car headlights

Up to 50 percent of all car accidents occur at night. When you drive your vehicle with cloudy or yellow headlights, the potential of an accident occurring goes up quite a bit.

The good news is, there are a few effective and efficient ways to clean your car headlights, make driving at night much safer for you, and anyone else on the road.

If you are interested in learning what you need to do to clean your headlights, then be sure to use the tips and information found here. Doing so will help ensure your vehicle can light up the night with ease.

Keep in mind, this is one of those DIY repairs and maintenance tips. While you can opt to go to a professional, you don’t have to. Learn more here.

1. Clean the Headlights on a Regular Basis

If you notice that grime or dirt has built up on your windshield, then you are probably going to pull into a gas station to clean it. After all, the dirtier your windshield gets, the harder it is to see. The same applies to your headlights.

If your headlights are dirty, yellow, or cloudy, they are going to prevent the bulbs from illuminating the road ahead properly.

The good news is, cleaning the surface of your headlights is easy. Just use a damp, microfiber cloth to wipe the lights down each week. This will help ensure all dirt and dust is removed and that the light can shine through with ease.

Keep in mind, this type of cleaning is not going to address issues related to cloudiness or yellowing.

2. Address Yellowing and Clouding in a Timely Manner

While dirt and dust can be cleaned off pretty easily, when it comes to cloudy or yellow headlights, it’s an entirely different story.

Sunlight is one factor that results in yellow headlights. The UV rays wear down the plastic in the headlight cover, causing it to become dull and cloudy.

Chemicals from your car’s engine and smog can also contribute to an overall yellow appearance.

While the yellowing presents several safety concerns, this can also affect the value of your car. If there’s anything that makes your car look older and that hurts the resale value, it’s yellow headlights.

You can opt to purchase a headlight restoration system, which does a pretty good job of restoring the headlights to their former look. If all else fails, you can visit a local dealer or parts supplier to have the entire headlight structure replaced.

3. Check the Illumination

In some cases, one headlight is going to go out before the other one does. If you have only one headlight that is working properly, it means you probably don’t have adequate illumination on the road. Over time, this can compromise your visibility.

While a blown headlight is going to reduce your visibility, it’s not always that easy to determine if you have this issue while behind the wheel. That’s why it is a good idea to check the lights from outside your vehicle from time to time.

All you have to do to test the illumination is to park your vehicle, turn the headlights on and then get out and see if they are working. Another option is to park close to your garage door or the wall to see if the headlights are illuminating sufficiently.

4. Check the Headlight Alignment

The majority of people know how dangerous misaligned wheels can be, and the issues this can cause. It may surprise you to learn that headlights can also get out of alignment, resulting in safety issues for you and your passengers.

Headlights are designed by the manufacturers to aim the beams in the same direction. However, jolts that are caused by potholes can result in the headlights getting displaced. This can cause safety problems.

If your cars beams aren’t pointing in the right direction, then you need to adjust them or have them adjusted. In most cases, visiting your mechanic is going to be best to ensure proper alignment is achieved.

5. Replace Your Headlight Bulbs in Pairs

In some cases, one of your headlights is going to go out before the other one does. If this happens, you may be tempted to simply replace the dead bulb. The fact is, you should go ahead and replace them both.

If one has gone out, the other one probably isn’t too far behind. If you replace both, at the same time, the likelihood of them lasting the same amount of time is higher.

6. Choose High-Performance Headlights

If you invest in high-performance headlights, you are going to be more aware of potential obstacles in the road. These types of lights will help you react sooner.

The truth is, any time you choose a headlight that is higher quality than what is considered basic or standard, it’s going to provide you with a better and safer driving experience.

Maintain Your Car Headlights and Shine Bright

If you want to ensure you can see what is ahead on the road and that you have plenty of time to react, then it is a good idea to use the tips and information found here. Doing so will help ensure your vehicle is safe to drive, and that the road ahead is properly illuminated.

When it comes to your vehicle, there are more than a few factors that are going to impact your driving experience. Making sure your car headlights are working properly can minimize the likelihood of an accident. 

If you want more information about your vehicle and how to keep it running properly, then check out some of our other blogs. For example, we offer information on the most overlooked car maintenance services.