Many of today’s modern vehicles headlights are made from a hard plastic called Poly-Carbonate. The plastic is very lightweight and very strong, and most importantly, much cheaper to mass produce. Today’s modern vehicle designs call for dramatic looking headlight styles and the automakers love using plastic for the headlight lens for more than one reason: First of all, plastic is much cheaper to mass produce. Just as important, the plastic lens is also very strong and lightweight. The days of using real glass for the headlight lens are all but gone. The main reason is that it would simply cost a heck of a lot more to make the lens out of glass. Also glass is much heavier than plastic and can be much more dangerous in a collision. The lightweight plastic lens is what the all automakers will continue to use these days mainly because they are always trying to keep the vehicles production costs low, and the automakers also want to keep the vehicle lighter and more economical. While the plastic lens has its many plus sides, the major down side is that the plastic lens will fade dramatically in time. Fading plastic headlight lenses are a problem here to stay, and if the cloudy headlight lenses are not fixed, it can be very dangerous to the driver, (and other motorists) and that is the simple fact of the matter.
Do all plastic headlights fade? The answer is yes! Due to UV exposure, the plastic lenses on all headlight assemblies will become cloudy in time. There is just no way around it! If a plastic headlight lens is exposed to the sun, it will eventually get cloudy and fade. Most automakers will cover the cost for replacement within 3 years, but after that, you are on your own. A cloudy looking lens condition can get much worse in time if not restored. A headlight that is neglected can turn yellow, or even brown, or perhaps a combination of both. This will have a great effect on the ability of the headlight to project light properly. Translation: Poor light output! A faded headlight lens can cut the drivers visibility distance to less than half in some cases. This is a very dangerous position for any driver to be in! Would you drive at night with your sunglasses on? A poor working headlight is basically the same thing. Less light means less visibility! It is very dangerous if the driver cannot properly see the road ahead. With less light output, the driver will have much less reaction time because the headlight beam is simply not projecting enough light to safely see the road ahead.
Please check your headlights! Are they faded? Are they cloudy? Do they appear oxidized? Do they have a yellow or brown tint? These conditions are all caused by UV exposure and age, plus the condition will become worse as the vehicle is subjected to more sunlight. Simply put: The UV rays from the powerful sun will fade the headlight lenses just as it will fade exterior paint. The sun is just too strong for the plastic and it is very important for you to maintain your headlights! There are some simple inexpensive do it yourself kits on the market that can save you some of your hard earned cash, however the results can be very poor. The much smarter choice is using a professional headlight restoration service. First of all don’t let anyone convince you that your expensive headlight assemblies need to be replaced. The only reason for replacement is if there is some really bad sand pitting, or if there are major cracks in the lenses that would allow moisture to get inside the assembly. Also, don’t be fooled by some of the products on the market that claim to be quick restoration kits for headlights. Most of these kits are garbage! Again, I recommend using a professional headlight restoration service that guarantees the restoration to last. Please be safe out there at night, and please check your vehicle’s headlight condition as soon as possible!