Visibility is one of the most important aspects of safe driving. Regardless of this fact, headlight maintenance is often overlooked by most car owners.
If you are interested in safer night driving Meridian Automotive can upgrade the head light system on many vehicles. Just call the Automotive professionals at Meridian Automotive for more information.
Over time your vehicle’s headlights will burn out (as most lights do) or the electrical system may go bad as it ages dimming or outing one or more of your lights. Headlights have also proven to get rather dirty over time. Any of these scenarios can compromise your view of the road and put you at risk while driving.
HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEADLIGHTS
Once a month drivers should check to make sure that their vehicles headlights are working properly and are in good condition.
- Check The Lenses
Headlight lenses become cloudy and dirty over time. This can diffuse the beams of your headlights, which makes it harder for you to see and be seen. So if you notice that your lenses are foggy or yellowing, you may want to look into aheadlight restoration kit, or having them cleaned professionally.
- Check Their Brightness
Headlights naturally dim over time. So even though they are working, you may still need to have them replaced. You can check their brightness by parking on a level surface about five feet from your garage door or a building wall. Turn your headlights on. The light on the wall from your headlights should be bright white. If they appear to be dim or yellow, you should replace them.
- Check Their Alignment
While you have your car set to check the brightness of your lights, you should also check that the beams are aimed well. Both sides should hit the same spot on the wall. If your lights are aimed too high or too low, you may be creating a blind spot for other drivers. When you do this it affects their ability to see the road and you. Potholes can often cause misaligned headlights, which is one more reason to try and avoid them. If you notice your lights need are not angled properly, you should bring your car into a mechanic to have them adjusted.
- Replace in Pairs
You should always replace both headlights at the same time. Headlights dim over their lifetime, so if you change only one you will have one light that is brighter than the other. This creates an uneven field of vision which can be majorly distracting for not only you, but for oncoming traffic as well.
HOW TO CHANGE A HEADLIGHT
Headlights used to be a lot more complicated to replace than they are today. Here is a quick guide to changing your headlights from DMV.org:
WHAT TYPE OF BULB?
First, find out what type of bulb you need. It may be listed in the owner’s manual for your vehicle. If you cannot locate the correct bulb information, ask the service clerk at the auto parts store. They have reference material and can find this information for you quickly.
TOOLS TO CHANGE A HEADLIGHT BULB
You’ll need a few supplies in order to change a single or both headlights on your vehicle. Remember, if you are using a different type bulb for a burned-out headlight, you must place that same type bulb in the working headlight. Here’s what you need:
- The correct bulb for your vehicle’s make, model and year.
- Service manual for your vehicle’s make, model and year.
- Any tools required, as indicated in the service manual.
FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO CHANGE THE HEADLIGHT BULB ON YOUR VEHICLE
- Open the engine compartment hood.
- Locate the back of the headlight to determine the lamp and bulb type.
- Purchase the correct bulb for your headlamp.
- Follow the directions in the service manual for the correct way to replace the bulb.
If you don’t remember the last time that you changed your headlights, you may want to consider having themupgraded to prevent any issues from arising. If you ever have any doubts or concerns about your cars maintenance, please feel free to contact us here at Meridian Automotive. We are happy to be of service.
