Plastic headlight restoration is the act of refinishing aged headlights that have succumbed to headlamp oxidation and other environmental hazards of travel, weather, and exposure to caustic chemicals. This condition which results in cloudy lenses is known for causing reduced night time visibility for travellers as the condition becomes worse.[1]
Most often the solution is to resurface the lens by lightly sanding the affected surface with different grades or grits of finishing paper until the oxidation is removed and then applying a protective finishing coat to re-seal the surface of the restored headlight.
Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in the number of manufacturers offering such products to combat this prevalent problem. Although seemingly expensive at generally $20 to $50 USD per product, do-it-yourself headlight restoration in the long run can effectively save consumers hundreds of dollars over replacement of damaged plastic headlight covers. A cheaper, less effective alternative is plain white toothpaste. Although it may remove light scratches and cloudiness, it requires much more elbow grease.
Plastic headlight restoration is growing exponentially because auto manufacturers continue to make vehicles with plastic headlight lenses that, without proper care and maintenance, result in cloudy foggy headlights. After as little as two or three years on the road, they become so "cloudy" that they actually output less light than is needed to legally do their job. The problem affects virtually every make of car and truck, foreign or domestic.