Strangers are flagging you down, cops are cutting you warnings, or you’re looking at a $200 ticket. If this is happening, chances are your lights are out and it’s time for a change. Hopefully, before this happens again, there can be an easier way to know your lightbars need maintenance.
With this in mind, let’s consider some basic tips for ensuring that your lights are keeping you and your fellow riders are safe.
How to know it’s time for a change
The safest way to know is to just do. What this means is that sometimes we don’t remember the last time our lights were changed. Pick a date and make it your annual checkup or semi-annual car maintenance day. A solid time to pick up a new set of lights is in the fall. In the fall, the days become shorter and as a result, the nights are long and dark. Having a brand new set of lights going into the winter season is a surefire way to ensure your vehicle is safe for you and for others.
What type of lights works best?
The days of the Halogen bulbs are, for the most part, gone and LEDs, which stand for light-emitting diodes, are the safest option. Brighter than Halogen or High-Intensity Discharge (HIDs), LED lights are an ideal option when choosing brake lights. They light up quicker and provide the response you and others may need in a critical situation. If you’re not going to upgrade to an LED quite yet, go for the HIDs. They are an excellent step up and provide near LED-like lumen output. You might also hear HIDs referred to as Xenon lights, for the gas inside them. HIDs are widespread, not just in cars, as they have the main use that serves stadiums and street lights. The best bet for a safe, effective upgrade is an LED, but remember that HIDs are a solid option too.
Upgrade your work or fun lighting
Do you have a work truck? It’s best to ensure that your truck lights, lightbars, and strobe lights are ready for the job. Safety is paramount when conducting work, for example, if you’re using a concealed lightbar and you have to lift the vehicle trunk, it’s a safe bet you should be installing hide-away strobes in your trunk for added warning. Hide-away strobes serve as excellent indicators for safety and protection vehicles, and we want the lights to provide an added level of risk protection as you conduct business.
Going out for some off-road fun? Again, safe fun is the best fun so ensure that your lightbars and off-road LED pods are in good working order. Lightbars and LED pods are great off-road lights that help illuminate challenging terrain and wildlife. These types of illumination are beneficial for distance and width. Whether off-roading in the woods, swamp, or desert, you’re going to want to ride safely. Check out Underground Lighting’s pod lights and lightbars.
Checking your lights
Checking your lights is easy with a smartphone, set your phone’s camera to the video setting and place it behind the vehicle. Go into your vehicle and put the vehicle in reverse, put it back in the park, press on the brake pedal, and finish by flashing your turn signals left and right. Now do the same for the front but for your high beams, daylights, and turn signals. Review your video for the normal operation of your automobile’s lights. This check should be done, at a minimum, once per year. However, it is recommended you conduct these checks monthly. Five to ten minutes of checking your lights are much easier than a $200 ticket, court appearance, or traffic accident. Go check them!
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Cleaning your car
Oftentimes when cleaning the car we overlook some aspects of safety and focus on the appearances. In the case of automotive lights, ensure you’re giving them a good exterior scrub. This is also a good time to compare the brightness of lights between the pairs. Effective headlight restoration kits provide a much clearer lens for the light to go through. This will certainly give you a safer driving experience. When should you perform these cleanings? It’s recommended to perform a headlight restoration once every 1 – 3 years. If your lens cleaner isn’t holding up for more than 3 – 6 months, it might be time to switch products. Nonetheless, attention to cleaning your automotive light lens should not be overlooked.
At the end of the day, automotive lighting systems do more than illuminate your environment. They ensure the safety of you and others.
Let’s recap:
- Changing your lights annually serves the purpose of safety and helps prevent unfortunate tickets
- It may be time for an upgrade, ask Underground Lighting about LED bulbs and HID bulbs
- Professionals require professional lighting, automotive lighting systems need top-grade safety mechanisms like lightbars, strobe lights, and off-road lighting
- Check your brake, reverse, high-beam, low-beam, daylight automotive lighting with your phone or with a friend, don’t wait because this will save you time and money
- Get a headlight restoration kit or go with a DIY cleaning solution, but don’t forget to clean your lenses
Again, safety is the name of the game. Make sure you check out all of your options with Underground Lighting. Don’t wait to upgrade your automotive lighting system. Whether a professional security patrol, safety vehicle, off-road enthusiast, or daily driver, get your LED and HID bulbs today!
Would you like to read more about lightbars-related articles? If so, we invite you to take a look at our other tech topics before you leave!
