Headlight

A headlight (or head lamp) is attached to the front of a vehicle. Its purpose is to illuminate the road during periods of low visibility (i.e. nighttime, snow or rain, etc.).

Symptoms of a Bad or Failing Headlight

• One or more of the headlights will not operate

• Discoloration of the headlight lens

• Headlight not aimed correctly

• Water or condensation in the headlight lens

Head Light Related Repair Advice

• The most common failure is simply a burned out bulb. However, the repair may be difficult since access to the bulbs can be limited on some vehicles.
• If one headlight bulb burns out, the other may not be far behind. In many cases, a repair shop will recommend replacing both bulbs when one burns out
• Depending on the model, one bulb may contain both the high and low beam filaments; or, two separate bulbs may be used.
• Care must be taken when headlight bulbs are replaced so the headlight still aims in the right direction
• Systems using separate high and low beam bulbs will have the low beam located outboard or above the high beam
• Some vehicles use high-intensity discharge (HID) or xenon type head light bulbs, which can be very expensive to replace
• Failure of the headlight or high beam switch could also cause the headlights not to function correctly