Dirty Headlights

[Roamer]

On my 97 OBW I have some dim headlight issues, it is not because of the bulbs but from what I can tell its from the fact that the headlamp unit casing itself is just old and dirty. I was wondering if anyone here has any tricks on how to clean these things? It has become quite annoying lately because at times I have to drive with my high beams on. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated. Thanks in advance:)

[mtsmiths]

Do a search, this has been covered many times ... in depth.

 

I would, and link, but our firewall kills the search function.

[mwatt]

On my 97 OBW I have some dim headlight issues, it is not because of the bulbs but from what I can tell its from the fact that the headlamp unit casing itself is just old and dirty. I was wondering if anyone here has any tricks on how to clean these things? It has become quite annoying lately because at times I have to drive with my high beams on. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated. Thanks in advance:)

 

Several companies (Meguires is one of them) market a plastic polish. It's really an extremely fine grit polish---it worked very well on the lenses of our 98 OBW.

[Gnuman]

cheapest fix I know of is a small dab of brake fluid to take the heavy stuff off, followed by a wet rag with cheap toothpaste (the paste kind, not gel. Go to a "dollar store" to get it really cheap, or some stores sell sample sizes cheap) to buff out the remaining haziness. Worked great on my '92 Legacy Wagon. Dry rag with the brake fluid (and just a small ammount of brake fluid) wet rag with the toothpaste. The toothpaste works exactly the same as the plastic polish, for the same reason. It is made the same way.

[PopsicleMud]

Brasso also works very well as plastic polish.

[Spazz698]

Mine were bad when I first got my car, I wetsanded with 1500 + 2000 grit for a few hrs. NOTHING got these cleaned up til I did that. Only downside is now theyre starting to get a lil foggy again (probably lack of cleaning ha) and now every time I pass I have to clean them off to make sure its nothing too bad lol

[jwc41]

I second the wet/dray sandpaper fix. It appears that over time the heat from the lamps oxidizes some of the plastic coating Subaru puts on the outside of the lamp assembly to protect it, so removing that layer of oxidation is the only sure cure. The brake fluid is a wonderful anti-oxidant for a temproray cure, but it will evaporate in a few days.

 

I took a shortcut and used 600 grit to cut the haze faster, then 800 and finally 2000. I probably should have used something between the latter two, because the 2000 won't smooth out all the scratches left by the 800. But I was desperate and those 3 grits were all I could find at the nearby Ace Hardware. It was still a huge improvement because I can see the edges of the beams again. The plastic is thick enough that I didn't get down to glass. You might try a local auto-body supply store for different grits. Be sure to use lots of water as you sand, it will carry away the residue and prolong the life of the sandpaper.

 

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

[Gnuman]

Actually, I suspect that it is more a matter of road grit hitting the headlights and scratching them over time. . .

[Steve530]

On my 97 OBW I have some dim headlight issues, it is not because of the bulbs but from what I can tell its from the fact that the headlamp unit casing itself is just old and dirty. I was wondering if anyone here has any tricks on how to clean these things? It has become quite annoying lately because at times I have to drive with my high beams on. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated. Thanks in advance:)

 

Meg's #17 and #10. Best to use a polisher if you have one.

 

Another trick is to use metal polish applied by hand.

[Scottbaru]

I plan to take my headlights out and buff them. The adjusters have all lost their cheap, plastic, hex ends, so they've got to come out for repair. I have 80/100 Hella bulbs, which helped a little. I plan to put clear, plastic film on after I buff them.