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6 Killer Tips for Car Headlight Repair and Installation

ByTsukasa Azuma-May 21, 2018

The headlights of your car are one of the key elements that must be always functioning, especially while driving at night and in unfavorable weather conditions. However, these lights can be damaged or ruined over time due to constant exposure to the sun, rain, and cold. So, you have to do regular maintenance and car headlight repair when necessary.

If you’re going to do the headlight repair or installation by yourself, check out the following tips about installation and replacement headlights. These tips will help you do the process more quickly and efficiently and avoid any accident.

Tips for Car Headlight Repair and Installation

Never try to touch the bulbs with bare hands.

It’s the most important thing to remember when you are doing headlight installation, especially halogen bulbs. Your hands may have grease and dirt that can damage or ruin the bulbs. So, wear latex gloves if you have to touch the bulbs.

Be aware of the bolts’ locations in headlight casing.

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You may need to replace the casing if you need to install or repair headlights. So, be aware of the position of all the bolts to remove the casing properly. Use a jack and jack stands if any of the bolts is under the car.

Aim the headlights.

You should align the headlights in case you have replaced them by removing the housings. Find a flat ground to park the car and check if the lights are properly aligned. If you are inexperienced, contact an experienced mechanic to do it.

On the other hand, it won’t be necessary if your car has halogen lights. When you install headlights and reattach the casing, they will be set to the right alignment automatically.

You have to loosen the bulb retainer.

If you are replacing halogen lights, you need to loosen the retainer that keeps the bulbs in place. These retainers don’t simply unplug as like a connector.

Mask off the surrounding area while cleaning.

You need to do it to avoid scratching the paint off the area surrounding the headlights. Use tape to mask off the area and clean the surface by using car soap. Cleaning the lights is necessary as they become yellow or darker by accumulating dirt and debris.

Don’t replace the headlights for a single crack.

You don’t need to replace them if there are only thin cracks on the lenses. These days, you will get repair patches and liquid repair solutions for fixing broken headlight lenses. These things will seal the cracks efficiently and prevent moisture and debris enter inside the casing.

Never forget about safety when doing your car headlight repair. Do not ever touch hot objects with your bare hands and remember to handle sharp instruments carefully. Besides, try to inspect your headlights regularly, especially during the winter when you need to keep your line of vision clear while driving.

Tsukasa Azuma is an awesome car blogger of Car From Japan. He owns a car repair shop at downtown Osaka, and he put all that experience to good use in his sharing posts. Tsukasa’s blog is one of the best resources for information about keeping your favorite imported car running smoothly. Moreover, because of being passionate to learn about the recent happenings in auto industry, he doesn’t only provide great car maintenance tips, he also always updates latest trends in among car brands and share them in his own interesting viewpoint.

Comments

Devon Horn16:30 February 28, 2017
Reply

We should take proper care of our car headlight as it is one of the key element of our car especially when we are driving at night or in any bad weather conditions. I genuinely feel that your blog describes the entire idea regarding headlight maintenance and its installation. I liked the headlight alignment portion most. If you don’t have any idea about headlight maintenance and its installation then don’t do any thing blindly which may cost more in future. Simple take your car to an authorized service center to resolve any issue related to car headlight. I have also faced many issues related to my Porsche. Finally I was able to get permanent solution after sending my car to a trusted service center near to my location in Irvine.

Trang Tran01:09 March 13, 2017
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Thank u for sharing your comment

margaret21:51 February 20, 2017
Reply

Thankyou for the tips!

Trang Tran13:11 February 28, 2017
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