The Texas heat can do a number to your car. While not just dulling the exterior, it can also make your headlights hazy and cloudy.
An "As Seen On TV" product claims it can repair the damage and make your car look new again. It's called Wipe New. It claims getting that new car shine again is as easy as one swipe.
Britta Merwin's 2004 Honda CR-V runs like a top, but like any older model car it needs some cosmetic attention.
"I have hazy headlights," Merwin told consumer expert Amy Davis. "That needs to be addressed. And also I have this sun damage right here. You can see that the white starts to pop up under the black plastic."
The 13-year-old SUV was the perfect vehicle to test the claims of Wipe New Headlight Restore and Trim Restorer. The box reads "Apply once and the shine lasts for years!"
The instructions told us to wet the headlights and use a 2-sided lens polishing pad before breaking out the chemical-soaked cloth. That final step gave us a dramatic transformation. The headlights sparkled after the Wipe New application.
The product also claims it can restore the shine to interior door panels, dashboards, bumpers and plastic trim on the outside of your vehicle.
Just soak a cloth with the Wipe New chemical, always wearing the enclosed gloves, and wipe on. One badly sun-damaged spot on Merwin's bumper wasn't restored, but all of the other trim looked significantly better after Wipe New.
"It's a total yay," said Merwin. "It is completely worth the money. It does exactly what it says it's gonna do. It's easy to apply. You just have to make sure you're safe about it because it does have really heavy chemicals."
Wipe New claims the shine lasts for 2 years; and Britta confirms that. She used the product about 4 years ago and says the results lasted about 2 years.
We're not sure if Wipe New didn't work on her badly damaged bumper because it was the second application or if it there was simply too much damage. You can buy Wipe New for about $14 at Walmart.