deadcactus
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Car People: My headlights suck
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As in unsafe suck. They illuminate maybe 12 feet in front of my car and I drive on unlit interstates frequently. They're going to get me killed. Problem is I don't know where the problem lies. What's the troubleshooting process for headlights? I don't even know if this question makes sense.
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Sith_Mauler
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is it a lack of brightness or do they point at the ground?
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-Prismatic-
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Car People: My headlights suck
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How old is the car?
Are the lenses foggy?
When was the last time you changed the bulbs?
Is your alternator up to par?
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Ah-Schoo
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Car People: My headlights suck
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-Prismatic- posted:
How old is the car?
Are the lenses foggy?
When was the last time you changed the bulbs?
Is your alternator up to par?
I'm here too late. Those are the three that crossed my mind.
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jeune
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Car People: My headlights suck
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I had the same problem with an older truck... I was at a friend of the family and was talking about it... apparently my lights overtime had pointed towards the ground.
He had me drive a few feet from a wall and there is 2 little screw somewhere by the light that he adjusted until it was better (1 screw does horizontal other vertical). Turned from night to day... just be careful you dont point them too high or you might blind people.
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Sith_Mauler
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Car People: My headlights suck
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if you got plastic headlights and a electric drill you can go to autozone and get a 3m kit for like $20.
do not get the hand polish kits, unless you got a lot of time on your hands(like hours), suck.
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deadcactus
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Car People: My headlights suck
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Car is 2001, I got it in 2004. Replaced the bulbs sometime since then but don't remember when.
Lenses don't look fogged. I get a u shaped dispersion of light on both sides with the light hitting the ground maybe 6 feet away from the car and disappearing 9 feet away with a small tail on both sides.
Had a low speed front-end collision and noticed the light problem sometime after that. Not sure if there is a cause and effect relationship or if I just happened to notice it then. I know the part that holds the light into the assembly is broken on one side but both lights suck.
Alternator was repaired pretty recently and I don't have any other electrical problems, so I think it's fine.
I was thinking I'd order some new high quality bulbs, clean the assemblies, and then re-assess but I'm trying to figure out if I should just skip to a new assembly to save some time and effort...
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FunTak
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You can get brighter bulbs but I would recommend adjusting them. Google it with your car model, I'm sure there are a mess of people that've had to adjust them.
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aon_mixed
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Car People: My headlights suck
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try re-aiming them
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rabbitslayer
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Car People: My headlights suck
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deadcactus posted:
Car is 2001, I got it in 2004. Replaced the bulbs sometime since then but don't remember when.
Lenses don't look fogged. I get a u shaped dispersion of light on both sides with the light hitting the ground maybe 6 feet away from the car and disappearing 9 feet away with a small tail on both sides.
Had a low speed front-end collision and noticed the light problem sometime after that. Not sure if there is a cause and effect relationship or if I just happened to notice it then. I know the part that holds the light into the assembly is broken on one side but both lights suck.
Alternator was repaired pretty recently and I don't have any other electrical problems, so I think it's fine.
I was thinking I'd order some new high quality bulbs, clean the assemblies, and then re-assess but I'm trying to figure out if I should just skip to a new assembly to save some time and effort...
There's your problem... and here's your sign!!!
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Ah-Schoo posted:
-Prismatic- posted:
How old is the car?
Are the lenses foggy?
When was the last time you changed the bulbs?
Is your alternator up to par?
I'm here too late. Those are the three that crossed my mind.
pppsstt
there are 4 questions ;p
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Jezza_Belle
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seriously, you didn't think to re-aim them already?
While you're at it, check your blinker fluid and your muffler bearings.
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jeune
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Car People: My headlights suck
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I really had no idea that headlights could be adjusted before I needed it... I seriously had went out and bought expensive bulbs trying to fix the problem... did everything.
It was me crying about almost dying from driving that someone fixed it in like 10 minutes... seems kind of stupid now but I really had no idea.
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Sgian_Dubh
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Jezza_Belle posted:
seriously, you didn't think to re-aim them already?
While you're at it, check your blinker fluid and your muffler bearings.
personal attack
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Mangler_SC
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I know this is expected so... Buy a minivan.
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Jezza_Belle
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jeune posted:
I really had no idea that headlights could be adjusted before I needed it... I seriously had went out and bought expensive bulbs trying to fix the problem... did everything.
It was me crying about almost dying from driving that someone fixed it in like 10 minutes... seems kind of stupid now but I really had no idea.
This is why basic auto mechanics should be required to get a license. Even the richest of richy rich people sometimes are stuck and have to do things for themselves on their vehicles.
Everyone should know how to add fluids, check tire pressure, aim headlights, change a wiper blade, start a flooded car etc. preferably know how to jack up a car and change a tire too... but it would probably be asking too much.
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jeune
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Jezza_Belle posted:
jeune posted:
I really had no idea that headlights could be adjusted before I needed it... I seriously had went out and bought expensive bulbs trying to fix the problem... did everything.
It was me crying about almost dying from driving that someone fixed it in like 10 minutes... seems kind of stupid now but I really had no idea.
This is why basic auto mechanics should be required to get a license. Even the richest of richy rich people sometimes are stuck and have to do things for themselves on their vehicles.
Everyone should know how to add fluids, check tire pressure, aim headlights, change a wiper blade, start a flooded car etc. preferably know how to jack up a car and change a tire too... but it would probably be asking too much.
Is that even basic maintenance? I really assumed they pointed straight and that was the end to it... I am sure my truck was messed up from something too. Just seems a little too harsh for something that seems to rarely/ever to happen.
I have learned how to do everything you listed by myself... and I would not let my kid drive around if they could not change a tire.
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Jezza_Belle
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jeune posted:
Jezza_Belle posted:
jeune posted:
I really had no idea that headlights could be adjusted before I needed it... I seriously had went out and bought expensive bulbs trying to fix the problem... did everything.
It was me crying about almost dying from driving that someone fixed it in like 10 minutes... seems kind of stupid now but I really had no idea.
This is why basic auto mechanics should be required to get a license. Even the richest of richy rich people sometimes are stuck and have to do things for themselves on their vehicles.
Everyone should know how to add fluids, check tire pressure, aim headlights, change a wiper blade, start a flooded car etc. preferably know how to jack up a car and change a tire too... but it would probably be asking too much.
Is that even basic maintenance? I really assumed they pointed straight and that was the end to it... I am sure my truck was messed up from something too. Just seems a little too harsh for something that seems to rarely/ever to happen.
rarely? every time I'm driving at night some asshole has his headlights aimed wrong and blinds me.
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-Abysmal-
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Car People: My headlights suck
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Jezza_Belle posted:
jeune posted:
Jezza_Belle posted:
[quote=jeune]I really had no idea that headlights could be adjusted before I needed it... I seriously had went out and bought expensive bulbs trying to fix the problem... did everything.
It was me crying about almost dying from driving that someone fixed it in like 10 minutes... seems kind of stupid now but I really had no idea.
This is why basic auto mechanics should be required to get a license. Even the richest of richy rich people sometimes are stuck and have to do things for themselves on their vehicles.
Everyone should know how to add fluids, check tire pressure, aim headlights, change a wiper blade, start a flooded car etc. preferably know how to jack up a car and change a tire too... but it would probably be asking too much.
Is that even basic maintenance? I really assumed they pointed straight and that was the end to it... I am sure my truck was messed up from something too. Just seems a little too harsh for something that seems to rarely/ever to happen.
rarely? every time I'm driving at night some asshole has his headlights aimed wrong and blinds me.
[/quote]
if you are being blinded i highly doubt it is headlights not being aligned.
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Jezza_Belle
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-Abysmal- posted:
Jezza_Belle posted:
jeune posted:
[quote=Jezza_Belle][quote=jeune]I really had no idea that headlights could be adjusted before I needed it... I seriously had went out and bought expensive bulbs trying to fix the problem... did everything.
It was me crying about almost dying from driving that someone fixed it in like 10 minutes... seems kind of stupid now but I really had no idea.
This is why basic auto mechanics should be required to get a license. Even the richest of richy rich people sometimes are stuck and have to do things for themselves on their vehicles.
Everyone should know how to add fluids, check tire pressure, aim headlights, change a wiper blade, start a flooded car etc. preferably know how to jack up a car and change a tire too... but it would probably be asking too much.
Is that even basic maintenance? I really assumed they pointed straight and that was the end to it... I am sure my truck was messed up from something too. Just seems a little too harsh for something that seems to rarely/ever to happen.
rarely? every time I'm driving at night some asshole has his headlights aimed wrong and blinds me.
[/quote]
if you are being blinded i highly doubt it is headlights not being aligned.
[/quote]
It is the headlights not being aligned right, because so many idiots don't know how to do it.
http://www.automedia.com/Aiming_Headlights/ccr20010801ha/1
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Tipztoe
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Car People: My headlights suck
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do you at least have a nice bumper?
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Reapist
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An alternator not being up to par will only be a problem until the battery is drained.
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ferdinand.the.great
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Reapist posted:
An alternator not being up to par will only be a problem until the battery is drained.
Well, it'll still be a problem after the battery is drained, to be fair.
dc, make sure your headlights are aimed correctly. It sounds like they aren't. And if they are, and you decide to buy new bulbs, please stay away from the Silverstar or PIAA crap. Anything with a tint is running significantly more watts than it should (think: putting a 100-watt bulb into a 60-watt lamp in your house). They have to run higher wattage to even come close to providing enough light, because they're blocking a portion of the light spectrum. And, even then, they provide less light than a decent bulb from a company like Phillips or Osram (Sylvania).
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Reapist
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Ferd, the point I'm making is that you can pretty much eliminate that as part of the problem with the headlights not doing a good job. You would soon realize the headlights were in fact not the problem, but a symptom of the problem.
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deadcactus
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Jezza_Belle posted:
seriously, you didn't think to re-aim them already?
Actually, I did. I don't think that's it so I thought I'd ask around for some other options to put on the differential before I go start the investigation...
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Reapist
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Are they the kind that go inside a plastic box? Maybe the outside lens need to be polished.
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-Abysmal-
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Jezza_Belle posted:
It is the headlights not being aligned right, because so many idiots don't know how to do it.
http://www.automedia.com/Aiming_Headlights/ccr20010801ha/1
nice link...but that's not all that often unless it's people with those ultra brights.
9 times out of 10 it's the high beams on.
here in MA we are the most inconsiderate drivers on the planet i think and i dont witness alignment as the problem.
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deadcactus
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Reapist posted:
Are they the kind that go inside a plastic box? Maybe the outside lens need to be polished.
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/featured/lights_-and-_bulbs/1461463709.html
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-Foxy-
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take it someplace like auto zone or pep boys, ask them, and let them give it a quick look.
then you can buy the part there and fix it up.
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Reapist
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deadcactus posted:
Reapist posted:
Are they the kind that go inside a plastic box? Maybe the outside lens need to be polished.
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/featured/lights_-and-_bulbs/1461463709.html
Yeah. So sometimes the outside get frosted up some and it's hard to get light thru. But you would have to be the judge of that. There are a few things it could be, but someone who can see it has to make the call.
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Ah-Schoo
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-Foxy- posted:
Ah-Schoo posted:
-Prismatic- posted:
How old is the car?
Are the lenses foggy?
When was the last time you changed the bulbs?
Is your alternator up to par?
I'm here too late. Those are the three that crossed my mind.
pppsstt
there are 4 questions ;p
The first one is not in any way a direct cause for headlight issues. 
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-Foxy-
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lol
you didnt SAY it was a direct cause question ;P
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