When To Get A Headlight Bulb Replacement?

Here are four situations where you’d need a headlight bulb replacement and the help of an auto repair professional:

1. Lack Of Light

When your car headlights fail, they’ll burn out, and you have a lack of light. 

So, if you turn on your headlights, and they start blinking, or you’re driving at night and notice poor visibility of surrounding areas, you’ve got yourself a headlight bulb problem. 

Now, your headlight bulbs won’t always die all of a sudden. Sometimes they’ll fade out with time. So, if your lights aren’t producing a strong steady light or aren’t super bright as they usually are, you probably have dimming bulbs. 

Moreover, if you drive in a brightly-lit city or rarely at night, it’s easy not to notice that you don’t have functioning headlight bulbs. So, getting in the habit of checking your lights is a good idea. Just turn on your headlights, and take a peek.

2. Warning Light Comes On

When headlights start to die, cars often let their drivers know. 

The modern passenger car usually has a headlight warning light that’ll illuminate on the dashboard when one of the lights burns out. It might say “headlight” or just be an image of a shining headlight. Either way, it’s trying to tell drivers something — so they should pay attention. 

3. Physical Headlight Damage

It would be time for a headlight bulb replacement service if there were physical damage from a collision or a harsh weather event. You could get an automotive service to deal with it to minimize hassle.

4. Upgrade

You’ll also need a headlight replacement if you wish to upgrade to:

• Brighter, higher quality bulbs
• Cool white light instead of yellow
• Or a more reliable bulb type (for example, switching to LED headlight bulbs of a specific brand like Philips or Sylvania)

How Urgent Is A Headlight Bulb Replacement?

A headlight bulb can lose almost 50 feet of visibility before burnout. And if it’s failing severely, the lights get dimmer faster. 

The less light drivers have while driving, the more dangerous the situation is at night or in bad weather. Therefore, to maintain road safety, they should replace their headlight bulb ASAP.

Note: Drivers will also keep getting fix-it tickets from law enforcement if they don’t get a headlight replacement.

6 Headlight Bulb FAQs

Here are some headlight bulb related questions and answers: 

1. What Is A Headlight Bulb?

Your headlights or headlamps are the lights on the front of your vehicle. They light the road ahead when you drive at night or when there’s a lack of proper visibility, and consist of actual light bulbs. 

Headlights are powered by electricity — meaning they get their energy from the alternator (when your vehicle is running) and from the battery when your vehicle is turned off.

2. Should I Replace Headlight Bulbs In Pairs?

Many auto parts should be replaced in pairs, including tires, wiper blades, shocks, brake parts, — and headlights. Here’s why:

A. Safety

Replacing just one old, dim headlight bulb with a new (brighter) bulb creates irregular light dispersion instead of strong steady light, affecting your downroad visibility. 

So get a replacement of bulbs on each side of the vehicle to ensure equal brightness and color. And using higher quality bulbs may keep your headlights functioning longer.

B. Smart Maintenance

Headlight bulbs turn on simultaneously. So when one burns out, the other bulb isn’t far behind. Replace them together to save time and money.

3. What Are The Different Types Of Headlights?

There are different types of headlights. However, a universal motor vehicle standard is using high beam and low beam headlights.

• A high beam setting in headlights throws light on a central path and isn’t generally used when other vehicles are on the road. So ensure your high beam setting is off when there’s oncoming traffic. 
• Low beam headlights shine light at a lower trajectory illuminating the road or path. They’re commonly used car headlights due to the lack of glare for oncoming traffic.

Note: Older vehicles and some newer models may have multi-directional headlights. These car headlights accommodate the low and high beams in one specific bulb assembly.

Some vehicles also have specialty lights, like cornering lights or fog lights:

• Cornering lights help you safely turn in the dark.
• Fog lights increase proper visibility during severe fog, especially at night. Some fog lights use a brighter bulb so you can see more downroad.

4. What Are the Different Types Of Headlight Bulbs?

Modern headlamps come in numerous varieties: High-Intensity Discharge (HID), halogen, and Light Emitting Diode (LED). These lights can have different angles and shapes to better project light onto surrounding areas. 

• High-Intensity Discharge Bulb: HID headlights or Xenon bulbs have an arc instead of a filament between their two electrodes. 

To shine bright, HID bulbs should work at 80% capacity within 4 seconds of turning on. For that, HID headlights need a high-voltage starter to ignite the gas and a control unit to keep the bulb lit.

• Halogen Bulb: Halogen bulb headlights contain halogen gas. The gas protects the tungsten filament by pressurizing the bulb and improving brightness at lower temperatures. 

Lower temperatures also let a halogen bulb glow with a more pleasing light shade.

• LED Light Bulb: This light is more energy-efficient and typically has a long life. The LED headlight also allows vehicle makers to create signature light shapes. 

In LED headlight bulbs, electricity passes through one or more light-emitting diodes, unlike a filament or arc as seen in halogen and HID bulbs. LED and HID bulbs cast similar brightness, but LED bulbs don’t create excess heat.

Note: Your car repair mechanic can suggest the correct replacement bulb in your price range for your passenger car during an automotive service. They can provide some solid car care tips too.

5. Can I Replace A Headlight Bulb Myself?

For DIY help, always check your owner’s manual. It’ll have the details on how to change the headlight in your specific car and what suitable replacements to buy, so you can get the correct replacement bulb.

However, we recommend getting a car repair professional to deal with your headlight bulb replacement needs. They can also inspect your tail lights and tires.

With that said, here’s how to change car headlights:

• First, turn off your car and remove the keys from the ignition.
• Pop the car hood and spot the headlight holder near the car’s front.
• Disconnect the power wires of the headlight bulb. Typically, there are 3 wires attached to the base of the bulb. Push down the clip or cap, keeping them in place. If you break the clip or cap, you’ll have to take out the whole headlight — so be careful.
• Unscrew the old headlight. As you do so, check how the lightbulb is locked in and carefully unlock it. That’ll help you reverse the procedure without putting your fingers on the bulb’s glass.
• Now, screw in the new headlight bulb (replacement bulb) without touching the glass. Dirt and oil from your hands can burst the bulb after it heats up. 
• Finally, shut the hood and test if your new headlight replacements work.

Note: If your headlight bulb doesn’t work even after replacement, test the fuses and the wiring. There may be a broken or pinched wire somewhere.

6. What Causes Car Headlights To Blow?

Here are the most common causes of a blown headlight:

A. Old Age

The most common reason for headlights to burn out is age. 

You may not even notice that one of your car headlights has no light when driving. Since the other headlight is the same age, it might go bad soon, too. That’s when automotive lighting problems suddenly become apparent.

B. Cracks In Bulb Housing

Cracks in the housing can burn out a halogen bulb because of moisture. You could put a new bulb, but it’ll blow out within a day or two due to the humidity. So, call an auto repair service to fix the crack and ensure you have functioning headlight bulbs.

C. Extreme Temperatures

Extreme cold or heat may also burn out headlights. The temperature fluctuations can impact the delicate light bulb filament. 

D. Oxidation

With newer halogen headlight bulbs, the plastic housing can oxidize, causing dim lights — making them appear white or yellowish. This reduces the light beam that helps you see the road in the dark. If that’s the case, you’ll need an entire headlight assembly replacement.