Can't see at night

My 93 Camry at 80,000 miles always seemed to have poor headlights since I bought it at 37,000 miles . The front of the lenses feel pitted and look a bit foggy while the part of them that wraps around the side looks and feels normal. I once read here that a fix would be to use Novus #2 and then #1 plastic polish. Anyone have any experience with this? Yesterday I found that my wife's 95 Corolla at 120,000 miles has the same pitted feeling (maybe a little less) but her headlights seem brighter.

Also, I can't see when backing up and have just figured out that backup lights may be just so that someone can see that you're backing up. Seems kind of dumb that they don't help the driver. I see that J.C. Whitney sells a set of 45 watt halogen backup lights. Would 90 watts be too much on that circuit? If so maybe one would be O.K.?

Thanks,

Marc

Reply to
Marc
Loading thread data ...

JC Whitney sells Crap.. Of course its cheap, but you get what you pay for. I use Pia 2000 xl for fog and auxilary beam. Bad lenses are bad for you. Car washes ruin lenses by allowing water in and it condenses to form mold or a hazey white vapor coating. Polishing may work, but maybe not ..... If the inside is crapped , remove light and fill with 50 /50 bleach and alcohol , and dry with compressed air. Usually Alcohol does it. to remove the haze. Piaa and an Sylvania make higher Lumen per Watt bulbs. But be careful , it is LUMENS per watt you want, or candlepower , PIAA may be the best , but ratings are proof.

Reply to
mark Ransley

For backup JC Whipmey 90 watt are probably equivalent 45 watt Quality, its in the lens.

Reply to
mark Ransley

try cleaning the outside with the polish not sure if 0000 grade metal polishing steel wool may help clean the lenses. put in some of the Sylvania Silverstars? I think. They are brighter and dont have that awful blue glare to other drivers..

Reply to
ROBMURR

Try polishing the lense (they are plastic and easily hazed over). Use a buffing/polishing wheel and polishing compound or wax with a cleaner. You can also get scratch remover for plastic from a motorcycle shop (used on windshields). You can try slightly larger replacement bulbs but in most cases you need to rewire with heavier gauge wire - I wouldn't go much bigger or you might have your wiring/relay/switch melt down (plus they are probably illegal)! If they can't be polished you can get aftermarket lenses for 1/2 the OEM price. Avoid the fake HID white (actually blue) bulbs -- they are less effective than OEMs. True HID start at $1k.

Reply to
Wolfgang

Marc,

Yours is a common complaint, and was the same I had with my 1994 Camry. For whatever reason, the aim on these Gen 3 Camry's (probably others) is poor, and something had to be done.

I lined up my car about 20 feet away from my white sided house, and marked where the low beam "centers" were for both sides. I then started moving the headlight adjusters. After much trial and error, This is what I came up with.

Right side light: Top/vertical adjuster that changes up and down, 30 counter-clockwise turns. Larger hex headed stud that changes right-left, NO ADJUSTMENT.

Left side light: Top/vertical adjuster 60 counter-clockwise turns. Large hex stud 7 clockwise turns.

I used a 1/4" nut driver with a mark on it to determine the count. Used a small 1/4" ratchet for the larger hex stud. Yes it seems like a lot, but the movement is barely perceptible.

The results are tremendous, and thus far in a year, no one has flashed me to lower my regular beams.

I also polished the plastic lenses with Brasso, and it did clear them up. FWIW, my wife's parent company makes the "Silver Stars", and yes I have a "courtesy" set in the car, but the adjustments I have described improved the situation beyond belief, Silver Stars or not.

Reply to
Platil

Reply to
Ring Toss Dave

polish them with 202 compound then 606 and buffy them back to clarity.

Reply to
Im Right

I'm not familier with those products. What is the brand name and would I be likely find them in an auto parts store?

The other day I tried using a Turtle Wax polishing paste that says it's safe for clear coat finishes. They don't look any different than they do after I wax them while waxing the car. They still don't feel smooth but they don't look cloudy.

I checked my friends 97 Explorer today and his are about 3/4 as rough feeling. Someone earlier said here that he made quite a differnce after making a certain number of turns on the adjustment screws and that Camrys of those years are known to have this problem. I'm tired of driving over curbs in the dark.

Reply to
Marc

Try this: Go to the Toyota dealer (or an online discount parts dealer) and write a check for new head lamps!

Reply to
Philip®

Piaa are slightly brighter than the Sylvania superbright ones if you look hard enough. They are also $70 per set while sylvania are 15-20$ and they last longer. My Piaa headlights burned out in less than a year. Piaa=POS

Reply to
AV

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.