Car headlights: maintenance, disassembly and price

Your vehicle headlights serve not only to improve your visibility on the road, but also to make your vehicle more visible to other drivers. There are different types of headlights (low beam, high beam, etc.). Their content and use are regulated.

💡 What are the types of car headlights?

Un headlight car spotlight illuminating the road. It has two roles: allowing you to see better and allowing you to see you better. So your car headlights aren't just for light up the road at night or in poor visibility conditions (tunnel, rain, fog, etc.), but also if your vehicle more visible other motorists.

To accomplish these tasks, there are now different types of headlights, but also different types of bulbs. So, you can find incandescent bulbs that are now only found on older cars, LED headlights, From halogen headlights or alternatively Xenon headlights.

First of all, your car has different lighting fixtures:

• . Sidelights : they are represented by a lit small green light. First of all, they allow you to see better, rather than actually see.
• . Headlights : these are the headlights we use most often. They can illuminate the road up to 30 meters without dazzling other drivers because the light from these headlights is directed towards the ground.
• . Red lights : They are located only at the front of the vehicle. Indicated by the blue headlight symbol, these are the most powerful headlights in your vehicle. Thus, the high beam headlamps can illuminate approximately 100 meters in front of the vehicle, but can therefore dazzle vehicles in front.
• . fog lights before : they provide better illumination in poor visibility conditions. But their wide illumination can dazzle other motorists, and these headlights are only used in case of snow, heavy rain or fog.
• Rear fog lights : not all equipment is equipped with it. They are especially powerful, but are only intended for snow and heavy fog. They are not used in case of rain, even heavy rain. A car usually has only one rear fog lamp.

🔎 How to adjust car headlights?

Each headlight in your car has a specific purpose, which is specified in the Traffic Regulations. They are also a safety device. Consequently, beacons are subject to regulation: thus, a non-functioning beacon is class 3 crime and can earn fixed fine 68 €.

This also applies to incorrect headlight alignment. Indeed, beacons are subject to the following legislation:

• Red lights : there must be at least 2 of them, with a width of at least 100 meters. There is no height specification, but they must be set at the maximum width of the dipped beam headlamps.
• Headlights : there should be two of them, with a width of at least 30 meters. Their position should be adjusted within the range from 500 to 1200 mm from the ground in height, with a placement of not more than 400 mm from the outside of the vehicle and a gap between the two headlamps of at least 600 mm.

Thus, correct headlight alignment ensures that you are driving safely, and that you are clearly visible and well seen, and that you comply with the law and do not run the risk of getting fines or failing to pass technical controls.

The headlights are usually adjusted by opening the hood and adjusting the screws located behind the optics of each lamp. You have one height adjustment and one longitudinal adjustment.

👨‍🔧 How to properly care for your headlights?

Caring for your headlights is very important to ensure maximum visibility and safety on the road. To do this, there are 3 key points in caring for your headlights: the light bulbs, cleaning the headlights so they don't become opaque, and adjusting the headlight tilt.

Replacing a light bulb:

To avoid problems on the road at night, it is strongly recommended that you always have spare bulbs in your glove box. Indeed, this will allow you to replace a faulty light bulb without delay and avoid fines from the police.

Please note that the lifespan of car bulbs varies by car model. However, it is advisable to check every xnumx years ou every 7 km.

Headlight cleaning:

Over time, your headlights become opaque and turn yellow from ultraviolet radiation and micro-scratches. Be aware that on average, after 3 years of use, your optics will lose between 30 and 40% their lighting power. Therefore, it is very important to have your headlights repaired. every xnumx years to maintain optimal lighting.

This is very easy to do: just get a headlight repair kit. Average cost of optics restoration kits from 20 to 40 € and very easy to use.

Therefore, in order to have your headlights repaired, you can check all our articles on the topic to repair your headlights that have become opaque yourself. Also find our tutorial on how to use your headlight repair kit correctly.

Finally, if, despite upgrading your optics, you still have problems with light intensity, be sure to refer to our guide, which lists 4 points to check in case of low light intensity.

Headlight adjustment:

To ensure good visibility on the road, it is important to correctly adjust the headlights. Indeed, adjusting the headlights avoids dazzling other motorists, but also maximizes the field of vision on the road.

You can follow our headlight alignment guide, or just head to the garage to take care of it for you. The headlights are adjusted using mechanical device located behind the optics.

🔧 How to remove a headlight from a car?

Want to change a light bulb or have your headlights repaired? So you will need to disassemble them. However, the procedure for removing the headlight differs greatly depending on the car model. However, here is a guide that explains step by step how to disassemble the headlight on most car models.

Material:

• gloves
• screwdriver
• Footer

Step 1: open the hood

Make sure your car is off and the ignition is off. Then open the cover to access the battery and various screws.

Step 2: Disconnect the battery terminal

Then, disconnect the terminal from the battery so that the headlight can be safely replaced. To do this, unscrew the terminal clamp bolts to free them from the battery.

Step 3. If necessary, remove the bumper.

On many car models, you will need to remove the bumper to gain access to all of the headlight screws and fasteners. If this is the case on your car, disassemble the bumper by unscrewing all the screws that hold it in place.

Step 4: Remove all fasteners and screws from the headlight.

Then remove all screws and fasteners holding the headlamp in place. We recommend that you use a small storage box for all the screws so that you can navigate during assembly.

Step 5. Unlock the headlight

Now that all the screws and fasteners have been removed, you can finally move the headlamp out of its place. Be careful not to pull too hard because the headlight is still connected to your car by electrical wires.

Step 6. Disconnect the electrical wires.

Disconnect the electrical wires to completely free the headlamp from the vehicle. And now, your headlight is now disassembled and can be replaced or repaired if necessary. To reassemble the headlamp, follow the steps in reverse order. Make sure you don't forget the hardware or screws to properly hold the headlamp in place.

💰 How much does it cost to convert or repair a lighthouse?

Calculate the average price 60 € repair the lighthouse. However, we advise you to do this in pairs: if one of your headlights is opaque, chances are good that the other is too.

To change headlights, count the average 50 €, plus the price of a new headlight. But be careful, the cost of replacing optics varies greatly depending on the car model, because access to the headlight can be more or less difficult depending on the car (sometimes bumper removal is required, etc.).

Now you are invincible in the headlights of your car! For optics upgrades or headlamp refurbishment, compare the best car garages in your area with Vroomly. Find the best price to service your car headlights!