If you want to be a safe and confident driver as you navigate the roads at night, you need functioning headlights. Your car headlights are not the first thing you think of when you imagine an indispensable part of a functioning vehicle. However, they’re a critical component to not only improve your nighttime driving visibility but also to alert other drivers to your presence. Visibility for both you and your fellow drivers is essential during wintertime when there are fewer daylight hours.

Diagnosing an issue with your lights can be a difficult task if you don’t know what to look for. While there are some signs, the less obvious ones can go undetected until suddenly, you can’t ignore them when your light goes out as you’re driving down the road. That’s why D & R Intensive Car Care suggests that cautious drivers keep an eye out for the following signs. If you notice any of them, contact us right away to schedule an appointment.

Dimming Lights

Have you noticed that your headlights are growing dimmer during your night drives? This isn’t a case of your eyes growing weakerβ€”the bulbs in your headlights might just be showing their age. They may be signaling the end of their lifespan. If you notice this, we recommend considering a replacement sooner rather than later. Even if you believe the dimming isn’t enough to be a problem, a dying bulb is still a dying bulb.

Discolored Lights

Much like dimming lights, an aged light slowly changes colors over time, going from white to more of a yellow color. Damage and debris gathering over the lenses could also cause this. While seeing the world through a yellow hue may not immediately seem like an issue, the discoloration can make it harder to make out details at night or during inclement weather.

Flickering

Flickering lights are absolutely a cause for concern, even if it happens only occasionally. Not only is this a safety hazard for you, but flickering lights can cause problems for other drivers on the road. Flickering lights are a strong indication that something is wrong with your light’s wiring or that a fuse may be dying. Even worse, it may just be a symptom of a far worse electrical problem that could lead to your car dying.

High Beams Work, but Not Low Beams

If your high beams seem to work while your low beams aren’t responsive, this could be a sign of electrical issues within your car, especially if you’ve replaced all your lights around the same time. Most cars have a relay system that switches the power between the high and low beams, allowing a seamless transition between the two as you drive.

However, when a fuse blows or something is wrong with the switch, you may notice only one of your settings works while the other one doesn’t. While it might seem that you can make do with just one set of lights, we recommend bringing your car in for a thorough examination to uncover what underlying electrical problem is causing this issue.

Frequent Light Problems

Have you recently replaced your lights but found yourself needing to replace them again after only a short time? Frequently dying bulbs can be a sign of wiring issues rather than the end of the bulb’s lifespan. It’s essential to keep track of how often your headlights need to be replaced to catch any lurking wiring issues before it costs you more than just money.

Unresponsive Lights

If you’ve noticed an issue where you attempt to flip on your headlights and they either don’t immediately flick on, this can be a sign your bulbs have either died or that a serious electrical issue is causing your lights to malfunction. Even if your lights eventually turn on, we do not recommend driving with unresponsive headlights. Unresponsive headlights could indicate a number of problems, such as damaged or faulty wiring or corrosion along connectors that are causing issues with electrical continuity.

Damage

We recommend a routine inspection of your lights to ensure that there is no damage, such as cracks or chips, which can grow into far more significant issues if left unaddressed. While obviously, you should inspect them after an accident, minor damage can develop over time without attention. While obviously, a damaged headlight can reduce visibility, it can also lead to condensation build-up that can short-circuit your lights.

Single Light Out

A single headlight on your car has gone out. Could you save a bit of money by changing only that headlight? Unfortunately, if your lights were installed at the same time, a single headlight going out is likely only a sign that your other one is not long for this world. We recommend changing both at the same time to avoid finding yourself in a dangerous situation when your next light blows out.

Stay Safe with Routine Automotive Lighting Checks

While a faulty headlight could be as simple as a blown bulb, it might just be a sign of more significant issues lurking beneath your hood. Faulty wires, corroded connectors, damaged lenses, battery issues, and much more can all cause problems with your lights.

If you’ve noticed anything amiss, schedule an appointment online today for a comprehensive diagnostic test. When you bring your car into D & R Intensive Car Care for a routine oil change, we’ll thoroughly inspect your vehicle’s lights to ensure that nothing is amiss. We’ll help you spot any developing problems before they can grow into car-damaging issues.