Contents
Introduction
One of the things that can be annoying when you are driving, especially during nighttime or through rain, snow, or even fog would be dirty BMW headlights. You want to make sure that you are going to have enough light to see through the road no matter what situation you might be in. Now, you might consider replacing them immediately but what you need to do is to learn how to clean BMW headlights. It is not that hard to do so and it will instantly make you feel a lot safer when you are driving. This also helps you save more money instead of having to buy a new one. To help you out, here are some of the things that would be helpful for you when it comes to cleaning it on your own.
Methods
Toothpaste might be the key
If you see that your headlights are just a bit foggy, then restoring them should be a breeze. It should not be that hard and you will just glide right through it. What you need to do is grab some toothpaste from your kitchen and then try to scrub it on your headlights. However, what you need to do first would be to try and clean your headlights using some Windex or some water and soap. Once you are done with that, you need to use a soft cloth and put some toothpaste on it. Then you rub it on your wet headlight because this is going to help the cleaning going. You can also mix your baking soda with the toothpaste to help activate it better. Make sure that you keep your surface as wet as possible as you apply more toothpaste if you need it. Once you have removed your protective coating, what you need to do next is to apply a sealant.
Restoration kit
Now, in case the toothpaste is not working in your favor, the next thing you can do on how to clean BMW headlights would be to buy a restoration kit. A restoration kit allows you to clean up the headlights all by yourself without much hassle on your part. It is very handy so you can store up to one in your car so that you can use it whenever you need it. One kit would normally be enough so that you can clean both headlights. It is very easy to use your restoration kit so you ought to figure out how you are going to do it in a way that would be most helpful to you.
Follow instructions
Once you have your kit, make sure that you are going to follow the instructions religiously so that you would not mess things up. Do not try to improvise your way of using it. The kit would have instructions and step by step guide as well as the right tools that you will need so that you can restore your headlights properly. Going against the instructions might cause damage instead of being able to use it so keep that in mind.
Take your time
Depending on the state of your headlight, the cleaning and restoring part might take some time. Do not rush your way through cleaning your headlights but instead, take your time and make sure that you are going to be able to do it the way that it needs to be done. Make sure that you are going to clean it thoroughly. You should take note that you are rubbing on the years of oxidation that have piled up as well as the protective coating of your headlights and that is why it might take a lot of time. If you are impatient and give up midway, then you would just have wasted your time. Make sure that you can put in hours on your work so that it would not be a problem later on.
Feel it out
Now, another important step on how to clean BMW headlights would be to learn how to feel things out. For example, as you are sanding your headlights, you should run your hands on them and see if you feel rough spots. If so, then it just means that you need to keep sanding until they are gone. This is an easy way for you to be able to properly assess if you are done cleaning or not. You need to make sure that you are going to do things right so that you would be able to do what needs to be done. Feeling it out is a sure way to make sure there are no rough bumps that might do fogging on your headlights when you use them later.
Be careful
When you are sanding your headlights, you should be as careful as possible. This is because as you sand your way through, you might accidentally scratch the paint off your car. This can be a disaster which would end up in you having to spend more money in the process. This is why what you should do is be careful as much as you can when it comes to sanding your headlights. additionally, an easy and neat trick to not chip the paint off of your car is to tape off the places around your headlight. However, for older cars, the tape might chip the paint off, so you might want to consider this as well. Just make sure that you figure out a way for you to stand properly but also carefully as not to do more damage to your car than intended.
Keep it wet
You should have a bucket or a bottle of spray handy next to you. A hose would do as well if you happen to be in your garden or your garage. You need to keep your headlights as wet as possible while you are sanding them out so that you get to clean them easier. This is something that most people might not know so it would come in handy on how to clean BMW headlights.
Trust your kit
Cleaning would be a breeze as long as you follow the instructions that are directed to you by the kit. They know what is best and that is why you need to be meticulous in following it. The thing is that it can look a little hazy after you have already sanded it out. The good news is that it would not remain that way and after you have applied some coating, you should be able to see it fully restored. This is why you need to trust the process and believe that it will turn out well.
Dry it out
After you are done with sanding and you have felt it out and made sure there are no more rough spots, the next thing to do would be to apply your sealant. You need to make sure that the place you will apply your sealant is dry. You need to make sure that it is completely dry before you apply the sealant. This is the most important step in how to clean BMW headlights. Making sure that it is dry would be great and after you have applied it, leave it overnight before you decide to use it. Try to keep your car indoors so that there would be no bugs trying to stick to it and you can rest well using it.
