Skip to main content

Increase the Selling Price of Your Used Car with This DIY Tip

Here’s one DIY tip you can use on your used car that will increase the selling price or at least give cause for a potential buyer to linger a little longer while considering whether to buy your used car. And even if you are not looking to sell your used car, it’s an important DIY job toward good car maintenance.
Headlight Restoration Technique that Works Well

Used Car Tricks of the Trade

Many car buyers are like birds and other creatures---they like shiny things. And nothing stands out like a used car that looks like it was taken care of and spent more time inside a garage than it did outside in the elements.

One of the used car tricks of the trade (and part of good car maintenance) is to ensure that your headlight lenses shine like an eye-catching crystal to attract a potential buyer.

Related article: Consumer Reports on How to Assess a Used Vehicle’s True Value

What many car owners do not know is that like the body paint, the headlight lenses have a protective coating against the elements to keep the lights bright and focused rather than dulled and diffused. However, even the best of coatings will not last forever---especially in UV-constant exposure in the Southwest or when a car is kept outside most of the time.

Related article: Car Maintenance 101: Changing the Headlight on a Prius

Finding the Best DIY Advice on Headlights

While there are many YouTube channels with DIY advice on restoring your headlamp lenses, a careful review reveals that often the emphasis was on cheapness and ease of application of whatever technique(s) each offered. I’m talking about a toothpaste scrub followed by some “Mop N Glo” floor shine or similar chemicals splashed on, type of advice.

At best, many produce “good enough for government work” results. At worst some offer poor advice that can result in worsening the condition of the lenses or result in just a temporary fix that will not last more than month or so.

Furthermore, few offer a reminder about safety during the restoration process---some chemical and cleansing procedures release airborne contaminants that can get sucked into the lungs without the use of protective equipment. Plus, few also offer good overspray protection recommendations to prevent damaging the car body.

Winning Advice on Headlight Restoration for the DIY Car Owner

That all said, here is some good winning advice from a Paint Society YouTube channel that I found lived up to its title as the best guide to restore headlights permanently.

Related article: Consumer Reports Used Car Fixes: DIY Fix for a Dented Bumper

The BEST Guide to Restore Headlights PERMANENTLY!

And finally…

For additional articles about DIY car repair, here are some selected ones for your enjoyment:

• How to Maintain your Toyota with DIY Instruction from These Toyota Mechanics

• Easy and Correct Way to Change Your Transmission Fluid Without Removing the Pan

• Toyota Rav4 Maintenance on the Cheap

COMING UP NEXT: Old School Diagnosing a 1990 Ford F-150

Timothy Boyer is a Torque News automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites for daily new and used vehicle news.

Image Source: Pixabay

Automotive News
Car Questions

Comments

bob E (not verified)    March 31, 2022 - 6:50AM

Permalink

I tried using a commercial product to restore the headlights on an old Subaru I had. It didn't work. What worked great was spending $250 per headlight assembly for new Subaru parts for my old car. They were fairly easy to replace, and I could once again see at night.

Thanks for the tip on UV coatings for headlights.