Don't let the holidays get hazy
With earlier sunsets and winter weather on the way, Headlight Restoration Company helps keep holiday travels merry, bright and safer.
Brandon Anter, founder of Headlight Restoration Company, uses a seven-step process to restore headlights. (Photography: Francis Angelone)
Whether you’re heading to a holiday party, making a last-minute shopping run or driving home from grandma’s house, chances are you’ll be spending more time behind the wheel after dark this season.
Add snow, sleet, wet pavement and the occasional deer into the mix, and the ability to see clearly becomes even more important. Before you blame your eyes for struggling to see the road ahead, take a look at your headlights.
Over time, once-clear headlight lenses can turn yellow, cloudy and hazy, dramatically reducing the amount of light reaching the road. According to AAA, deteriorated headlights can produce just 20% of the light generated by new headlights—a significant difference when you’re trying to spot a pedestrian, deer or obstacle on a dark winter road.
Because the problem happens gradually, many drivers don’t realize how much visibility they’ve lost.
Constant UV exposure breaks down the plastic lens and its manufacturer-applied protective clear coat.
Meanwhile, sand, gravel and flying debris create tiny scratches and pits that scatter light. Road salt, mud, tar and chemicals can add to the deterioration—something Northeast Ohio drivers know plenty about once winter arrives.
Eventually, a lens designed to be crystal clear becomes cloudy enough to block the light behind it. Fortunately, replacing the entire headlight assembly isn’t the only solution.
Brandon Anter, owner of Headlight Restoration Company, uses a seven-step professional restoration process to bring aging headlights back to life—and backs his work with a three-year warranty.
“I’m a detail guy,” Brandon says. “I’ve always been enthusiastic about keeping cars clean. But several years ago, I restored the headlights for my fiancée—now my wife—and she told me she could see much better at night. That’s when I realized restoring headlights isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about safety. Doing this work became my calling.”
For years, Brandon has worked behind the scenes with local automobile dealerships, restoring headlights on vehicles in their used-car inventories. Now he brings that same professional service directly to area vehicle owners—and does the work right in their driveways.
“I like working with car dealerships, but I get more satisfaction and gratitude from working with people,” Brandon says. “I know I’m providing a valuable service that helps keep the vehicle owner and their family safe.”
The headlight restoration service can be performed on virtually all vehicles, including this Honda Odyssey.
A Winter Safety Check
With holiday travel and winter driving season approaching, Brandon says headlights deserve a spot on your vehicle safety checklist. Make sure both lights are functioning properly and take a close look at the lenses. If they appear yellow, cloudy or hazy, the amount of light illuminating the road may be significantly reduced.
Clear headlights become particularly important during the colder months, when darkness arrives earlier and snow, rain, road spray and glare can make visibility more challenging.
And while a clearer headlight can make an older vehicle look newer, the real benefit is putting more light where it belongs—on the road ahead.
Why Restore Instead of Replace?
Replacing a modern headlight assembly can come with serious sticker shock.
Depending on the vehicle, new headlights can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars—and that’s before labor. On some vehicles, technicians must remove the bumper or other components just to access the assembly.
Brandon has seen those costs firsthand. Using an app he developed, he priced the headlights for my Honda and found the parts alone would cost about $1,100. For my wife’s older Volvo, the figure was roughly twice that.
One customer faced an even bigger surprise.
“I recently restored the headlights on a very expensive sports car, and the owner told me he had been quoted $5,700 to replace them,” Brandon says. “It feels good to know I’m not just helping people see better and drive more safely. I’m also saving them a tremendous amount of money.”
Unlike inexpensive DIY restoration kits, Brandon’s process is designed to provide a lasting solution rather than a quick cosmetic improvement. DIY treatments may initially make headlights look better, only for the haze and discoloration to return.
Professional restoration addresses the deteriorated surface and protects the lens afterward, helping drivers regain clarity without paying for entirely new assemblies.
So before you load up the car with gifts and head over the river and through the woods this holiday season, give your headlights a second look. Making sure they’re clear and functioning properly is one simple way to help make those winter drives a little brighter—and safer.
Headlight Restoration Company serves Cuyahoga, Summit and Medina counties.
Headlight Restoration Company
330-321-8121 (text or call)
BrandonAnter@HeadlightRestorationCo.com
HeadlightRestorationCompany.com
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