpaste. One can do some light buffing to get a clear shine. However, once the polishing is done you need to coat the covers to protect from UV damage. I know in the US/Europe and elsewhere some kits are available which provide the materials required and the instructions. Many have been tested and are guaranteed to work.

[satish.gawai]

My 2011 Beat headlamps need restoration. They turned pale yellow.
I am facing low light issues at night especially when an oncoming vehicle throws good light. It is difficult to see.

I saw this toothpaste hack on YouTube/Facebook but never tried it. Will surely try this weekend.

[anjan_c2007]

Alternately we can use a 3M (2000 Grit) brand wet or dry polish paper. A sample link is given below and it is also shown on Amazon but the price is marginally higher.

Snapdeal.

https://m.snapdeal.com/product/2000/675166014872?

After gently rubbing the headlight/fog light/reverse light with this paper in a wet medium (water) the off white to yellow (jaundiced surface) on the surface can be removed. It has to be thoroughly washed and a good polish applied to get back the shine and further protect the surface from UV rays. If the headlight reflector or cover is internally impaired then this method doesn't apply.

I saw this video and liked the methodology:-

https://youtu.be/9FdjW-NGG50

I have also tried using baking soda and water solution very effectively for cleaning up headlights/fog lights /reverse lights. The same method of rubbing baking soda solution with a soft cloth removes the layer. It is thoroughly washed and dried thereafter. Apply a good polish Formula 1 or Moto max or any reputed brand. The same results are evident.

[rohan_iitr]

Hi all,

My car's (first gen i10) headlights have become hazy from outside and inside.

Please suggest a decent guy (preferably in South Bangalore) who can restore the headlights. (I am not too inclined to DIY)

What would be the typical charge for headlight restoration for a car ?

Is it advisable to get headlight restoration done (can it cause fogging or other electrical issues), or better to get the headlight assembly replaced ?

(My car is 15 years old. I tried upgrading the halogen bulbs, but it didn't help much)

Also, is it advisable to buy headlight assembly from online sellers (like boodmo) who seem to be selling at half the price compared to the A.S.S. ?

Thanks in advance.