Vehicle head lamps and brake lights are some of the most important exterior safety features of your car. The head lamp unit provides the main illumination for night driving, while brake lights signal to other drivers when you’re stopping or slowing down. For these reasons, it’s important that these particular sets of lights always be in working order whenever operating your vehicle.
Fortunately, headlight maintenance is generally easy, and even major repairs don’t take that long. Ensure that you check functionality of these set of lamps to avoid hefty penalties by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) spot checks that are done randomly on the roads. Here are some tips for headlight/brake light care for your vehicle
1.Inspect the Lights
The first step to proper headlight and brake light care is to do regular, frequent inspections of the lights. This can be a quick walk-around where you examine the lights for any failures, uneven dimness, and other defects. For brake lights, it can be helpful to ask a friend to take note while you step on the brake lights. If something is dirty, out of order, or needs replacing, be sure to take action immediately.
2.Clean and Polish Your Lights
When it comes to headlights and brake lights, it’s important that you keep them clean and free of dirt and debris. If the headlight or brake lights are caked with dirt or mud, it can seriously hamper the lights’ effectiveness. This is especially important for headlights — if they’re not cleaned, it can seriously affect your visibility at night when the headlights are in operation. If your lights are dirty or foggy, give them a thorough cleaning. There are some products that you can purchase to restore extremely foggy headlights to a more transparent, brighter cleanliness.
3.Replace Broken or Defective Parts
In instances where the headlight or taillight has been broken, damaged, or no longer functions properly, you’ll need to replace them immediately. Driving with a broken headlight or brake light can lead to a highway code fine and is one of the main reasons why traffic police pull vehicles over. Stop by Convoy Auto Repair for immediate and efficient headlight replacements to get you back on the road in no time.
4. Review Any Custom headlamp modification
NTSA is very keen on ensuring the auxiliary headlamps on your vehicle meets recommended standards, if you have those high-power LED Bars, or plan on getting these, be sure these meet set regulations for brightness, wattage, etc.
Also, the angle of the headlight beam is crucial as well, as well as the evenness and symmetry of the beams. Lastly, any tint on the lights needs to meet required standards and local laws as well.
By following these simple tips, you can develop good habits that will keep you out of headlight and brake light trouble. If you need immediate servicing, repairs, or complete car checkups, visit your mechanic or authorized vehicle care centre today for a complete checkup of your lighting system.