There are a lot of bulbs in your vehicle including those that illuminate the road ahead of you, those that help you been seen by other drivers and those that light up the interior and dashboard. Then you also have bulbs that are designed to only come on as a warning, when a certain part fails or is showing signs of wear or damage.
Quite often, these bulbs are made specifically for your car make and model. While there are some bulbs that are generic and suitable for a variety of different cars, others have been created with a specific purpose in a specific car model which can make replacing them something of a challenge when they eventually wear out.
While many of us take our car lighting for granted, there are some car lights that need to be working by law. Headlights, brake lights and taillights, for instance, all need to be in full working order otherwise the car can be deemed to be illegal to drive on the British roads.
A lot of modern car bulbs last far longer than the more traditional designs and performance car lighting is not only a highly popular choice among those looking to improve the styling of their cars but also the light given off in the dark conditions.
Maintaining and Replacing Car Bulbs
Whether they’re headlight bulbs or indicator bulbs, it’s important to pay close attention to your car bulbs. As mentioned already, some have to be working as a legal requirement, while others are needed to signal your intentions to other road users.
You might receive a warning on your dashboard alerting you to the fact that a particular car bulb has stopped working or, if you don’t have such a feature, you’ll have to check their condition manually. In the case of car headlight bulbs this is quite easy as you can just park against a flat surface – such as a wall or garage door – and switch on your lights to check they come on as expected.
You can do the same with your taillights using either your interior mirror or the help of a friend or family member, or you can get out and walk around the vehicle (the same goes with the hazards and indicators). With reversing lights, however, you will definitely need someone else to help you while you keep your foot on the brake and clutch and the car in reverse.
When it comes to maintaining your car lights it is good practice to get into the habit of cleaning the lenses and other parts inside and out so that the headlights, taillights and indicators shine brightly.
Changing your car bulbs is relatively straightforward and quite often the most difficult part of the process is actually gaining access. In the case of headlight bulbs you’ll need to pop the bonnet and then you can carefully disconnect the bulb from the socket – but be sure not to touch the glass as car bulbs are particularly brittle.
Some rear lights are much more difficult to work on because you have to remove the casing from the inside of the boot and the connections that go to the outside too. Make sure that you know where you put each screw as they’re often much smaller than typical screws and you’ll need to replace each one.
Upgrading Exterior Car Lighting
Performance lighting upgrades such as Xenon bulbs and, increasingly, LED bulbs have proven to be highly popular in recent years. Originally it was a case of wanting to improve the styling of the car, but nowadays it’s more about the fact that they’re both brighter and likely to last far longer than traditional bulbs.
There are cars that now come with LED headlights as standard, but conversion kits are also available that will transform the older vehicles into more modern looking cars with brighter, longer-lasting headlights. It is the kind of task that will need a certain level of expertise, so paying for professional assistance will be worthwhile.
Replacing Interior Car Lighting
The lights on the inside of your car (those that come on at the push of a button or when you open the doors), are completely different to typical car bulbs in terms of shape and style. They are more generic, however, which makes buying easier and we supply a comprehensive range of car interior lights that are suitable for all makes and models.
Some will be accessed by removing the casing using specialist tools, while those behind the dashboard will need to be done by an expert as you will need to remove significant parts of the interior just to access them.
For more information on car bulbs and upgrading your existing car lighting don’t hesitate to get in touch with Euro Car Parts. Keep checking our blog for buyer guides and advice for new and experienced drivers.