Are the headlights of your Honda Accord faded, yellow, or cloudy? Here is how you can bring them back to new for under $25 with just a half-hour of effort.
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The Honda Accord is a very reliable and very popular vehicle model. There are many on the road that have been meticulously maintained, yet they have one major flaw. The headlights fade, turn yellow, or get cloudy. We own a perfect example. A 2006 Accord that has seen three generations of drivers in our family. Its headlights had turned yellow on top and we wanted to bring them back to like-new condition. Here's how we did it.
To restore your Honda's headlights prepare this bill of materials:
-Hand-held drill - any will do.
-Painter's Tape
-Water mist spray bottle
-Some paper towels
-3M Headlight Kit
-UV Protectant spray
-Your old clothes and a dust mask are recommended
You can source the 3M kit at Amazon or your local retailer. It costs about $13. The kit is the main ingredient here, but you will also need to buy some UV protectant spray. Again, Try Amazon or your favorite brick and mortar retailer. We bought McGuire's headlight spray for $9.
Accord Headlight Restoration - How To Do It
The process starts by washing the headlights and drying them. Next, use painter's tape to mask the headlight. You are going to be sanding and do not want to damage the surrounding paint. We also suggest draping a cloth over the vehicle. The process creates a lot of dust and some splatter from the polishing compound. You cannot immediately wash the vehicle because of the last step.
Then the fun starts. You follow the directions inside the 3M kit. This involves multiple sanding steps, a wet-sanding step, and a final polishing step. Do not be afraid. We are all thumbs and can burn tea, but we were able to successfully do this job on many cars.
The headlights are going to look a lot worse before they look better. This is normal and required. Don't panic. Here are two tips:
- Spend more time on the first and second sanding steps than you think you need to. It actually saves you time in the long run.
- Smear the polishing paste on the polish pad and headlight and use about a grape's worth. Otherwise, it just flings off the polisher and onto you and the car.
Once you have polished up the headlights, they will appear like new. However, they are not done yet. You have removed the factory UV protectant film and must put one back. Follow the McGuire's spray instructions. Here's a tip; Less is more with this stuff. You are not painting them. Just applying two very thin coats. DO NOT TOUCH the film while it is drying. It will leave a smear.
Plan to wash your car the following day. If you found this helpful, please let us know in the comments below.
Related Stories:
Restoring Cloudy Yellow Headlights On A Honda Fit Is Easy - How To Do It Right Under $25
Here Are the Real-World Maintenance Costs of a Honda Accord Over 100K Miles
In addition to covering green vehicle topics, John Goreham covers safety, technology, and new vehicle news at Torque News. You can follow John on Twitter at @johngoreham.
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Had this problem of the
Had this problem of the fogging headlights on my 2004 4Runner. Try scrubbing it with some baking soda, as while not perfect, it got about 90% of the crud off, and the headlights worked fine until I sold it. Shame that these plastic headlights can't go the distance like the old glass ones could.