Both my fiance and I have subaru's and the headlights are so dim even when you have them on high beam that you can't see anything. We've replaced bulbs but the problem is the headlight lens itself. Does anyone know how or what to clean the headlights with so we can actually see to drive at night?
You can get kits to clean/polish off the yellow, pitted surface of the lens if that's the problem. I suppose poor/rusted ground connections are a possibility as well.
Carl
I noticed that the older subarus seem to have comparatively dim headlights toi begin with, and they are *very* prone to wear on the lenses. A little rubbing compound and a dremmel tool with a buffing attachment will do wonders, but you might not be entirely satisfied without getting some kind of non-stock replacement.
Hi,
Do you have the older style glass or the newer plastic lenses?
If glass, although it's rare, the inside--both lens and reflector--can become "hazed" because of an imperfect seal between the lamp housing and the bulb. (If you've ever replaced a headlamp unit w/ one from a junk yard, they often pull the bulbs and those I've gotten have been pretty gunky from sitting around) It's an involved process, but you can take the lamp housing out of the car, remove the bulb, pour a quarter cup or so of window cleaner in there, swish it all about and let sit for a while, then rinse and let dry. It may take a couple of DAYS to dry depending on weather and how macho your hair dryer is! Then put it all back together, w/ attention to the cleanliness of the connections. A bit of dielectric grease on the connections helps reduce corrosion and voltage loss.
If plastic, Meguiar's makes a product called PlastX (sp?) that's just for that oxidized haze that builds up on the outside of the lenses. Although I've done it in the past, I hesitate to recommend power tools, even a Dremel, unless you can be super careful--it's easy to overdo it and damage the surface of the lens. The PlastX product works well w/ simple "wax on, wax off" hand application, though it may take a couple of sessions to get all the way thru the oxidation. And, once a lens has oxidized like that, it's an uphill battle keeping it from doing so again, so redoing the PlastX treatment every couple of months may be required. Again, a check of the integrity of the electrical connections is advisable.
You may also benefit from going to a "brighter" bulb such as the Sylvania Xtra-vision (other mfrs have something similar.) The "blue" bulbs popular with the "kewl krowd" don't add anything special in the visibility department in my experience, and while bulbs like the "Silverstar" are QUITE bright, reports here have indicated you'll probably trade brightness for drastically shortened life expectancy, and they're pretty pricey as well.
Rick C
use a wet paper towell and some tooth paste. It will do wonders polishing the plastic lens.
"Flitz" is a very fine polishing compound sold in all kinds of stores, automotive, outdoor, hardware, gun shops, hobby shops... Flitz has worked well for me on headlight lenses, airplane windows, electronic displays, jewelery, chrome plated items, minor paint defects, even high-gloss woodworking finishes.
You want the stuff in a tube. Put a little on a rag, and RUB a small section until it's shiny and clear.
I agree.
Regardless of the product used, PlastX, Flitz, whatever... The simple goal is to abrade away a microscopically thin outer layer, exposing fresh, smooth plastic, using the very fine abrasive in the product.
Hmmm...I wonder if this stuff works on a pitted windshield?
Is it just a polish, or is it a polish/filler?
The lens on the headlight is Lexan (plastic). Your windshield is made of glass. The headlight kit uses a super-fine grit to rub off the yellowed and dull top layer of the plastic lens, and the coating then restores their clarity of the plastic lens. In effect, you are sanding off the top layer (that is yellow and dull) to make a smooth top layer which then gets coated (with a plastic-based coating).
Pitted windshields require an epoxy to fill the pit. For very, very small pits or scrapes from metallic bladed snow scrapers, use glass wax (not a permenant solution, however).
His windshield is probably plastic coated glass.
Yeah, that's what I thought...
I had a '92 Grand Voyager that had *HORRIBLE* wear on the headlights, and I hit it with 3M MicroFinish ( a paint buffing compound) and a heavy coat of wax, and it cleared it up considerably.
Thanks. Better than a new windshield!
That's the top of my head, BH! ;)
Hi,
Are we talking about the same thing? I'm thinking of a glass cleaner product that's been around forever that's called "Glass Wax." (In a pink can.) Wipe it on, it hazes over white, wipe off. It leaves tiny white specks in my windshields. Is there another product you're thinking of?
Rick
It's been eons since I used glass wax but don't remember it being pink. The haze left behind was faint, not like buffing off the haze from car wax. However, the amount of fill-in for glass wax is about the same as if you took your car to the car wash and got it waxed.
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