It is very important to carry out good maintenance of our car in general and, in this case, the lighting in particular. The headlights are one of the most important safety elements in a vehicle, and we must always have the lights in a correct state both for our visibility and for the rest of the road users. We tell you the steps to replace the bulbs in your car on your own.
Replacing a light bulb is more or less easy as long as we take the necessary precautions. Classic lights are the easiest to replace. Today most cars are equipped with LED lights that are much more durable and visible. These lights are much more complicated to change since they are mounted in very complex circuits, and it is best to go to the workshop for their repair or replacement. However, in the case of a traditional halogen from an older car, it is much simpler and can be done privately without going to professional mechanics.
The first and most important thing is to know what type of light bulb my car has. Depending on the model, the high beam and low beam can go together or separately. We have to know the power of it to be able to buy the same replacement. The car manual indicates which bulb will be mounted in each headlight. The front halogens are usually H7, H4 or H1, so you have to make sure before buying a replacement.
The next step is to detect access to the hole where they are placed. It depends on each car; admission is made in one way or another. As always, the user manual will indicate the method and whether it will be necessary to access through the wheel arch or remove the headlight to access the bulb. In taillights, the procedure is usually much simpler since they do not have as much power and can be manipulated much better directly with the hands without the risk of electrocution.
Once we know where we have to access, we must remove the burned-out or damaged bulb. We must let the headlights cool for a while if we have been using them previously at the time of replacement because they will be hot, and we can get burned once we have removed the old bulb and place the new one following the same procedure. We must ensure that it is well established and focuses correctly towards the centre; otherwise, it will not be placed perfectly. Once we verify that it works, we can mount everything we have removed for replacement and leave it as it was initially.
The taillights can be replaced by LEDs as long as they are approved. It is a bit more complicated in the headlights, and this process requires a complex procedure that entails passing the ITV afterwards. Unlike the halogen ones, we will not be able to carry out the replacement independently, and we must go to a professional. The penalty for making the change in a particular way and not approving it is about 200 euros. An argument in favour of LEDs is that their lifespan is considerably higher than that of other headlights.
Mounting an LED wrong can cause an error in the electrical circuit and a very serious breakdown.
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