You notice it all the time: SUV and pickup owners call us way more often than sedan owners. Their headlights seem to yellow faster. Is it just an impression, or is there a real reason? There's a real reason. Several, actually.
Headlight Position
SUVs and trucks are taller than sedans. Their headlights are positioned at a height that catches road spray differently. On the highway, the tires of vehicles ahead of you spray water, salt, and gravel. On an SUV, the headlights are right in the path of those sprays.
Then there's the headwind. The taller the vehicle, the bigger the frontal surface area, the more your headlights take a beating from dust, sand, and bugs. Every particle that hits your headlight at 100 km/h creates a micro-impact. Multiply that over thousands of kilometers and you're wearing down the surface.
Headlight Size
SUV and pickup headlights are generally bigger than those on a sedan. More polycarbonate surface exposed to UV means more surface that can oxidize. A Ford F-150 headlight has way more plastic than a Honda Civic headlight. And every square inch goes through the same degradation process. We explain why polycarbonate yellows in our article on polycarbonate vs glass.
Usage
Pickups and SUVs are often used for work, towing, and driving on gravel roads. That kind of use exposes headlights to way more debris than the city driving a sedan does. Gravel alone does more damage to headlights than a year of parking in the city.
And in Quebec, pickups and SUVs spend a lot of time on back roads and rural routes in winter. Those roads get seriously treated with salt and gravel. We talk about salt's impact in our article on road salt and your headlights.
Replacement Cost: Where It Really Hurts
Replacing SUV or pickup headlights is pricey. The parts are bigger and cost more than sedan parts. A Ford F-150, Dodge RAM, or Chevrolet Silverado headlight can run you $500 to $1,000 per side for OEM parts. Double that and add labor costs. We break down the pricing in our article on headlight restoration vs replacement.
Restoration costs about the same as it does for a sedan, because the process is the same. It's just a bit more surface to cover, but that doesn't really change the time or cost. That's where you get the best bang for your buck.
Have an SUV or pickup with yellow headlights? Book an appointment at pharesautomobile.ca. We handle all models, at your place, in Montreal and on the South Shore.
