Let’s start:
Oil and coolant level- check.
Air filters- check.
Wheel alignment- check.
Tire pressure- check.
Battery performance- check.
But, what about headlights? Does your car maintenance checklist contain headlight maintenance too?
Sadly, when it comes to car maintenance, car owners pay attention to everything but headlights. However, headlight maintenance is equally important as it is directly concerned with driver and passenger safety.
Here is how you can maintain your car’s headlights:
Clean Them Regularly
Needless to say, cleaning the headlights is a necessary maintenance tip that you must follow.
Unclean headlights can hamper visibility. And when the headlights fail to cast light on the path efficiently, accidents are likely to happen.
Wipe the headlights with a damp microfiber cloth once a week to prevent dust buildup.
Check The Illumination
Both the bulbs don’t go out together. Mostly one bulb goes out before the others. Even if one bulb goes out, it hinders illumination and visibility. Hence, keep the illumination in check.
To check the illumination, park the car and turn the headlights on. Go out and check whether or not both the headlights are working. Or, park your car in front of a garage door or wall, and check the surface to ensure that the headlights are functional.
Check The Brightness
Headlights get dim over time. Even if the headlights of your car are working, replacing them is a wise idea.
To check the brightness of the headlights, park your car around 5 feet from a wall and turn the headlights on. Observe the color of the light. If it is bright white, it is well and good. But if it is dim or yellow, replace them immediately.
Keep A Check On Yellowing And Clouding
With time, the surface of the headlights gets yellow or cloudy and lessens illumination. The structure of the headlights is made of plastic, and exposure to the sun causes yellowness. The headlights also tend to get dull and cloudy due to regular wear and tear. Smog and chemicals produced in the car engine can also make the headlights yellow.
As yellow and cloudy headlights compromise illumination, they make driving in low-light conditions very risky. Apart from this, they also affect the value of the car bringing the resale price considerably down.
To keep yourself safe and maintain the value of your car, address yellowing and clouding as soon as you spot them. Use the headlight restoration system or use the DIY-hacks to counter the yellowness of headlights. If nothing works, go ahead and buy replacement headlights from a reliable online store like Partsgeek.
Check The Alignment
As much as you pay attention to misaligned wheels, take care of the alignment of the headlights as well. Headlights can get displaced jeopardizing your safety.
Ideally, the headlights should concentrate their beams in the same direction. However, the jolts due to rough road surface and potholes and accidents misalign them.
If the headlights of your car fail to cast concentrated beams and appear misaligned, take them to a professional mechanic and get them fixed. You can check them with the garage door and wall trick. Observe the beams. If one appears lower or higher than the other, there is an alignment issue.
Replace The Bulbs Together
As already mentioned, both the headlights don’t go out together. If it happens, replace both the bulbs together. If a bulb fails, the other one is always quite likely to go out soon. Hence, being proactive here is a better idea.
Final words
Night time driving can be fun but risky too. However, if you have effective headlights, you can drive without having to worry about anything.
So, keep the headlights of your car maintained with these tips.
