ASK THE EXPERT

Q: My headlights have gotten a yellow, cloudy appearance over the years. Short of replacing them, which is expensive, is there a way to fix this problem and prevent it from happening again?

A: Good question. It is important that the plastic covering your headlights is clean and clear. Cloudy headlights can be a safety issue because the lights are not shining as brightly as they should, decreasing your visibility and making it more difficult for other motorists to see you approaching.

The good news is, there are many commercial products on the market that can help you remedy this. Plastic restoration kits can be found at your local automotive supply store with complete directions on removing the haze from damaged lenses.

Now for the bad news. Most vehicles have polycarbonate lenses covering the headlamps. While they are sturdier than the glass lenses used in years gone by, they do tend to yellow and cloud with time, due to UV exposure and other factors.

But, you can go the cleaning route with good results, you’ll just have to repeat the process once the sun does its damage again.

John Walter is general manager of automotive products for AAA Arizona.