It is absolutely necessary to keep a check on a vehicle’s headlights in order to make sure they are running fine with the right intensity. They are one of those essentials that fade fast either due to the bulb or due to fogging of the headlight cover. Either way, headlight replacement is inevitable every 12 – 16 months. We have rounded up a list of everything you need to know about replacing headlights.
Why Is Headlight Replacement Necessary?
Dimmed headlights increase the risk of your vehicle going unnoticed by other drivers or reduced down-road visibility for you. In any case, they are very dangerous and can lead to serious accidents or land you a hefty ticket for putting yourself and others at risk. Also, you can also get inexpensive replacements for your regular halogen headlights and update them to H7 headlight bulbs and get up to 25% increased road visibility.
When Should You Replace Your Headlights?
A lot of people wait for their headlight bulbs to be completely burned out before they go for replacement. This is not only risky but can also result in a ticket for you. It is best that you replace your headlights once you notice them dimming or flickering. Also, if one of the bulbs is dimming, there’s a high chance that the other will be dimmed soon as well. When replacing the headlight bulbs, make sure you replace both the bulbs, or if you have an older model which has separate bulbs for beam, then replace all 4 bulbs together.
What Different Types of Headlights Are There?
There are typically 3 types of headlights including
- Halogen: Usually the most common types of car headlights, these are tungsten-halogen mixed light bulbs filled with halogen gas that generate the most high intensity yellow light in comparison to other lights. These are mostly used in vehicles and offer the highest road visibility. However, the can require replacement earlier than HIDs.
- Xenon/HID: In place of a heated light filament, this type of headlight uses xenon gas. They are quite bright and do not heat up like halogen lights when switched on. They are also more durable and are generally known as HID lights or High Intensity Definition Lights. Due to all these additional benefits, they are also a bit pricier.
- LED: LED lights are another advancement from Halogen lights as they require less power and are cooler than halogen lights. They are also far more durable and save you the hassle of checking and replacing your lights every now and then.
What Type of Headlights Suit Me?
All vehicles support halogen lights as they are the standard headlights, however, car makers are increasing shifting towards installing HID and LED headlights as a part of adding luxury and oomph factor the vehicles. It is best that before you head on and purchase any lights, get your car evaluated to see if it supports other varying types of headlights.
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