coke to clean headlights

Can We Use Coke To Clean Headlights Of A Car?

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Jeffrey
August 10, 2022
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Over time, the lights in your car will dim.

This is due to the fact that the plastic that usually covers headlights has dust or debris on its interior or exterior, preventing effective light from passing through.

At this point, your car’s headlights will need to be cleared right away.

Having a clean and clear set of automobile headlights will offer your vehicle a more appealing appearance.

Others would envy you, and the lights would pass through the lenses in an attractive manner.

In this post, we’ll discuss if we can use coke to clean headlights and other methods to clean the headlights of a car.

coke to clean headlights

Do You Know How To Clean Your Car’s Headlights?

The lenses of automobile headlights are made of polycarbonate plastic, which is ideal since it is strong and long-lasting.

The UV protective film that is added to protect it from too much sun makes it vulnerable to becoming filthy.

The film gets damaged as a result of UV rays that cause the plastic to oxidize, preventing light from passing through easily.

The headlights become hazy and yellowish; it’s now time to have them cleaned.

Is It Necessary to Clean Cloudy Oxidized Headlights?

It’s critical to maintain the automobile clean, especially for components like the headlights or even the windows.

This is more essential than anything beneath the vehicle becoming muddied after time.

They become hazy or even filthy, which necessitates their cleaning.

The primary benefit of cleaning your car headlights is to ensure your safety while driving at night or on a foggy road.

In the first place, dirty or unclean headlights may not be able to provide enough light through to brighten your route.

Because there will be insufficient light on the road, you will have difficulty seeing.

Second, when you have dirty headlights, the vision of the vehicles ahead of you is negatively affected.

When other drivers cannot see your lights because of the rain, fog, or snow, they will have a difficult time determining whether you are another road user.

When it’s raining heavily or even if it’s foggy out, make sure your headlight lenses are free of debris.

Is It Possible For My Foggy Headlights To Be Cleaned?

There are a variety of ways to clean your foggy headlights. Some of them are more successful than others.

Getting a headlights restoration kit is the greatest option for cleaning your car headlights effectively.

It works because it requires the least amount of labor to clean your automobile headlights.

5 Simple DIY Methods to Clean Your Car’s Headlights

1. A DIY Headlight-Restoration Kit

Because replacing your set of headlights is a costly option, you may avoid doing so.

Consider this method that will have them back in perfect condition in a matter of minutes.

A plastic cleaner or polish, various grits of sandpaper, polishing cloths, and a protective coating are all included in the restore kit.

A single kit of the DIY headlight restoration may effectively clean a pair of automobile headlights.

The headlight lenses can be effectively cleaned using this kit, but you should take the following points into account:

  • The instructions provided by the manufacturer should be followed closely. Do not attempt to modify or create your own ideas. Because of the equipment in the kit, you shouldn’t try to finish the task as quickly as possible.
  • When sanding, run your hands over the headlights when they are wet to feel for rough patches. Continue sanding until the entire surface is smooth. Do not use the sandpaper on the vehicle’s body; it may harm the paint job. Consider taping the headlights’ edges to avoid contact with surfaces beyond that tape.
  • Sanding the headlight lenses should be done while they are wet. That is why you’ll need a large enough bucket or water hose as a source of water. You shouldn’t get concerned about the outcomes after sanding. While the headlights may still appear hazy, the coating will quickly remove this.
  • Before applying the protective sealant, make sure the headlight is totally dry with a clean dry towel. Allow the sealant to cure on the car headlight for several hours or even overnight for greater protection against bugs and tiny particles of dirt.
  • Some kits might require reapplication of the protective coating after a few years, usually two years. This is usually determined by the weather conditions and temperature around you.

2. Using Bug Spray

This technique for cleaning your vehicle headlights works by eliminating the oxidation that distorts the light that shines from your car headlights.

It’s one of the quickest and most simple methods to clean your car lights.

It can also melt the film off of the plastic, making it clearer.

However, the effects of this technique are limited.

Your vehicle lights would soon appear yellowish and dim.

3. Baking Soda and Vinegar

Baking soda or vinegar can be used individually or in combination.

A microfiber cloth may be used to scrub the vinegar or baking soda on the lenses.

Baking soda is abrasive by nature, which helps it to work effectively at removing dirt particles.

A mild case of oxidation, on the other hand, maybe treated with lens polish.

However, this method is ineffective for a lens that is severely oxidized.

In this circumstance, you should look into using a far more efficient option.

4. Using Toothpaste

After cleaning the lenses, apply toothpaste to the headlights using your hands.

The toothpaste should be applied in a circular pattern to each lens so that you get a thick coat.

Remove the residue of toothpaste from the plastic with warm water.

This takes care of the grime and grit that accumulates in the cracks perfectly.

Warm water will dissolve all traces of the paste from the surface.

For better results, repeat some of the steps.

Finally, a coat of paste wax should be applied to the lenses after all this.

When it’s dry, buff it out.

This is a superior approach to most because the headlights will not become yellow from oxidation or dirty again for a long time.

5. Sanding with Sandpaper

This technique is popular since it delivers long-term effects and is quite successful.

It will, however, require a significant amount of effort on your part to ensure that the lenses are not damaged.

To begin with, you may simply tape the sides of the headlight or pull out the headlights and work on the outside of the vehicle’s paint.

You may sand the headlights in a variety of designs while maintaining the finish using 400, 600, and 2000-grit sandpaper.

The surface should be kept wet at all times.

After completion, apply wax to prevent scratches on the lenses.

Conclusion

Not only are dirty and murky headlights a turn-down to the beautiful appearance you want for your car, but they’re also a time bomb, especially while driving at night.

This is due to the fact that they may not be able to lighten up their path well enough, therefore giving you subpar visibility of the road.

That is why, to be sure that your headlights are always clean, you should clean both the inside and outside of them on a regular basis.

Jeffrey

Jeffrey Bryce is an experienced motorcycle rider with years of experience caring for motorcycles. His natural fondness for motorcycles have made him come up with LetsGoForARide.com, which is dedicated to answering and teaching you how to care for your bike with the care it requires. LetsGoForARide is the one of his important lifework in reaching out to communities of motorcycle enthusiasts on how to take care of their bike and choosing the correct spare part.