HOUSTON – (KPRC) Picture yourself driving down a dark road on a rainy night. Your visibility is already limited, but it's worse if the lenses on your cars headlights have begun to oxidize. That's when they can get hazy, clouded over or even yellowed.
[WEB EXTRA: Consumer Reports on Headlight Restoration]
According to Texas Department of Public Safety trooper Richard Standifer, it's a combination of the heat generated on the inside of the lens by the light itself, and the heat and humidity that makes this an issue for Central Florida drivers.
"People love to get cars, but they don't like to maintain them," said Standifer.
Lyn Nguyen, an IT contractor, said she had been driving around with her clouded lenses for six years.
Nguyen agreed to participate in a demonstration to see just how affected visibility can be by the lenses. Two children walked in front of her 2004 Honda Accord, about 175 feet away.
The children then walked in front of a newer vehicle with clear headlight lenses. There was a noticeable difference in the visibility between Nguyen's car and the newer one.
"I thought my lights were bright until seeing that. It's frightening because children do play at night," said Nguyen.
We saw similar results in the same experiment on two other vehicles with clouded lenses.
Standifer recommended that drivers replace their entire headlight once it begins to oxidize, but that can be very expensive depending on the make and model of your vehicle.
But there are some less expensive alternatives that can really make a difference.
We checked out a dozen Central Florida companies that restore headlights. Several of them will even come do the job where you work. Most of the prices quoted were from $40-$70 for the pair, though we did also get a quote at $98 as well as $135.
If you'd prefer to do it yourself, Meguiar's makes a headlight restoration kit that can be purchased at most auto parts stores for around $30.
In the experiment, there was a visible difference, but the kit could not clear some of oxidation which appeared to be on the inside of the lens.
The least expensive product tested was a Turtle wax kit, which sells for around $10.
The kit seemed to clear all of the cloudiness from the lenses.
All three vehicles returned at night to repeat the demonstration. There was a drastic difference in Nguyen's visibility from prior to the restoration. The same was true for the vehicle cleaned with the Turtle wax. The vehicle cleaned with Meguiar's did not show much of an improvement.
Consumers said the do-it-yourself jobs may not last as long as professional ones. Plus, professional restoration companies said if there's oxidation or condensation inside the lens, no amount of cleaning will get rid of that because you can't reach it.
A video showing insect repellent cleaning headlights has been gaining a lot of attention online. The experiment did not include this method due to concerns that the chemicals in the insect repellent can actually melt a portion of the lens as well as the clear coat in the paint on a vehicle.