By Slaton L. White

This is all started during turkey season. I was driving down a secondary road well before dawn and was having a hard time locating the turnoff to the field where I was going to meet my hunting partner. I thought: “Are my headlamps even on?”

They were, but they really looked like dim bulbs to me.

My truck is a 2001 Explorer Sport Trac, with the OE headlamps. They’ve seen a lot of miles. Later, in the full light of day, when I took a closer look, I could also see the lenses had “fogged over,” the haze a product of exposure to years of ultraviolet rays. No wonder I had trouble finding my turn.

Owners of older trucks face a similar problem, but here’s a quick and easy fix, courtesy of Sylvania Automotive Lighting.

First, I replaced my old halogen bulbs with new Sylvania SilverStar Ultra bulbs ($49.99). The company claims the bulbs are designed to let you see “40 percent farther down the road” while improving side-to-side vision as well. I can’t verify the 40 percent, but I can tell you the road ahead at night is now definitely brighter.

The second half of the solution is the company’s Headlight Restoration Kit ($19.99). This is a do-it-yourself deal that takes about an hour. One thing I greatly appreciated, an excellent set of step-by-step instructions. Essentially, what you are doing is wet-sanding (with three different types of sandpaper) the lens to remove the glazed-over surface. Then you apply a UV Block Clear Coat designed to help protect the headlamp from future UV damage.

When I drove the truck that night, the road before me lit up like a roman candle. It truly was the difference between night and day. Sylvania.com/auto

Comments (5)

from Blayman wrote 3 days 1 hour ago

I thought about buying those bulbs until I read the back of the package. "40% brighter results based on 100% power to Sylvania bulbs and 80% power to OEM bulbs" What a marketing rip off

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from TM wrote 3 days 53 min ago

Blayman,

If that's true, that's ridiculous.

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from RJ Arena wrote 3 days 30 min ago

You can buy that cleaning kit at Harbor freight for $9.99 when on sale(which is almost every month) or spend like $5.00 or less on a life-time supply of Noxon, (available at most hardware stores), apply with a paper towel, wait about 10 mins., and buff off with clean paper towel, and the lenses are like new.
I find that vehicles with straight up and down lenses "film up" less than ones that angle back.

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from timvance8 wrote 2 days 22 hours ago

Caveat emptor...
I purchased one of these Ultra bulbs in December to replace the OEM bulb. The low beam burned out after 6 months.
The back of the package says that this particular bulb has the shortest lifespan of any they make. So all that luminous performance comes at a price. A very expensive price.

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from neuman23 wrote 2 days 14 hours ago

You can also clean your headlights with some toothpaste.

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from neuman23 wrote 2 days 14 hours ago

You can also clean your headlights with some toothpaste.

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from Blayman wrote 3 days 1 hour ago

I thought about buying those bulbs until I read the back of the package. "40% brighter results based on 100% power to Sylvania bulbs and 80% power to OEM bulbs" What a marketing rip off

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from TM wrote 3 days 53 min ago

Blayman,

If that's true, that's ridiculous.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from RJ Arena wrote 3 days 30 min ago

You can buy that cleaning kit at Harbor freight for $9.99 when on sale(which is almost every month) or spend like $5.00 or less on a life-time supply of Noxon, (available at most hardware stores), apply with a paper towel, wait about 10 mins., and buff off with clean paper towel, and the lenses are like new.
I find that vehicles with straight up and down lenses "film up" less than ones that angle back.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from timvance8 wrote 2 days 22 hours ago

Caveat emptor...
I purchased one of these Ultra bulbs in December to replace the OEM bulb. The low beam burned out after 6 months.
The back of the package says that this particular bulb has the shortest lifespan of any they make. So all that luminous performance comes at a price. A very expensive price.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

Post a Comment

 

All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.