How to Make The Best Use of Your Headlight Bulbs

[NicKlaus]

Faulty headlights are one of the things to blame for accidents on the road. Thus, for you to stay away from road accidents or get pulled over by traffic enforcers, you should see to it that your car’s headlight bulbs are in good working order.

 

It’s advisable that you do regular maintenance or changing of your headlight bulbs. There are indications to look out for when your headlight bulbs are not in excellent working condition.

 

The Importance of Headlight

 

 

Ford Headlight Bulbs

 

Headlights are an essential part of any vehicle because they ensure safety when you’re driving on the road. They make sure that you see the road clearly and for other motorists, as well as pedestrians, to see you.

 

Your car headlight bulbs also provide you with good visibility to see if there are any hazards such as a slippery road or road blockage. It might sound understandable, but some people still fail to take into account the importance of headlights.

 

Common Headlight Problems

One of the most common issues of car headlights is a broken switch. In this case, you’ll have difficulty switching between headlight modes. The lights may come on and off or may have problems on how a particular mode do its function.

Another obvious sign of faulty headlight bulbs is if they only provide dim illumination or they don’t turn on at all. Problems in your car headlights are safety hazards that you need to take seriously and find solutions.

 

Halogen vs. HID vs. LED Headlight Bulbs

There are different types of headlight bulbs that you can find in the market today. It’s crucial that you know about them so that you’ll have the best buy. Read on below for a comparison between the common types of headlight bulbs: LED, Halogen, and HID.

 

 

	Halogen Headlights	HID Headlights	LED Headlights
Advantages	Affordable   Dimmable Easy to Replace Universal	Farther   Reach Use Less Power Brighter Light Longer Lifespan	Energy-Efficient   Small Size Brighter Doesn’t Have Strong Glare like HID
Disadvantages	Energy Intensive   Prone to Overheating Extra Sensitive	Strong Glare   More Expensive than Halogen	More Expensive   Difficult to Fit

 

 

Halogen Headlight Bulbs

 

 

High Beam

 

Halogen light is an advanced form of incandescent light. It’s composed of a combination of nitrogen and argon gases that are contained within a heat-resistant package that also has tungsten filament.

 

From the car’s battery, the electrical charge is delivered to the tungsten filament, which then heats at around 2,500 degrees Celsius to create light. This procedure is called the incandescence process.

 

HID Headlight Bulbs

For almost two decades, the halogen bulb went without a rival as the standard headlight bulbs for vehicles. However, when the HID or high-intensity discharge lamp came, the dominance of halogen bulbs was threatened.

 

HID bulbs use xenon gas to start its illumination process. People often preferred it over halogen bulbs because of its high-intensity light and color temperature.

 

HID lights have the same function as neon lights. The electrical charge passes through a gas-filled tube with electrodes at both endpoints. Then, the opposite electrodes stimulate the halide salts and xenon gas contained in a quartz enclosure to create illumination.

 

LED Headlight Bulbs
LED or light-emitting diode differs widely from all the headlights mentioned when it comes to its lighting process. In LED headlight bulbs, negative electrons pass through holes in a semiconductor to generate light. When electrons enter a low-energy hole, there will be a release of photons.

 

This method is called electroluminescence process that occurs at a frequency of a thousand times per second.

 

Difference Between Low Beam & High Beam

 

T1 headlight bulbs

 

In most vehicles, there are what you call low-beam and high-beam headlights. It’s a must that you know about what are the purpose and functions of both for you to use your lights properly.

 

A low beam is also called a passing beam or dipped beam. It provides limited light so that it does not dazzle other oncoming motorists. Drivers switch on to low beam, especially if there are other vehicles on the road.

 

A low beam headlight is directed either sideward or downward to provide road visibility with less glare at night.

 

High beam is also called full beam and main beam. The high beam provides bright light to maximize the distance of visibility of the driver.

 

When the high beam is on, its light is directed in front of the road. When one is in the middle of the road, the other oncoming vehicles may not see that people and accident may happen, because of the high beam you turned on. That is because the intense high beam will glare the oncoming vehicles. It’s not suitable to use high beam when there are other vehicles and people on the road. That’s why you should take care when using high beam because it can dazzle other motorist and can cause accidents.

 

How to Adjust Your Car Headlights

 

There are times that your car headlights are misaligned, thereby not providing the illumination that you want when you’re driving on the road. Therefore, it’s advisable that you know how to adjust it so that you will prevent accidents.

 

Follow the Steps:

Step 1: Level Your Car

 

The first step to do when adjusting your car headlight is to remove any extra weight from your car trunk. You should

also make sure that the tires are leveled on the ground. Then, you can check if the headlight aim is at the zero position.

 

Step 2: Position Your Car

 

Next is to position your car on a level ground ten to fifteen feet from a-dark wall. You should ensure that the front of the car is directed to the wall. You can do it in a paved driveway or a level parking lot for that purpose.

 

Step 3: Turn the-Headlights On

 

Mark the vertical and horizontal center lines of the headlight-beams with masking tape to create two T’s on the wall. In this stage, avoid using high beam or fog lights.

 

Step 4: Ensure the Lights-are Level

 

Use a carpenters level between the two marked lines to determine if they’re level. If they’re not-even, use-a steel tape to measure the distance of the lower mark if it goes much higher up the wall and lowers it to attain the same height as the other marker. Both center lines should not go beyond 3.5 feet from the ground.

 

Step 5: Adjust the Lights

 

Put the car on the reverse, 25 feet away from the wall. It’s a must to use a tape measure to know the distance from the wall. Then, turn off the lights. Get rid of the trim ring and find the adjusters. After that, adjust the vertical and horizontal screws, and see if the light is leveled on the marker on the wall.

 

Adjust headlight bulbs

 

In Conclusion

 

The headlight is an essential part of your car. Thus, you should know how to properly use them and do regular maintenance and adjusting to prevent accidents on the road. You can take some knowledge from this article on how to make the best use of your car headlights. Also, we have different blogs about lighting and vehicle modifications, if you are interested, please read on.

 

Edited June 3, 2019 by txab