A free way to clean car headlights: use toothpaste!

Buying a car now is not too difficult - there are a variety of loans and installment payment programs. It is much more difficult to maintain it so that it is always in good working order, and its appearance remains the same as when it first left the point of sale. Regular washing of the car cannot completely solve all problems, because in addition to the body, the car has headlights, the cleanliness of which determines not only the appearance, but also traffic safety. Conventional washing does not allow you to completely get rid of the yellow coating that quickly appears on the glass during use. Polishing the headlights with toothpaste will help you quickly get them in order.

Why periodically polish

Optics in a car are very important, but headlights are constantly exposed to various influences - sand, gravel, dirt, stones flying out from under the wheels of other cars. In addition, various insects affect the optics. All this, sooner or later, can lead to the light losing its brightness and directionality. In addition, the car loses its appearance, presentability and attractiveness.

There is no way to avoid this. Therefore, periodic cleaning, polishing, and repair of the headlight is necessary. It is best to tidy up the optics yourself - this way you can save a considerable amount of money and time. Plastic headlights can become cloudy and deteriorate due to careless cleaning with a cloth. The cloth may not be soft or clean enough, or may have been saturated with some harmful detergent.

Causes of the problem

During normal engine operation, the car starts and warms up easily. The tachometer needle shows 2000 rpm and drops to 900 rpm as it warms up. It is not always so. The engine starts, it begins to heat up, but becomes noticeable when the speed of the VAZ

starts to swim. And absolutely nothing depends on the driver. The engine runs independently. The speed can vary over a wide range. The minimum speed drop is close to 500, and the maximum reaches 1500 rpm. Usually after 5 minutes the engine starts working stably and the problem disappears. However, she periodically reminds herself. Floating speed needs to be fought. First you need to establish the reason why the VAZ 2110 is not gaining momentum. Possible reasons

1. The DMRV sensor, which measures air flow, is not working.
2. IAC failure responsible for idle stability.
3. The speed sensor has burned out. The wiring may have burned out.
4. Malfunction of the sensor that controls the position of the crankshaft, DPKV. This usually rarely fails and is most often caused by the wiring and connection.
5. The throttle valve assembly is clogged.
6. Threaded high-voltage wires.
7. The ignition module is not working well.
8. Bad spark at the spark plugs.
9. The solenoid valve is not working.

To test the solenoid valve with the ignition on, connect the power source to an outlet. A strong click should occur after touching. If there is no click, you need to connect the contact directly to the “plus” of the battery. If there is no click again, the valve has failed and needs to be replaced. Sometimes a click is heard, but the speed continues to float

Most likely the valve nozzle is clogged. Floating speed may be caused by a dirty air filter. In addition, the engine speed is also affected by the ignition system and the absence of air leaks. And if VAZ 2110

is this an injector? In modern cars, which have an injector instead of a carburetor, where the fuel supply is regulated by a special sensor, the appearance of floating speeds is often associated with the failure of one of the sensors.

What is this? The electronic control unit tries to read the information, but does not receive it. Why is this happening? The electronic control should constantly receive information about the engine, but this does not happen as a result. unstable, floating speed.

What if the electronic control unit breaks? Quite often this “brain center” becomes the main reason for the drop in speed. When one of the sensors that regulate normal engine operation fails or comes out, the system does not receive accurate commands from the on-board computer. This is how floating revolutions appear.

Tools and materials

The standard polishing arsenal must include tools that can be used to remove the caps. You should also stock up on masking tape. To sand deep scratches, you need sandpaper with different grits. The maximum grit range should be from 600 to 4000. To complete this job as quickly as possible, a sander or any other power tool will come in handy. Naturally, polishing a headlight with toothpaste will not work without the toothpaste itself. Moisten the surface to be sanded with clean water and rinse it.

Polishing plastic headlights with toothpaste requires a foam sponge. Felt or felt is also perfect. If you don’t have any of this, then you can use a polishing attachment for an electric drill.

Before starting work, the optics must be removed, having previously taken care of electrical safety, and the headlights must be fixed in a convenient position. Only then can you start working.

Steam treatment

Do-it-yourself polishing of headlights with acetone vapor works like this. Solvent vapor melts the thin top layer of the headlight block, after which the headlights look like new, that’s the whole point of such polishing. The procedure is as follows:

• Don’t forget about safety precautions: there should be no cigarettes or sources of open flame (even sparks) in the room where you will be sanding with hot acetone with your own hands. Acetone and its vapors are flammable and will flare up instantly and can cause serious injury;
• Remove the inner flattened tube from the device;
• Pour solvent into the shock absorber piece;
• After which the tube is inserted back;
• Connect the heating element to the power supply (outlet);
• If the heating element is a water bath for hot acetone vapors to polish the headlights, then we begin to heat the water in which the device is located so that it does not get inside;
• Acetone boils at only 56 degrees;
• You can start treating the headlamp block with acetone vapor when steam starts coming out of the slit of the tube;
• Smoothly move the hovering tube as close to the treatment surface as possible;
• No matter how fabulous it may look, the cloudy plastic surface becomes transparent and smooth, treated with acetone fumes, right before your eyes, and no tricks;
• After completely treating the entire surface, you need to wait at least ten minutes without touching the surface or touching it with anything. Otherwise, a cloudy spot will appear at the point of contact, due to which everything will have to be redone;
• At the same time, it is more convenient to work with hot acetone steam when the headlight unit is removed from the car, because the nose is not rounded, so it will be easier to control the flow of steam when nothing is in the way;
• The main condition is smooth and consistent processing without leaving gaps;
• To ensure that the transparency effect remains for a long time, and there is no need to repeat this treatment again after one or two months, after polishing, the headlight is coated with ceramic varnish, or covered with armor film;
• After completing the process, the room should be ventilated;

Polishing process

The technology includes several stages:

• Metal parts and rubber seals are closed.
• Preliminary cleaning of dust or dirt.
• Polishing headlights with toothpaste.
• Cleaning.

At the first stage, it is necessary to prepare the field for work.

The first step is to seal all metal parts or seals with tape to protect them from possible damage during the polishing process. Next, the entire surface is thoroughly cleaned of any contaminants. Not only dust and dirt are removed, but also various fats, oils, etc. For such cleaning, it is best to use a degreaser.

When all the preparatory work is completed, you can proceed to the rubbing process. Polishing headlights with your own hands with toothpaste involves applying the substance directly to the surface or to felt or any other soft cloth. To polish the surface, you need to make vigorous and very fast circular movements.

For greater efficiency and high results, it is recommended to use electric tools. It can be either a grinder, a hammer drill, or a drill. Power tools must be equipped with special polishing devices or grinding wheels on which toothpaste or any other material is applied. Polishing car headlights can also be performed using a specially designed composition based on diamond dust.

If it is necessary to process a glass or plastic headlight, it is important that the surface is not overheated. Otherwise, this may lead to cracks, and the plastic may become deformed at high temperatures. To prevent this, the temperature is constantly monitored during the process. This is done with one hand - if you can hold on to the glass, then everything is in order. It is important to pause during the process. If you have certain skills, you can easily achieve excellent results.

What will you need for work?

In order for any work to take a minimum of time and give good results, it is necessary to prepare the necessary tools before starting active actions.

To polish car headlights you will need:

• tool for removing glass: screwdriver, knife;
• masking tape;
• brush with a comfortable handle;
• glass cleaner, white spirit;
• clean rag;
• sponge.

Since the glass headlight cover has a small area, polishing can be done manually. But using a power tool will significantly speed up the process. It’s good if you have a drill with a polishing attachment or a grinder on hand. But if there is no such tool (and nowhere to borrow it for a while), you will have to cope without it.

Features of glass polishing

Polishing a headlight with toothpaste, if the surface of the optical device is glass, is virtually no different from polishing plastic. But the process itself requires extreme accuracy. It should also be taken into account that the same work at a service station will cost much more. It is recommended to use brushes with a medium degree of hardness. The process is carried out until there are no scratches on the surface. Then sanding is carried out with felt or a towel, but without toothpaste. The entire process from start to finish will take from 30 minutes to a couple of hours. The total time depends on several factors:

• Size of scratches.
• The product used.
• Manual or automated polishing.
• Optics material.

If the scratch is quite deep, you can apply sandpaper treatment, but only for a rough draft. And after the scratch is destroyed, you can move on to the process of polishing and grinding the glass. There are situations when, after work, the headlight is still cloudy. In this case, the optics are completely disassembled and all actions are carried out, but from the reverse, inner side.

Branded pastes

Let's make a small rating of the most popular and common polishing pastes that can be used to process plastic and glass surfaces of headlights. Some of them also polish windshields, but here you should take a more careful approach to the issue of choice, studying the purpose and capabilities of a particular paste.

• Runway. Their product is called Headlight Polish. Silicone-free paste for easy application. You can process it by hand or with a sander. Costs about 350 rubles, the effect lasts 2-3 weeks;
• Lavr. Russian company offering the product Polish Restorer. Sold as a set costing 250 rubles. The composition contains a spatula, polish and several sanding papers. In addition to grinding, it creates a protective film due to wax and silicone in the composition;
• Abro. The paste is called HR230. Suitable for plastic optics only. A tube will cost 300 rubles. Excellently restores transparency and protects the surface. But you need to use it at least once every 3 months;
• Saphire. Good manufacturer of head lamp polish. It literally costs 160 rubles. It is recommended to order only through an authorized dealer. Restores transparency, does not require the use of a grinder;
• Sonax. Removes scratches well and is suitable for treating surfaces made of plexiglass. Can also be used for glass optics. Excellent German quality.

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What good pastes for working with automotive optics do you know? What else would you include on this list, or what tools would you cross off from it, based on personal experience? Be sure to write, it will be interesting and useful.

Of course, the list of good pastas does not end there. The market range is huge. I have named only those that are popular and that I have encountered personally and received a positive impression.

Benefits of DIY polishing

Polishing a headlight with toothpaste is a simple process that everyone can do. But there are also other undeniable advantages of this method. So, the price of polishing at a service station will be about 800 rubles. In severe cases it may be higher.

At home, the same process will be practically free. Another advantage is time. Finally, the entire technology is performed without special tools and devices. Reviews say that this way you can polish a headlight in absolutely any conditions.

Why do car headlights lose their attractive appearance?

No matter how well a car enthusiast cares for and protects headlight lenses, they can often be damaged by abrasive substances such as sand and small objects. This happens especially often when the car is moving at high speed.

The appearance of microscopic scratches gradually reduces the transparency of the glass. Its recovery when using rags or by washing is not observed.

If you wipe the surfaces of the car with rough and dry types of cloth, the damage may only increase, and the headlights will not perform their functions of illuminating the road efficiently.

Minuses

With all the advantages, there are also disadvantages. The main disadvantage is that the effect is short-term, and the process itself must be repeated with sufficient regularity. In addition, if due care is not taken during the process, the glass can easily be damaged.

But in general, despite the shortcomings, home polishing of headlights is the best option when you need to quickly and inexpensively return your optics to their excellent appearance and performance characteristics. Owner reviews say that for greater effect you should purchase a special polish.

Medicines

Drug therapy is prescribed to everyone. The course includes the following drugs:

• analgesics;
• local anesthetics;
• NSAIDs;
• muscle relaxants;
• diuretics;
• chondroprotectors;
• steroids;
• external agents.

Analgesics (Ketorol, Analgin and similar drugs) relieve pain faster if administered intramuscularly. In the future, oral administration of medications is indicated.

Pinching is often treated with a block using local anesthetics. Lidocaine injections are prescribed, which do not last long, but are enough to relieve acute pain. The same method is used for diseases such as sciatica.

NSAIDs – non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They eliminate inflammation and reduce pain. In the first days of an exacerbation, injections are indicated, after which internal (oral) administration is indicated. The group of such drugs includes Nimesulide, Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, Ketoprofen and so on.

Muscle relaxants - this group of drugs relieves muscle spasm, which helps release the pudendal nerve. Such drugs include Tizanidine, Tolperisone, Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).

Diuretics - they are prescribed in a short course to relieve internal swelling in the thigh. Swelling always accompanies injury and also provokes discomfort.

Chondroprotectors - this group of drugs is indicated for degenerative processes in the joint, which caused the infringement, since drugs in this group stimulate the restoration of cartilage. The most common: Teraflex, Chondroitin, Glucosamine, Structum.

Steroids (Prednisolone, Dexamethasone) – these drugs effectively relieve swelling and inflammation. Prescribed by injection in a short course under strict medical supervision. They are used only in cases where NSAIDs do not give the desired result. Both dexamethasone and prednisolone are potent hormonal drugs that should not be abused.

External products - ointments, gels - contain NSAIDs. They can have a warming effect, which relieves muscle spasms and improves blood circulation in the back, buttocks, and thigh.