Most of us take for granted the headlights on our cars and trucks. We just assume that they will always work and shine bright enough to see whatever hazards may come our way. But what we don't know is that there a lot of factors that can cause your headlights to not work properly or at all. When you headlights are not working properly your nighttime driving safety is in grave danger - it's basically out the window. That's how important your headlights are to your nighttime driving safety.

If your headlights are not working correctly and at their maximum efficiency (or illumination and lumens as text would measure it) then it is akin to driving drunk. If you can't see effectively you cannot spot the road hazards, other drivers, deer and animals, etc. in sufficient time to be able to safely stop or to just be able to stop, period. You cannot count on street lights being bright enough everywhere to be able to light your way. Besides 90% of the roads out there are not adequately lit in and of themselves. With the great recession that we have going on now and cost-cutting by numerous government agencies you can probably bet that these numbers could get even worse shortly it hasn't gotten there already.

So what can cause our vehicles headlights to either not work properly or not work at all? While there are several things. First, headlight bulbs burn at very high temperatures and they do get subjected to vibrations and jarring every time you hit a pothole or bump. They can burn out or break at any time. They do not live or last forever, but fortunately burned out or blown headlight bulbs are very easy to replace on most cars (only a few require you to remove the entire headlight assembly to replace the bulbs). Basically you just unscrew the headlight bulbs from the headlight assembly and then disconnect the wires and then you replace the bulb.

Got dim, cloudy, foggy or ugly headlights on your car or truck?

Be sure and look up either in your car owners manual or elsewhere the exact size and code for the headlight bulbs on your car. They are definitely not one-size-fits-all. If you do find yourself replacing headlight bulbs now may be a good time to upgrade to a better set with higher illumination and brightness. Headlight bulbs are not expensive and generally run from $10-$20 for a pair (or considerably more to buy them at your local car dealership which I would recommend you avoid for something this benign).

Then you just take the new bulbs and be sure not to touch them with your fingers so instead use gloves or handle them with a clean paper towel and install them, reconnect the wires and you're set to go. The reason why you do not want to touch the glass part of the headlight bulb is that these bulbs as I mentioned earlier burn at very high temperatures and what happens is the grease from your fingers will actually cause cooler spots and were spots on the bulb surface which will cause it to burst prematurely and in some cases within minutes. So be sure to not touch the glass part of the bulbs.

Now another problem that causes a high percentage of problems with headlight lenses is clouding or oxidizing of the headlight lens. What happens here is the plastic from the headlight lens slowly degrades due to its exposure to the sun and its harsh UV rays, acid rain, salt spray from areas near the beach, industrial fallout in the Northeast, road debris and dirt, bird droppings and bug splatter, etc. all these things more will ruin the integrity of the plastic on the headlight lens. This then becomes like cancer and spreads throughout the lens eventually making it yellow, cloudy and greatly reducing light emission through the lens.

Restore cloudy headlights to new again with New Lite headlight cleaning and restoration kits from MDWholesale.com!

Clouding of the lens can quickly get bad enough to the point where 50% or more of the light emitted becomes blocked. This means that you literally at night will only say 50% as far as you should be seeing. According to AAA and numerous traffic safety organizations worn, dirty and cloudy headlights effect upwards of 90% of the vehicles on the road today and are such a grave nighttime driving safety hazard that it ranks right up there with drunk driving and is one of the leading causes of serious and fatal nighttime driving accidents.

Regardless of the manufacturer of your car or truck you will have plastic headlights on it and they will degrade at some point in time - its a proven fact. Some last only two years whereas others can last upwards of five years depending upon the quality of the plastic used in headlight lens construction and of course the use of the vehicle. Obviously if you live in the hottest areas of the country and leave your car outside 24 hours a day unprotected they will not last as long as for someone that keeps their car garaged and in better shape.

Amazing headlight restoration pictures showing before and after treatment with New Lite!

So being that cloudy and were headlights are such a problem (they're also very ugly and will reduce the resale price of your vehicle) what can be done about it? Well if your car is under three years old you can try and see if they can be covered under the manufacturer's warranty but don't hold your breath because most manufacturers will not cover this as they considered an outside or wear and tear item. So your choice is basically to drive an increasingly dangerous vehicle with cloudy headlights and greatly reduced visual range when driving at night (which I do not recommend at all), replacement which if you haven't been to your dealer lately will give you quite a shock as they usually are charged $250-$500 per headlight assembly, or there's also headlight restoration.

Headlight restoration was first brought about and invented by David Maillie of MDWholesale.com. It is a three-step technique that is highly effective at taking cloudy and worn or foggy headlight lenses and restoring them to new again. The cost of headlight restoration is only around $15 and will save you hundreds over headlight replacements. The three-step process is only available from MDWholesale.com and is very easy to do and can be done by just about anybody. The results are amazing and speak for themselves.

There are few other things that go wrong with your headlights like having water in the lens which usually means there's a leak in the seal.  What you need to do here is take the lens apart and reseal it. You can also drill small holes in the bottom so the water leaks out and then use a silicone sealer to plug the hole afterwards. But most of these problems are quite rare. The vast majority of problems consist of blown headlight bulbs and cloudy or foggy headlights. Now you know how to fix these two scenarios and have a better looking car and most importantly greater nighttime driving safety.

Amazing headlight cleaner testimonials and references for New Lite!



Buy the absolute best in headlight restoration, cleaner and repair from MDWholesale.com!

 

More great articles from MDWholesale.com that you will definitely want to read:

1) Automotive maintenance made simple

2) Free online auto repair manuals and information

3) How to fix plastic convertible windows

4) Nitrogen in your car tires and your fuel economy

5) The right to repair act and what it means for you

6) Car locksmith scams to watch out for

7) How to get that new car shine

8) Oil change intervals explained