…but it does seem to be a good, cheap fix for clouded headlight lenses.
What do you think?
I know a few people who have tried it. Some, it worked great. Others had issues.
Mosquito spray is a bit nutty. But it sure looks like it works. People will try anything.
That’s just a temporary fix. Probably some kind of oil to fill the crazing. When the oil weathers away the lens will be cloudy again. I use a kit with 800, 1200, 3000 grit sandpaper followed by polish. It sands off all the crazed plastic surface and polishes the plastic again. Its not a cheap kit and has air powered 2" sanding disks. Disks are about $2 each but the lamps look like new when done.
Any liquid or wax-based product works for a moment. As long as it fills the microscratches that cause the hazy look. But, it only lasts as long as it takes to wash it off.
I use a wetted sponge pad with polishing compound. I’ve had excellent success with it.
Truth is, any fine abrasive media suspended in a highly viscous… what’s the word I’m seeking… paste(?) will work great. I’ve even seen toothpaste used successfully.
I doubt of mosquito spray contains anything abrasive, so I can only surmise that it’s the oils as someone else suggested. I doubt if that would last.
Toothpaste may be less successful in the future - I saw an article a few days ago about Crest removing the abrasives from their toothpaste because it turns out it’s not all that healthy for people to be brushing their teeth with tiny plastic beads. Go figure.
I just get those little headlight restoration kits that you’re supposed to use with a drill. And then I do it by hand instead of with a drill. Works better.
It’s a good idea to wax your headlights whenever you wax your car - that’ll help keep UV from yellowing them.
You know DET, a mosquito repellent ingredient, can soften some plastics. My steering wheel got tacky after I got a heavy concentration of DET on my hands once. Maybe there is something to it. It is oily too.
I can get a pair of new headlight lenses for my car for around $80, new bulbs included. I just replace them every 4 or 5 years or so. It only takes about 8 minutes total to do both sides.
I think I will try this. It couldn’t be any worse than the stuff I bought to clean my lenses that didn’t work very well. I once found a great cleaner for the counter tops at work that was sold as an industrial room deodorizer. The kicker was that only the orange scented one worked. It cleaned off ink stains so well that we stopped buying the cleaner and use the deodorizer exclusively. It also left a pleasant scent on the counters.
The mosquito spray probably acts as a solvent and dissolves the yellowed surface on the headlight lens.
I would imagine a follow-up to that video a month later would show clouded lenses.
^
I have a feeling that you are right, ok4450.
I just did this on my 10 yo truck. It works!.. for now. It felt like the actual surface of the lens melted slightly and buffing just spread it into the cracks.
I did the sand-and-polish routine with limited success, not as good as Back Woods Off in a pump sprayer. It was either try this or replace the lights.
I’ll post back in a month after a 2200 mile trip to let you know how well it held up.
A little laquer thinner on a rag will clear them up in seconds.
I did this on my Dakota and it worked so good I’ve done it for others.
It’s been 6 months since I did my Dakota and they are still crystal clear.
Yosemite