My 2005 Cavalier has had surprisingly dim headlights since I bough it five years ago. The plastic headlight covers do not seem to be significantly clouded, scratched or pitted--they look pretty good. I just installed new 100/80W bulbs, and although they seem to have a whiter/brighter shine, their performance at night is no better at all. I buffed the covers with headlight polish (which made little apparent difference) and the illumination is still very poor. I drive on high beam all the time, and no one ever 'flashes' me. My questions to the group are (1) Did Cavaliers just have lousy headlights to begin with, and (2) Is there anything else I can try? Thanks!

 

I finally bought a pair of new (Taiwan) headlights from eBay ($58.00), and they completely solved the problem. I really didn't think my originals were clouded that badly--I have seen much worse in parking lots--but these new ones work great.

 

Toothpaste works pretty good too.