How badly sandblasted are my headlamp covers?

Sep 07, 2007 2 Replies

Driving into the rising sun this morning, I was reminded of how badly pitted the windshield of my '02 Passat is.



Then I got to thinking how bad the plastic covers on my headlamps must be. Looking at them in daylight didn't show me much; has anybody ever had them get so bad that they felt a need to replace them?


Rather than replace them, how about just fixing them. Everything from toothpaste to sand paper to special kits have been recommended for the job. Since replacing them is usually a real pain and they are not cheap, I would suggest working with them. You can try tooth past or get one of the kits.

However "Looking at them in daylight didn't show me much.." makes me think yours are not bad and may need nothing or maybe just a little plastic polish like the stuff made for the plastic windows in convertibles.

Similar, I have the lexan covers over the rectangular glass headlamps. After 15 years and the lexan became progressively foggy. I bought new covers and the amount of restored light coming through was noticeable. In your case, new headlights are considerably more expensive than replacing the headlight covers. My windshield is similarly sandblasted and micro-pitted from thousands of highway kilometers ploughing through the constant grit of airborne sand put down on the roads in winter (and the frequent rocks in the mix).

-T> Looking at them in daylight didn't show me much; has

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required