Five Things You Should Know About Headlight Restoration
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While they don’t get the recognition they deserve, automobile headlights are some of the most vital components in a vehicle. Headlights that allow light to pass through them unimpeded can save you a pretty penny if they prevent nighttime accidents. Unfortunately, many drivers ignore headlight upkeep throughout the life of their vehicles. Here are a few headlight restoration truths that a responsible car or truck owner should be aware of.
Headlight Restoration Is Incredibly Important
It’s difficult to overstate the importance of headlight lenses that allow light to be projected in the appropriate manner. For one thing, the scattered light that damaged lenses produce gives drivers a lousy read on the road ahead at night when it matters. What’s more, dingy polycarbonate lenses will hurt your vehicle’s resale value if you plan on trading it in at some point in the future.
Most Headlights Need Regular Restoration
Since 1990 or so, the majority of headlight lenses have been made from polycarbonate plastic rather than glass. That polycarbonate degrades over time due to UV radiation, exhaust fumes, humidity and physical trauma. As such, plastic lenses need to be rehabilitated once in awhile to ensure that they deliver solid performance. For the most part, glass headlights don’t require periodic cleaning like their polycarbonate counterparts.
Good Headlight Restoration Isn’t Expensive
When you add it all up, restoring a headlight rather than replacing it is the financially savvy move to make. A headlight restoration can be had for as little as $50 for any given lens. A full headlight replacement can cost upwards of $500 depending on the make and model of the vehicle. Long story short, headlight restoration saves consumers a boatload on repair costs.
Headlight Restoration Can Be Complicated
While proper headlight restoration isn’t rocket science, there are specific steps that must be followed. Cloudy and discolored headlights must be treated with the proper chemicals applied using the right tools to avoid further damage. If you rely on DIY solutions like applying toothpaste or insect repellent, you won’t be happy with the results. Fortunately, finding headlight restoration professionals to handle the dirty work isn’t that difficult.
A Headlight Restoration Can Last for Years
When performed by a technician who has plenty of experience in the field, a headlight restoration will keep lenses in great shape for a long time. Once the oxidation and discoloration that causes poor headlight performance is dealt with, a urethane or acrylic clear coat is applied to the hardware. This ensures that the elements can’t harm the polycarbonate of the lenses themselves.
Restoring Your Headlights the Smart Way
By now, it should be obvious to most that headlight restoration boasts a slew of upsides and few if any drawbacks. While you could do the job yourself using a variety of home remedies, hiring a professional headlight restoration specialist is the way to go. You’ll get superior results and can end up saving money over time by retaining the services of an expert.