Hi There, I'm Angela Oberer and today's good idea is not about oxidized headlights,
it's about asking better questions. So yesterday I take my car in for a smog test
and the repair guy tells me that my headlights have oxidized, I don't even know what that
means, but what it means is they've become so foggy that when the headlights shine through
at night, you're a road hazard cause they're shining so dimly.
Aahh! I should probably fix that. Well, he said he could fix it for me on the spot for
a hundred and forty four dollars. So question number 1: Do I need to fix this right now?
Whatever the problem is. Hmmm. I'm a road hazard so yes, probably I should.
Question number 2: Is there someone else
I should check with before I make this purchase? Let's see - No. I am authorized to make a
hundred and forty four dollars of repairs if necessary.
Question number 3: Should I get a second opinion or is there someone else who knows about this?
Well yes. My husband is a car guy, let me ask him real quickly.
Quick Text: Headlights oxidized, should I fix?
He sends me a quick text back and says: Yes, they have DIY kits.
I never thought of that. So I Google really quick and I find that the
kits range from $15-$30 dollars. I could save a whole lot of money if I did it myself.
So we're talking about a hundred and ten dollars in labor costs. How long does it take?
So I go over to YouTube and I do a search for Do it yourself oxidizing headlight repair.
And I find that lots of people do it with nothing more than, check this out: Toothpaste,
water and a rag. Well, that's really inexpensive and from where
I'm sitting, there is a .99 cent store. So I thank the guy, I pay him for the smog test
and I run across the street to the .99 cent store and lo and behold they sell, water,
rag and toothpaste. So I bought that, and I drive behind the .99 cent store, to a side
street, I literally jump out of my car, I follow all of the instructions on the YouTube video.
So for about six minutes, three dollars and a little bit of elbow grease, I was completely
able to restore my headlights to working condition.
So I am not here to brag about I saved $141 dollars, what I'm saying is that whenever you're thrown
a problem on the spur of the moment, just stop and ask yourself better questions.
Cause guess what? You might save some money, you might find a completely different way
to solve your problem, and by looking at all of your options,
you'll find that's a good idea.
It's a good idea