There are many ways to clean and restore the purity of plastic car headlights. Depending on the severity or yellowing of the surface, household items such as baking soda, vinegar, or toothpaste may work to remove light oxidation. However, there is another trick to remove slight yellowing, discoloration, deep dirt and oxidation from your car’s headlights and taillights. So all you need is a can of WD-40 and some clothes to restore your car’s headlights. The process is quick and easy and does not require extensive rubbing or scrubbing.
WD-40 works wonders to restore your car’s headlights!
The official list of materials used in the WD-40 cleaning method includes a can of this product, some cotton or microfiber cloths, and a cleaning solution of water and car shampoo for rinsing the headlights. We highly recommend starting with a freshly washed car to remove excess dirt or dust from the headlights before treating the lights with WD-40.
Start with a clean surface.
If you’ve just washed your car, dry the headlights with a microfiber towel, if you have one. If you haven’t washed it yet, take a wet towel and wipe off any excess dirt before continuing. Repeat the procedure for the taillights.
So spray WD-40 on a dry towel and gently rub it over each headlight. Use a left-to-right motion rather than making small circles while cleaning, focusing your efforts more on severely yellowed or oxidized parts of the lenses. The same procedure applies to the taillights.
An alternative method is to spray WD-40 directly onto the headlights and taillights, let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe off the excess with a dry towel before gently buffing it off. WD-40 does not damage clear coat, so don’t worry about overspraying the product on body panels or bumpers.
The final step is to wash off the WD-40 residue with water and car shampoo. Take a cleaning sponge to remove all traces of WD-40 from the lights and surrounding body panels. After washing, rinse with clean water and dry with a microfiber cloth.
However, after cleaning and drying, it is recommended to apply a thin layer of wax to the front and rear lenses to provide greater protection against UV rays. Pour small drops of wax onto a small application sponge and gently rub it over the headlights. Allow it to dry until it forms a mist (about three to five minutes) before wiping off the excess with a dry microfiber towel.
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