The lifespan of car headlights largely depends on whether you’re using halogen bulbs, high-intensity discharge (HID) bulbs, or light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs. Whichever type of headlights your car uses, they’ll eventually need replacing. Here are a few common warning signs that headlights are on their last legs. Head down to your nearest BMW dealership for new headlights as soon as you need them.
Does Your BMW Need New Headlights?
Hazy Headlights
Sometimes headlights appear to be failing, but it’s actually the lenses that need to be cleaned or replaced. Headlight lenses can become dirtied by dust, mud, salt, and snow from the road, which gradually makes the light hazier. This can usually be remedied by cleaning the lenses.
Headlight lenses can also become hazy if the acrylic of the lenses becomes too scratched by myriad little stones flicked up by the tires of other cars. As lenses grow old, UV rays in sunlight can also damage the acrylic through a process of oxidization. In these cases, you may need to install new lenses.
Dimming Bulbs
When headlight bulbs begin to fail, they usually dim to some degree. It might not be immediately noticeable if the dimming is very gradual. Nevertheless, you should have your headlight bulbs replaced as soon as you notice they’re shining less brightly. After dark, any reduction in brightness reduces your visibility, which can become dangerous.
Flickering Light
Some headlight bulbs might start to flicker when they grow old or become damaged. Flickering light may indicate a broken or burned-out filament in halogen bulbs.
Flickering may also result from a problem with the underlying supply of electrical power, or even damaged wiring. You’ll probably need a technician to diagnose and repair the fault.
One Bulb Blows
When just one headlight bulb blows, you usually need to replace both in the pair. This is to ensure maximum brightness. Once one bulb dies, the other in the pair is rarely far behind and may already have started to dim dramatically.
Ask Your BMW Dealer To Upgrade Your Bulbs
One way to increase the longevity of your headlights is to have them upgraded. Halogen bulbs only tend to last for 500 to 1,000 miles of usage. Not only are HID bulbs brighter, but they also last for about 5,000 miles on average.
The longest-lasting bulbs of all are LED bulbs, which might last as long as 50,000 miles. It’s not always possible to upgrade a vehicle’s headlights, so you’ll need to ask about your options at your local dealership.
Have your failing headlights checked and repaired today at Tom Bush BMW Orange Park. We’re an award-winning local dealership that’s been providing our customers with exceptional new and pre-owned BMW vehicles and high-quality customer service since 2006.
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