How to Restore an Inside Headlight Lens

by Matt Scheer

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If a headlight lens on your vehicle is foggy and dims your headlight beam, you can restore the lens. The lens is sealed onto the headlight assembly to prevent water damage to electrical components, such as the adjuster motor and the headlight bulb. In most vehicles, headlight assembly removal is the only way to access the inside of the headlight lens. Expect the process to take at least an hour.

Step 1

Turn off your vehicle and prop open the hood.

Step 2

Disconnect the wiring harness from the rear of the headlight assembly.

Step 3

Remove the mounting bolts from the headlight assembly.

Step 4

Pull the headlight assembly off of the headlight mounting bracket. Remove nearby components such as the grille or the bumper if the headlight assembly does not come out easily.

Step 5

Set the headlight assembly on a work bench and turn on your hair dryer or hot-air gun.

Step 6

Heat the glue that adheres the headlight lens to the assembly body and carefully pry the lens off of the assembly body. Continue around the perimeter until the lens comes off.

Step 7

Buff the inside of the headlight lens with the restoration polish, which is used to bring shine and clarity back to cloudy glass and plastic surfaces, and the towel. Repeat for the outside of the lens while it's accessible.

Step 8

Pour a continuous bead of liquid silicon sealant on the perimeter of the lens and press the lens against the headlight assembly body to glue it back on. Reverse the removal steps to reinstall the headlight assembly.

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