Salt Residue on Headlight Covers

Maintenance/Repairs
1

What do you recomend to clean the salt residue off of headlight covers?

2

When you fill up at the gas station simply use the windshield sponge/squegee and wipe them off.

3

Rain water or anything wet.

4

I think what you are referring to is just aging of the plastic headlight and not salt. There are kits for this and you can use all sort of abrasives, from toothpaste to plastic polish.

5

at autozone you an buy a lens polishing kit that brings back the lens to to like new again.

6

Water, salt dissolves very easily. Grime may take a little more water and some soap with a rag to clean it.

That said a most modern headlight covers are plastic and will become hazy with time. You can use any of the materials available at the auto parts store to remove that haze. Some people have had good success with certain tooth paste or very very fine sand paper.

Frankly I believe the move to the fancy plastic (or even glass) covers was a big loose to car owners.  The old one size fits all sealed beam headlights provided equal light and were easy and cheap to replace.  Now replacing a light is a major job, cost far more and all for what?
7

Style, Mr Meehan, style. Your car is now an accessory just like your wardrobe. For most car buyers that means that how your car looks is more important than how well it works or how cheap it is to repair.

I love my new 08 Accord but I was reading the manual (yes, I actually read my car manuals) and the process to replace the headlights requires going in through the front wheel well. Oh for the days of reaching down into the engine compartment…

8

I guess I should have been more explicit from the looks of all the replies. Actually it is a combination of aging and the salt residue. I live close to the ocean and my car is kept out in the open. A detailer told me he would do it for $75.00 and I was looking for an alternative. I will check the auto stores.

Thanks

9

if you are talking about the cloudy effect that will not come off it is due to age, the uv protection is worn off. The lens can be polished but the uv protective would not be restored.