Car lights

When you buy a car, whether mint new or second hand, the first thing you do is getting into the car and go for a test drive. You check all the features, especially the braking system and comfort of the seats. Since you are quite likely to purchase the vehicle in daylight hours, you don?t really test an often-overlooked aspect: the lights of the car. Round shaped, oval shaped, or rectangular, car lights are a very important feature of your wheels. Their effectiveness in lighting your driving routes must be thoroughly checked at night.

Let us find out more about car lights.

Exterior Lights for Your Car

The purpose of installing lights at the front of a car is to enable the driver to see the road he is traveling on. Other vehicles, road signs, potholes, pedestrians, a wayward animal all these are illuminated instantly in the light of the car?s headlamps.

At the rear end of the car are the taillights. There are lights that come on instantly when breaking, indicator lights the driver flashes on when taking a turning, and lights to let the driver see obstacles behind when reversing.

A majority of car lights are designed with tungsten filaments. A thin filament will emit brighter beams than a thicker one. A halogen-based light is one that emits white light. A more advanced type is the xenon light. This emanates a light with a bluish hue that is more powerful than the halogen type.

Headlamps

A headlamp can emit what is known as a high beam, which illuminates the road directly in front for a reasonably good distance. It also lights up the roadsides. However, this type of beam is a nuisance to oncoming drivers due to its harsh glare. It also bounces back more light during foggy weather, the monsoons and snowy conditions.

On the other hand, a low beam of light, directs the light downwards and sideways. It thereby prevents too much glare. When a fog creates poor visibility conditions, a fog light is used. The narrow beam of light that emerges from it illuminates the roadway in front very clearly. It prevents reflections from the surrounding fog from bouncing back into your eyes. If you live in a city that is prone to being enveloped by fog, whether natural or from man-made pollutants, it is advisable to have such a fog light installed at the front of your car.

Headlamps that throw a beam of light that is as thin as a pencil point are generally installed only on vehicles that are driven on unpaved terrain. A majority of States do not permit use of such headlamps on the highways.

A more sophisticated lighting system enables the headlamps of the car to do a well coordinated tango with the front wheels - the lights will move in the same direction that the wheels turn. These types of headlamps are known as directional headlamps. The advantage of installing these is that they clearly light up corners when you hit a curve in the road.

Tips for Headlamps

Ensure you adhere to the laws of the State that govern the use of a particular type of headlamp. They must fulfill the safety standards as laid down by the law.

If you are planning to take your vehicle to another country, find out beforehand the rules of that country regarding the types of headlamps required.

Maintenance of your car lights is necessary. Dirt particles, dust motes, mud and grime can cloud the lenses, thereby reducing the light emitting from the headlamps. This could prove very dangerous while driving. Some cars have a device fitted at the front, to clean the headlamps directly, or you can use a damp cloth to clean the outer lenses. The minute you notice any dimness in the beams, take the car for a checkup, it is likely that the filament is wearing out.

Enhancing the Interior Of Your Car

It has become very trendy today to install neon lights in the interior of the car. These can be installed beneath the dashboard of your car or under the seats or above them. You must be wondering about the power source for these lights. Well, it is simple: you can connect them to the cigarette lighter or merely have a basic wire connection installed. You should ensure that the outer tubes in which the actual bulbs are contained are properly sealed as well as waterproof.

Another option to enhance the interior of your car is to install LED lights. The most common place where these are installed is in the dashboard. However, you can have other creative ideas. For example, you can install a LED light in the device that holds your coffee cup. Or you can outline the edge of your seat with a LED light. Make your car stereo look nifty with LED speaker rings that start throbbing in time with the music. They are considered to be a notch above neon lights as they guzzle up less power.

Neon and LED lights are also sometimes installed within the arches of the wheels or beneath the car, to give a glow to the vehicle when it is stationary. The outer door handles and the frame of the license plate are the other exterior locations on the car where these lights can be installed. A digital control box is generally fitted to give you hands-on control of all the lights from within the car.

Important Note: The author of this article is not encouraging the reader to install neon and LED lights! The reader is merely getting general information about these types of lights. Since there are very strict laws governing the use of neon and LED lights, check the website of your State Government to know the road law in this regard. In fact, it is advisable to have the activation switch for these lights separate from the one used to activate the headlamps / taillights of your car. You will have to hand over plenty of dollars in the way of penalties if you violate the laws.

Of course, it is up to your individual tastes if you wish to light up your car from the inside in a dramatic manner. What are more important are the exterior headlamps and taillights! So do not forget to regularly check the effectiveness of your car lights and keeping the outer covers clean. And be a safe and responsible driver at all times.

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