Car Headlight Maintenance Tips

It’s an obvious point, but there is no driver aid or safety feature that is more important than your headlights.

Not only do your headlights show you where you need to go, they also assist other cars and vehicles see you on the road, both at night and during poor visibility conditions during the day.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration did a study on headlights recently and found:

• The primary reason for severe night-time accidents is dim, cloudy or improperly lit headlights.
• A 20% to 50% reduction in headlight output leads to a 90% increase in the possibility of an accident.
• An estimated 90% of cars on the road have dirty or yellowed headlights.
• Dirty or yellowed headlights greatly reduce vision.

With all that evidence at hand, perhaps making headlight maintenance a higher priority would be a good idea? Here’s some easy car headlight maintenance tips…

Upgrade your headlight bulbs:

SYLVANIA Automotive Lighting tell us better headlights can help increase visibility farther down the road and can help drivers react sooner. Any upgrade above a basic headlight replacement can create a better, safer experience for drivers. Many high-performance halogen headlights don’t increase glare, which avoids affecting other drivers on the road.

Replace headlight bulbs before burnout:

Headlights can dim over time so make sure to replace them before they burn out. If you can’t remember the last time the headlights were changed, it may be time for an upgrade.

Always swap headlight bulbs in pairs:

It’s very important to replace headlights in sets of two. Since headlights dim over their lifetime, a new bulb paired with an old bulb will create an uneven field of vision, which can be a major distraction on the road for oncoming traffic.

Changing the headlight bulbs can be a simple process that doesn’t require a mechanic or service professional. Consult your vehicle’s owner’s manual for replacement procedures, needed tools and safety precautions.

Restore your headlight lenses:

Millions of these cars have faded, cloudy plastic headlight lenses. There are DIY restoration kits that can help you restore clarity and remove the hazy yellow appearance on headlight lenses.

A good restoration kit can let up to three times more light shine on the road from the same, once cloudy headlight.

Keep your headlights clean:

Be sure all vehicle lights, including headlights, taillights and turn signals, are clean.