How To Restore Your Yellow Headlights

Yellow headlights not only ruin the aesthetic appeal of your vehicle but also compromise safety on the road. At Jim’s Car Detailing, we understand why clear headlights are important. We’re here to guide you through the process of how to restore yellow headlights to their former glory.

What causes yellow headlights?

You might be surprised to learn that headlights are often made from plastic, not glass, as they absorb more impact than traditional glass lenses. Your headlight lens automatically comes with a UV protective coating. Unfortunately, this protective outer surface of the lens is more susceptible to fading over time from environmental factors. 

Yellow headlights are a common issue in Australia caused by prolonged exposure to harsh UV rays, environmental pollutants and general wear and tear. UV rays, in particular, break down the polycarbonate structure in the lens, which triggers the discolouration of your headlight lenses from transparent to yellow in appearance. 

Why are clear headlights so important?

Clear headlights are not just about aesthetics — they are critical for your safety on the road. Diminished visibility from yellow headlights can significantly increase the risk of accidents, especially during night driving. When you restore yellow headlights to their optimal illumination, you’re actively contributing to a safer driving experience for you and other drivers and pedestrians on the road. Not to mention, foggy headlights also look sad and reduce the resale value of your car.

How to fix yellow headlights

Rest assured, there are active measures that you can take to prevent or restore yellow headlights that are already in this condition. These include:

• Minimising sun exposure

By parking your car undercover or in a shaded area with headlights facing away from the sun, you can help minimise the risk of yellow headlights. 

• Cleaning your car

Cleaning your car regularly doesn’t just make for a sparkling ride. Contaminants in the air and grime build-up can also speed up the oxidation process, making for yellow headlights. Regular car cleaning is a useful precautionary measure to prevent yellow headlights. 

• DIY yellow headlight cleaning kits 

At Jim’s Car Detailing, we offer a headlight restoration service to restore your headlight damage. If, however, you would prefer to do it yourself, you can purchase a DIY yellow headlight cleaning kit from local auto parts stores and follow the below process:

1. Clean the headlights

Before you begin, wear the proper protective gear, like gloves and protective eyewear, to shield yourself from any chemicals used in the DIY kit. Rinse and thoroughly clean the headlights using a mild soap and water solution with a soft microfibre cloth to remove dirt, grime and any surface contaminants. 

2. Mask surrounding areas

Protect your car’s paintwork during restoration by masking the areas surrounding your headlights with painter’s tape to prevent accidental damage to your vehicle’s body. 

3. Sand the headlights

Follow the instructions of your headlight restoration kit carefully. The first step typically involves sanding the damaged layer to remove the fogginess. This should be done in stages, working your way down to a fine, wet sandpaper. To restore yellow headlights, you must choose the right sandpaper — we recommend starting with 600 grit, followed by 1500 grit, then 3000 grit. 

Spray some water and sand the lens with light pressure with 600 grit sandpaper until the lens becomes milky white. You’ll notice some scratches from the 600 grit sandpaper at this stage. The 1500 grit sheets will help remove these marks. Repeat the process with 3000 grit sheets for optimal results. Take your time with this step and avoid applying excessive force during sanding, which may lead to uneven results and potential damage to the headlights.

If your car only suffers from minor yellowing, feel free to skip the sanding work and start with the compound. 

4. Polish and wax the headlights

Use a high-quality polishing compound suitable for your headlights to remove scratches, oxidation and hazing. We recommend using a soft cloth or polishing pad in circular motions to ensure even coverage to restore yellow headlights. Ensure you take your time to achieve a polished, clear surface that enhances your headlights’ overall appearance and safety. 

5. Protective coating 

Consider applying a new coat of UV-resistant sealant to seal the headlights and help prolong their clarity. These coatings act as a barrier from UV rays and environmental pollutants to help prevent yellowing from occurring. Failure to apply it will result in the headlights clouding over again in no time. 

Restore yellow headlights with the help of Jim’s Car Detailing 

While DIY kits to restore yellow headlights can be helpful, it can be risky business. You might sand your headlights with too much pressure and cause uneven results. For a hassle-free, professional touch, you can trust Jim’s Car Detailing experts to get the job done for you to the highest standard. Our experts specialise in headlight restoration, ensuring that your car looks fantastic and meets the highest safety standards on the road.

Our team will take their time to complete the job to the highest standard and pay attention to all the finer details. Why replace your entire headlight and go through the added expense when you can have it professionally cleaned? Our cleaning experts will use special applicators and high-tech abrasive cutting discs to restore yellow headlight lenses to their former glory. 

Invest in the best with our Work Guarantee 

We’re so sure about the high quality of our services that we deliver the Jim’s Work Guarantee to each of our clients. 

This means that if you’re not satisfied with the job, we’ll inspect it and fix any problems. And if you’re still not satisfied, we’ll jointly agree on an independent expert to provide a report at our expense and fix any problems found. And until this is done, you don’t pay for the job. Any advance will be refunded if problems are not fixed within a fortnight. That’s how sure we are of our high-quality customer care. 

Book your car headlight restoration with Jim’s Car Detailing today 

With over 20 years of industry expertise and a quality satisfaction guarantee, we couldn’t think of a better place to restore yellow headlights back to their pristine condition and improve your road safety and vehicle aesthetics. Our business is fully insured and police-checked, so you can trust that we have taken great measures to hire the best industry-trained professionals fit for the job. 

As a franchise business, we operate in multiple locations across Australia, making finding your local Jim’s Car Detailing easier. Despite being one of Australia’s leading franchises, each of our locations operates as a small business run by a dedicated professional who understands the local community’s needs. We’ve made a name for ourselves for our ability to get to know our customers and provide a top-quality job every time that addresses all their needs. 

Aside from our car detailing service, we’re your one-stop shop for all your cleaning needs. From home cleaning to office cleaning, commercial cleaning, end-of-lease cleaning, house cleaning, window cleaning, carpet cleaning, pressure cleaning, blind cleaning and repairs and more, you can outsource all your cleaning needs at one location when you choose Jim’s. 
With an average 4.8-star review rating from our clients and 2021’s top 10 winners for Australia’s Best Rated Franchises, you can trust that you’re dealing with the best in the business when choosing our business for your car detailing. Call 131 546 if you have any questions or request a free quote for our services.