Secrets of experienced car mechanics how to remove yellowness from car headlights with your own hands

Yellowed headlights significantly impair the appearance of the vehicle. This problem is faced by the owners of budget and luxury cars.

You can remove an unattractive plaque yourself, without contacting service centers.

Read about how to remove yellowness from headlights and by what means this can be done in the article.

Safe ways to remove yellow plaque

You can get rid of the yellow plaque on the headlights with the help of improvised means. Regular toothpaste and soda come to the rescue. GOI paste also has a good effect, but to apply it you will need to purchase a grinder.

Toothpaste

You can give the headlights their original look with toothpaste. Use it as follows:

• dust and other contaminants are removed from the headlights;
• a small amount of paste is applied to a soft toothbrush and smeared with circular movements over the yellowed surface;
• wash off the paste with water;
• rub the surface of the headlamp with a microfiber cloth.

Paste is a budget and effective tool for removing yellowness from headlights, but you need to work with it carefully. It is important to choose a soft brush that will not damage their protective film and leave no scratches.

How to clean with baking soda?

Use baking soda to whiten yellowed headlights. Method of its application:

1. Clean dust from headlights with a clean cloth.
2. Wash them with soapy water. If they are heavily contaminated, it is left on the surface for 15 minutes, after which it is washed off with clean water and wiped off with a towel.
3. A tablespoon of baking soda is dissolved in a separate container, vinegar is added to it in the amount of ½ teaspoon.
4. While the reaction is going on, the composition is applied to the headlights. It is convenient to do this with a sponge.
5. Wipe the headlight with a clean damp cloth. If the result is unsatisfactory, the procedure is repeated several times.
6. The remains of soda are removed with a towel and the treated surface is wiped dry.

GOI polishing mastic and paste

Polishing mastic and paste GOI (State Optical Institute) - these are products that include chromium oxide... It is this substance that provides the necessary effect of eliminating yellowness.

Using them by hand is difficult and time-consuming, it is preferable to use a sander with a flannel attachment, since felt is used for caring for the body. Manual work will only allow you to cope with dullness, but not remove yellowness.

Mode of application:

• first you need to wash the glasses with water and shampoo or liquid soap, then degrease them with alcohol or a glass cleaner;
• dry the headlights until the moisture completely evaporates;
• mix one spoon of GOI paste with 1 drop of engine oil;
• apply the composition to the polishing wheel, process the entire surface;
• it is necessary to move the machine according to the principle of overlapping the bands - it is imperative to control the force of pressure on the device, the movements should be light and smooth;
• during work, the paste must be removed with a clean napkin in order to evaluate the result. When it is satisfactory, work is stopped.

Although the 3-valent chromium oxide, which is part of the GOI paste, is not harmful to humans, when working with it, you need to wear protective glasses and a mask, since the dust released can irritate the mucous membranes.

GOI paste has several varieties. For the treatment of headlights, composition No. 2 is suitable... It is thin and not coarse, so it allows you to achieve an optimal effect.

Polishing mastic is used by analogy with GOI paste. If you need to restore the transparency of glass with a slight yellowness and minor damage, then you should choose polishes with a matting effect.

Grinding

You can get rid of yellowness using a special tool - a grinding machine. The procedure is as follows:

1. Rub over the surface with solvent to degrease it.
2. The elements surrounding the headlight are pasted over with masking tape. This is necessary in order not to damage the paint during work.
3. A nozzle with the finest sandpaper is put on the grinding machine and passed over the entire surface until it is perfectly smooth. Periodically, the nozzle should be moistened with water to prevent overheating.
4. Then a polishing paste is applied to the surface of the headlight and a foam nozzle is passed over it. The procedure is performed until the headlights are perfectly smooth, the yellowness does not completely disappear from them and the original shine appears.

Prevention of the appearance

Regular maintenance of your headlights will help prevent yellowing. Main preventive measures:

1. Application of anti-gravel film. It is durable and transparent, absolutely invisible on the surface of the plexiglass. At the same time, the film protects the headlights from minor scratches and chips, into which dust gets clogged.
2. Carrying out preventive cleaning of headlights at least once a month. There is no need to use expensive or powerful formulations for this.

   It is enough to wash them with soapy water or a glass cleaner.

3. Timely removal of dirt. Do not leave road dust and other dirt on the surface of the headlights,
4. Use only safe, non-aggressive compounds for car care.

The most complete and useful information on methods and means of removing yellow spots and yellowness from various surfaces and products is presented in this section.

Related videos

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Conclusion

Yellowed headlights are not a problem if you know how to clean them. To solve this problem, there is no need to buy expensive formulations, since improvised means in the form of soda or toothpaste have a good effect. If you have a sander, the process of cleaning the plexiglass will go much faster.