spring clean your car :: review

It’s not a big secret that I’m not a neat freak. In general, I will do anything possible to postpone cleaning. And even though they don’t always get things sparkling clean, I’ve been known to pawn chores off on my children. Uh…I mean…I’m teaching them responsibility and how to work hard. That sounds better. 😉 But even me, Ms. I-Hate-To-Clean, seems to get bitten by the spring cleaning bug every now and then. And when I do? You’d better watch out! Because everything in arm’s length is headed for the dump or donation pile. No thing, no person, no place is safe! Even the car’s not off limits. And, have mercy, you should have seen all the junk I discovered stuffed in all the random nooks and crannies of my van this weekend!But even when I was cleaning out my van and going through the car wash, I never thought about some pretty important parts of spring cleaning your car! Did you know that the American Optometric Association reports that 90 percent of all driving decisions are based solely on visual cues and having faded, cloudy headlights can impair nighttime visibility significantly. When I read that, It thought about my mom’s car. My mom is a very responsible car owner. She takes her car in for regular check-ups and tune-ups and fix-ups. She has the tires rotated regularly and does all the things that you’re supposed to do to keep your car in tip-top shape. But even with all of her precise and proper care, the car is still old. It runs exceptionally well for a ten year old car but the paint isn’t as shiny as it used to be and there are dings and scratches here and there, but the most obvious sign that it’s old? The hazy headlights.

Last year we tried the “toothpaste trick” to clear the headlights. It worked well enough, I suppose, but it required a lot (and I do mean a lot) of arm power to scrub, scrub, scrub, and scrub some more. And I was really disappointed that only a few weeks later, they seemed dull and cloudy again. But tonight we tried this Headlight Restoration Kit and I was blown away by the results.
It does take a fair amount of scrubbing, but not nearly as much as with the toothpaste. You start with a spray and 3 different levels of sandpaper. Don’t freak out! It really does work! You’re essentially sanding off the layer of grime and gunk and then buffing it with the finest sand paper. And here’s where it really gets good: you add the clarifying compound and then the UV block clear coat and then BOOM! Incredibly clear headlights! I mean, just look at the difference!

I couldn’t believe it! My mom and I worked together, each doing one headlight, and it took us about 30 minutes. And none of our arms fell off (though it was a good arm workout)! Want to see it in action? Here’s a video of how the headlight restoration kit works. It really is as easy as he says it is!

SYLVANIA Headlight Restoration Kit :: around $20 at most retailers

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