Headlights and taillights
The headlights need replacing every few months and the red on the taillights melt away partially like the bulb is overheating and the inside of the plastic that covers the whole assembly is partially cloudy as if there was heat damage. I have replaced the bulbs and the whole taillight assembly but it continues to happen. So when I hit the breaks it shines mostly a dim white because the red is mostly melted. Does this sound like an electrical problem or could it possibly be fixed if I replace with aftermarket parts instead of OEM parts?
My car has 180000 miles.
My car has a manual transmis
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
Bulbs that frequently burn out can be hard to figure out. I can give you a few ideas to look into though. Let’s begin with the headlights.
If your headlight assemblies have leaks and moisture getting inside, this is the most common reason for frequent headlight bulb failures. Your headlight assemblies will need to be replaced.
Following this, make sure you are not touching the glass of the bulb. Moisture and oils from your hands will cause the bulb to expand and different rates and this will contribute to premature bulb failure. Poor connections at the headlight bulb connector can cause excessive current that the bulb isn’t designed to carry. This can drastically shorten the life of a bulb.
Lastly, your alternator may be having a potentially excessive ripple. This is not an easy thing to explain here, so I won’t attempt to. If this is the case, you will usually have other strange symptoms as this will affect every system of the car. It is what can lead to the whine in your radio – particularly on the AM band.
Concerning the rear tail light assembly. Everything above applies. In your case, you have excessive heat. This is predominately caused by bad connections at the bulb socket. After market parts are rarely better than factory when we are talking about light assemblies. I have replaced many after market assemblies for factory ones and as of yet have not done the opposite to fix such a problem. I would make sure you are using the correct bulb. Bulbs come in different wattage’s but still will look exactly the same. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a good resource to tell me what bulbs have what wattage. In your case, I would try several bulbs that all look the same and see which one is the dimmest. That is the bulb that produces the least amount of heat. Of course, if there is a bad connection, none of the bulbs will help you. Fix the connection first. If your in doubt, just replace the bulb connector. Nine times out of ten this will fix the problem.
If you need some help sorting this all out, a qualified technician, such as one from YourMechanic, can diagnose your car’s headlight and taillight problems and perform any needed repairs for you.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
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Taillight bulbs are a bit different from headlights. The lights don`t need to be as bright, and the red lens helps brighten the light produced by the filament. The bulbs work on the same principle, but different wattages, filaments and gasses are used here.
Tail lights are wired to the same switch that turns on the head lights, making them function easily. If you have automatic lights, the tail lights will turn on when your vehicle is on. If you use a switch to turn your vehicle`s lights on, the tail lights will illuminate once your head lights are on.
Blown fuse: Each of these lights is typically connected to a separate fuse in the car`s electrical system. If one of these fuses blows, it can cause all of the lights connected to it to go out at the same time.
Most cars, bought today, will have the option of LED headlights. When fitted by the manufacturer, they`re perfectly legal, and—while they may appear brighter than halogen bulbs—are within legal limits for dazzle.
If you turn on your headlights and it flashes for a second, then over time (about seven to 10 seconds peak performance and tends to be white in color), that tends to be HID. If you turn on your headlights and it`s instantaneous on power and a nice white light, this tends to be factory LED.
In North America, since 1986, all vehicles feature a third brake light. Legally, this is called the Center High Mount Stop Lamp, CHMSL for short, but informally called center brake lamp, high-level or eye-level brake lamp, cyclops brake light, or safety brake lamp.
What lights are at the rear of a car? At the back of a car are bright red tail lights, which are illuminated when the headlights or sidelights/DRLs are on. The brake lights are the same red as the tail lights, but are much brighter and are only illuminated when you press the brake pedal.
You can contact your vehicle manufacturer for the bulb fitting information, or simply take a look in your vehicle handbook, which should state all the fittings that your vehicle needs for each type of light.
Check the Owner`s Manual In your owner`s manual, consult the index or table of contents to locate the information about headlights. You`ll likely find different sizes and wattage based on whether the bulb in question is a high-beam or a low-beam bulb.
You can contact your vehicle manufacturer for the bulb fitting information, or simply take a look in your vehicle handbook, which should state all the fittings that your vehicle needs for each type of light.
Check the Owner`s Manual In your owner`s manual, consult the index or table of contents to locate the information about headlights. You`ll likely find different sizes and wattage based on whether the bulb in question is a high-beam or a low-beam bulb.
It looks like your vehicle requires H11 Bulbs for dipped beam and HB3 Bulbs for your main beam application.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
My headlights came on and drained my battery I put a new battery in and my headlights still wouldn’t go off I took out the bulb an
ANSWER : The common thread between the headlights and the signal lights is the combination switch. The combination switch controls your signal lights, turns the headlights on and off, as well as controls the high beam function. Most like;y the switch or wiring to the switch has an electrical short. This can cause constant power going to the functions the switch controls. While the combination switch is the most likely cause, wiring can also be a problem so I suggest having a certified technician look into the lights staying on to determine if there is a wiring issue before replacing any components. If the combination switch is found to be the culprit, the technician can replace it for you.
Headlight Issue
ANSWER : Hello.
The daytime running lights are not supposed to function at the same time as the headlights. The daytime running lights are only supposed to come on during the day, to provide additional visibility for daytime driving, independently of the headlights. When the headlights are turned on the daytime running lights should turn off. If they are not turning on it may be possible that perhaps the bulbs have burned out, or there is an issue with the fuse or relay. If you run into any issues, consider contacting a certified technician, like one from YourMechanic, as certified technician can diagnose any issues with your lights firsthand and help you make the right repair.
I turn my high beam headlights on and both headlights go out.
ANSWER : Hello, thanks for writing in about your Nissan Frontier. The only way to tell if it is the light bulbs or the switch is to check for power to the bulbs when you switch to high beam. Most of the time both bulbs are bad. The connections to the bulbs could be faulty as well. If you’re unable to pinpoint the issue, have a certified technician, like one from YourMechanic, diagnose your lights firsthand for an accurate repair.
I changed the lightbulbs on my cars headlights but the driver side headlight won’t turn on…
ANSWER : Hello. Ironically, I happen to have a 2000 CLK 430 as well and I experienced an almost identical scenario as you did. I had a fog light out on my vehicle, thinking it was a bulb I went ahead and replaced the light bulb but once I replaced it it still did not fix the issue. Upon further inspection of my vehicle I found that the some of the insulation around the wiring leading to the fog light was brittle and causing wires to be exposed. I taped the wires with some electrical tape because Mercedes-Benz has a very sensitive electrical system and if a wire is exposed it will cause resistance. If the electrical system senses too much resistance it will cut power off to that component to help protect other electrical parts. I suggest to have a technician such as one from YourMechanic inspect the wiring of your fog light that is out, check the fog light fuse in the side fuse compartment, and also check the clearance light bulb. The clearance light bulb is a small bulb located under the fog light and is integrated into the fog light circuit. If the clearance light is out it will interrupt the fog lights power. On my vehicle it was a clearance light being out and the damaged wiring to the fog light causing my fog light to be inoperative. You are able to find a technician and schedule an appointment to evaluate your vehicle here https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/fog-or-driving-lights-are-not-working-inspection
My headlights do not turn off
ANSWER : Your vehicle is probably equipped with daytime running lights, whereas the other car you saw was not. On your vehicle, these lights will stay illuminated regardless of whether the exterior light switch is in the on or off position. There is no way for the driver to disable this system. In theory, a mechanic could re-wire your system to prevent the lights from turning on, but that would be costly and may be against the law in some states. My advice is to just accept the daytime running lights for what they are.
What Temperature Do My Headlights and Taillights Reach When On?
ANSWER : If you mean the actual temperature of a halogen headlight bulb, it’s approximately 300C (572F) according to lighting experts at HELLA Automotive.
However, you may be referring to the more commonly used color temperature ratings used to express the color of light emitted by headlights. The Kelvin scale is used to rate the color of light emitted by a source such as automotive headlight bulbs. On the Kelvin (K) scale lower numbers are a warmer colored light and higher numbers have a more blue look, like some xenon lights. The color temperature of conventional halogen headlight bulbs are about 3000K; direct sunlight is 4500-5500K; while lights 6000K and above have a distinctive blue hue.
What is the second switch called on my headlight switch?
ANSWER : Hi there. The second switch on that turn signal indicator is the parking lights. However, I understand what you’re thinking about doing and would highly recommend purchasing a detailed wiring schematic for your Mitsubishi or a repair and service manual first. Many people attempt to do this and end up calling a mechanic to rewire their accessory system due to an electrical fault or the wrong wires hooked up. Proceed with caution or have a local professional mechanic or car audio / alarm company provide you with the detailed instructions to complete this project.
I need help replacing stock headlights with Halo LED Projector HID headlights.
ANSWER : This is more of an aftermarket-type of repair. You are right about needing 2 more ballasts, and I recommend you get them from the same manufacturer as the kit you have. For this type of modification, consider visiting a local repair shop or contacting the manufacturer of the kit for specific details.
