Improving Your Vehicle

Just because your car's headlights aren't cracked, it doesn't mean that they are lighting up your path properly. Several issues may interfere with headlights efficiency and reduce your visibility on the road. Here are three things that may interfere with your visibility:

Lens Cloudiness

Headlight lenses become cloudy or foggy with time. The main cause is ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun, which reacts with the material (usually plastic) of the headlight to form pockmarks on it. It is the pock marks that give the lenses their cloudy looks by diffusing its light. Other causes include road damage (scratches from rocks and debris), dirt, chemicals, and water vapor. Cloudiness reduces visibility and makes it difficult for other road users to see you too.

Fortunately, you can restore your lenses to their original brightness. There are inexpensive lenses restoration kits for polishing and brightening cloudy lenses. You can also take the car to an auto body shop for the treatment.

Inefficient Focus

Cloudiness isn't the only thing that can affect your headlights' efficiency; there is also the issue of focus. The headlights should be hitting the same vertical height, and it should be a specific height. If either or both of them are either too low or too high, then your visibility may be impaired. Not only that, but you could also blind oncoming motorists. A common cause of the misalignment is the natural and gradual loosening of your car's suspension. A good test is to aim your car's headlights to the wall; take your car to the mechanic if the pair of lights isn't properly aligned.

Dimming

Another thing that may affect visibility is the brightness of the bulbs. Some things may dim the bulbs even if the plastic covers aren't clouded or foggy. This kind of dimming is usually caused by a fault in the electrical system. For example, corroded or dirty electrical connections may disrupt the flow of electricity to the bulbs and make them dim. It may also indicate a problem with the battery system; a good example is when the alternator is malfunctioning and not charging the battery properly. Let your mechanic handle the diagnosis and fix the issue.

Anything that interferes with the efficiency of your headlights is bad news. You need your lights properly working if you are to drive safely in inclement weather. Thus, it's good to test your headlights regularly, especially if you haven't driven at night for a long time, to confirm they are operational.

For auto services in your area, contact a company such as Foster's Auto Service Inc.