HEADLIGHTS!
Summer has turned into fall, which will soon turn into winter. And, now that the darkness is coming a little early, we should go over our beacons in the night. Headlights serve a vital function with operating motor vehicles. They allow us to see directly in front of, as well as somewhat to the sides, of our vehicles. Without them, it’s incredibly dangerous to drive at night. And, in most states, you can get cited for having malfunctioning lights. This usually amounts to being referred to in some areas as a “fix-it ticket”, or generally there will be a “comply by” date to have the minor repair completed and the citation goes away. If you have a headlight that is out, please bring your vehicle into a Rob’s service center, and our techs can help “light the roads” for you, so you are safe.
While replacing the bulbs in headlamps (as well as tail lights) can be a relatively simple process for you to do on your own, there are often several precautions that people overlook when installing new bulbs that severely affect the life of the lamp. Hand oils, dirt, incorrect plug connections… things that can do more harm than good. Another more common issue in some current models is how difficult it can be to get into the housing where the bulbs are located. Some models require you to completely remove the entire housing in order to have access to the lamps. All the more reason to have our experienced techs at Rob’s take care of this for you.
Note – Please do NOT do what my friend did in the above Explorer story. All that he accomplished was BARELY complete contact with a really frail (nearly destroyed) filament in the bulb. Hitting the headlamp like that can also do damage to the other components of the electrical system by jarring wires loose.
VISIBILITY
With fall and winter upon us, it’s important to have as much visibility at night time as possible. Often times, you’ll see headlights where the housing is kinda foggy, or even yellowed in older models. This is caused by any number of things from oxidation, to chemical reactions, to simply just being water vapor. When this corrosion/sediment clouds the lens, it reduces the effectiveness of the headlight. Even if you had those expensive Halogen lights installed, they are only as effective as advertised if the lens is clear of debris.
Having these lenses cleaned is paramount to being able to take full advantage of the luminosity of your headlights. If you are concerned with your lenses being obscured, thus reducing the efficiency of your headlights, please bring your vehicle down to our Service Center and we will be glad to use our industry leading restoration techniques to bring out all the shine from your lights.