A safety issue is facing America’s roads right now, one that rarely comes to light: dim headlight bulbs and hazy headlight lenses. These can easily lead to reduced visibility. When you combine Daylight Savings Time and all of this wintery, snowy weather, the importance of clear nighttime visibility is exponentially greater then other times of the year.
With time, dim and hazy headlight lenses can lead to reduced visibility. Headlights can lose their effectiveness because of dirt, scratches, grime or any number of other contaminates.
A chief culprit when it comes to dim headlights is the headlight lens. Millions of cars that are on the roads right now have plastic lenses. Alas, these lenses usually do not survive weather and time; they might become hazed and yellowed, reducing the light output from the headlamp. The problem increases dramatically with the age of the lens, and since the average age of cars on the roads are about ten years old, the problem is growing all the time. Also, you should know that the more sun and salt a vehicle is subjected to, the more likely that its plastic headlight lenses might be hazy. This is a common issue on both domestic and foreign automobiles, and everything from expensive to economical vehicles. While swapping out headlamps and windshield wiper blades have typically been inexpensive repairs, the solution for hazed headlights lenses isn't quite so simple. Replacing the lenses can cost as much as fifteen hundred dollars.
Charlie's Columbia CARSTAR in Columbia, Illinois helps car owners restore headlights to optimal condition, making the most of night vision and increasing clarity while driving. This CARSTAR location offers a quick and affordable service that mends the lens surface to greatly improve their light output and visibility on the road, not to mention the illuminate appearance of their vehicle.
We encourage you to carry out a vehicle visibility safety check before you hit the roads in all this darkness and winter weather.
Vehicle Visibility Safety Checklist
Check the wipers on your windshield - Change your windshield wipers least once per year or more if you notice them streaking
Check the brightness of your headlights - Headlight bulbs dim over a period of time. Park on a level surface facing 5 feet from a wall and check the display of lights. The circles of light that are projected ought to be bright or soft white, not yellow or dim, and the circles should be even and aligned straight forward on the wall.
Change the bulbs - A top-notch bulb will burn brighter and last longer then the less-expensive alternatives. Be sure to replace both bulbs concurrently, even if it does not seem that they both need it.
Check your headlight lens - If you notice a cloudy, milky surface and cannot see the bulb through the plastic, you've got damage that can greatly restrict your visibility on the highway.
Restore your headlights – Charlie's Columbia CARSTAR in Columbia, Illinois offers a service to remove the hazy layer of damage and gloss your lenses to like-new condition.
Check your mirrors - Ensure that they're in good working condition without any fractures. Damaged mirrors can be cost-effectively swapped out by going to a local salvage yard.
Check your tail lights, brake lights, backup lights and tag illumination lights – Back your vehicle up to a wall and switch on your rear lights while watching in your rearview mirror. You can swap these easily - and possibly save yourself a traffic ticket.
With time, dim and hazy headlight lenses can lead to reduced visibility. Headlights can lose their effectiveness because of dirt, scratches, grime or any number of other contaminates.
A chief culprit when it comes to dim headlights is the headlight lens. Millions of cars that are on the roads right now have plastic lenses. Alas, these lenses usually do not survive weather and time; they might become hazed and yellowed, reducing the light output from the headlamp. The problem increases dramatically with the age of the lens, and since the average age of cars on the roads are about ten years old, the problem is growing all the time. Also, you should know that the more sun and salt a vehicle is subjected to, the more likely that its plastic headlight lenses might be hazy. This is a common issue on both domestic and foreign automobiles, and everything from expensive to economical vehicles. While swapping out headlamps and windshield wiper blades have typically been inexpensive repairs, the solution for hazed headlights lenses isn't quite so simple. Replacing the lenses can cost as much as fifteen hundred dollars.
Charlie's Columbia CARSTAR in Columbia, Illinois helps car owners restore headlights to optimal condition, making the most of night vision and increasing clarity while driving. This CARSTAR location offers a quick and affordable service that mends the lens surface to greatly improve their light output and visibility on the road, not to mention the illuminate appearance of their vehicle.
We encourage you to carry out a vehicle visibility safety check before you hit the roads in all this darkness and winter weather.
Vehicle Visibility Safety Checklist
Check the wipers on your windshield - Change your windshield wipers least once per year or more if you notice them streaking
Check the brightness of your headlights - Headlight bulbs dim over a period of time. Park on a level surface facing 5 feet from a wall and check the display of lights. The circles of light that are projected ought to be bright or soft white, not yellow or dim, and the circles should be even and aligned straight forward on the wall.
Change the bulbs - A top-notch bulb will burn brighter and last longer then the less-expensive alternatives. Be sure to replace both bulbs concurrently, even if it does not seem that they both need it.
Check your headlight lens - If you notice a cloudy, milky surface and cannot see the bulb through the plastic, you've got damage that can greatly restrict your visibility on the highway.
Restore your headlights – Charlie's Columbia CARSTAR in Columbia, Illinois offers a service to remove the hazy layer of damage and gloss your lenses to like-new condition.
Check your mirrors - Ensure that they're in good working condition without any fractures. Damaged mirrors can be cost-effectively swapped out by going to a local salvage yard.
Check your tail lights, brake lights, backup lights and tag illumination lights – Back your vehicle up to a wall and switch on your rear lights while watching in your rearview mirror. You can swap these easily - and possibly save yourself a traffic ticket.
