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Do aftermarket LED bulbs in fog lights cause glare? (lemmy.world)

submitted 6 days ago by AA5B@lemmy.world to c/cars@lemmy.world

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In the last few years, car headlights seem to be much worse with glare. I don’t know if people no longer turn down their high beams, or if it’s raised trucks or aftermarket bulbs, or just shitty car design but it’s getting much tougher to see at night. And my teens complain more, so it’s not just me getting old

I’m looking for a way to improve my nighttime safety without adding to the problem.

Does anyone have experience with aftermarket LED bulbs for fog lights? Are they enough brighter to help see the road in the glare of oncoming high beams, while being enough lower to not just blind other drivers?

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[–] HumanPerson@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

First, thanks for the info dump. It's always nice when an internet stranger wants to write a lot about something I want to read a lot about.

Second, you say sanding plus a clear coat is the proper solution. What clear coat would you recommend? My lights are from 2012 and just a bit hazy.

[–] XeroxCool@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

It's the proper first step if your headlights are affecting the output. The irony is sometimes cleaning them makes them seem to work worse because of the above mentioned foreground misconception. When they're hazy, they throw more on the immediate ground. When they're clear, they throw down the road better. You can test it with a good polish. If they're already yellowing, you don't have much to lose with a polish. If it changes the pattern noticeably, you're likely in need of a sand/recoat. Or, nothing really wrong with this, polishing them every month. Wax won't help much to maintain it because it's really the UV doing the damage.

2K clear is the go-to coating. It's a 2-part epoxy paint in a spray can. It has an activator button and it expires within a few days of pressing it. Not to be confused with Rustoleum 2X, which just means 2 times the coverage. Spraymax is the main brand used and they now have a smaller, cheaper can for headlights. Still, like $37 USD.

I had a 2005 Taurus at one point. Although the headlight looked very hazy, it was all in the upper portion. The flat frontal lens was clean and was actually where all the light came out. Something to consider on yours.

Spraying of course carries risk because surface prep (sanding and cleaning) can make or break the project. Replacements are cheap for one of my cars, so I'll go that route when I do the projector retrofit (I don't necessarily trust cheap head light optics/durability). Replacements don't exist for my other car, so I have no real choice there. Just something to consider before intentionally sanding your headlights down. Could try on a spare set as well if used lights are cheap enough. Many tint/wrap/detail shops around me also offer this as a service.