The Paling of Headlamp, A Simple Solution!

Whenever I drive in nights with our new second hand car, I used to face the irritating intense high beam light of the opposite car, an issue most of the Indian drivers face. Even if we convey them the irritation by changing intensity from our side, they never bothered. I could have taught them a lesson if I had a strong high beam head lamp. But unfortunately head light of Sujaii have got a yellow layer over it that reduced the light intensity considerably!

Haven't you seen a yellow layer over the headlamp of some old cars and scooters? Didn't you feel that the headlamp do not match the car look? In fact this yellow color is a good indicator of the smooth handling of the car by its owner. If you are going to purchase a used car and if you assess its value, give some marks to cars with such headlamps.

Coming to the problem, I had visited the local Hyundai show room to see if any solution is possible. They suggested a nearby shop that use some technology to sputter a layer from the lamp cover. But his solution was too expensive for me. So I started to do some internet research. I found different solutions to the problem.

What could be the reason for the formation of this colored layer on the head lamp? This is the fundamental question to be asked before trying to get a solution to the problem. If you look carefully, you can see that the color change has happened only on the outer surface (mostly). Well there are many explanations for it, one or more of them may cause the color change. Long UV exposure can cause oxidation of the poly carbonate material used for manufacturing the head lamp, this can cause the color change. Over years of driving, the head lamp encounter dust and debris that pit the lamp which again is a possible candidate. Third suggestion is that some dirt and chemicals sticking on the headlamp can react with the poly carbonate to form such a yellow layer over the head lamp. What ever be the reason, the final result is a yellow layer on the headlamp that reduces the night vision considerably. We need to get rid of that, for better looks and better performance of light. This mask between our eyes and the surrounding reduces the pleasure of smooth driving.

Because of my bad experiences on the road, I did a research on removing the yellow layer effectively. Before doing the research,  The best suggestion I found from internet and experimented successfully on our car is explained as follows. The result was amazing!

In fact I could effectively force my opposite driver to dim his light in several cases. Yeah I got an edge over so many idiot drivers!

What we need for the whole job are just two things: a little tooth paste and a cotton cloth. Apply the paste on the headlamp and rub using the clothe. That's all the job is done. See the sample shots from my own experiment I did yesterday:

Problem: You have a car with you and the yellow layer is irritating you

Materials Needed: 1. Tooth Paste and 2. A Towel

Solution: See the changes and try for yourself

There are other methods to solve the problem. For instance, you can apply appropriate sand paper to rub away the top layer and then polish using some polishing powder. But the method described here is very cheap and best. The more you rub, the more clear the head lamp becomes! So try if you have this issue, or tell somebody about this.