Should You Have a Holiday Car Light Tradition?
Many people put up their Christmas lights after Thanksgiving dinner. It's something of a holiday tradition. After Thanksgiving, holiday shopping will also start. Traffic will be busy until after the new year. Drivers can expect delays, poor judgment, and a certain amount of frustration. To make holiday travel safer, we'd like to recommend a new holiday tradition involving lights: check each other's automobile lights to make sure they’re all in working order.
Here are the car lights that should be 100% functional at all times:
Headlights (High and low beam)
Taillights (red)
Running lights (front and rear)
Brake lights (rear)
Fog lights (by headlamps in some cars)
Signal lights (blinkers) front and back
Each of these has a specific warning or safety function. Because it gets dark so much earlier, we tend to need our headlights more, but anyone who had been behind a car who didn't have a working turn signal light knows how irritating it is when the driver turns seemingly out of the blue. It's hard to check all of these lights by ourselves, but easy to do with a friend. So, once the family is all together, it's a good time to check all of their car lights and gain the peace of mind knowing that their cars are safe.
Holiday habit
Auto lights should, by all rights, be checked regularly, much like checking the oil or the air pressure on the tires. But it isn't always at the forefront of people's minds, because we're busy. Nonetheless, if a person wanted to make it into a holiday event, it could easily be organized for family members to check their lights on Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day. These holidays and more or less equidistant.
What if a headlamp is burned out?
You can take it to a shop, of course, which may charge you $25 on up to replace it. Or, you can learn to do it yourself. Most headlights and front lights are managed from the inside beneath the hood of the car. If it's a headlamp, make sure to handle it with alcohol wipes and tissues. You do not want the oils from your hands to get on the bulb. The alcohol wipes can be used to clean the lamp before you install it. There may be a socket you have to remove to replace it.
Rear lights
For the rear lights, the housing for the lights is often in the trunk of the car. The area may have a protective sheath which has to be removed before replacing the bulb. Bulbs are lit by a power connector (White with wires attached.) The connector may need to be turned clockwise a quarter turn to remove it or unclipped. Replace the bulb by pulling the lever back, popping it out of the socket, or unscrewing it. Each bulb is different, and there is a bit of a discovery process to it.
In some cases, it's merely a loose wire, and no bulb is needed. You may find that in the process of locating which lamp is out, you'll reseat the connector inadvertently, and it will work again without having to replace the bulb.
Unlock the car
In some cases, you may notice a light is out when you unlock the car. Watching the lights flash when you hit the remote 'unlock' button is one of the simplest ways to check the lights, which flash during the process.
Once you have a fabulous Thanksgiving meal, checking everyone's car lights is a way of keeping them safe over the holidays. It's also an excellent lesson to teach young people in the family who will benefit from understanding how to change car light bulbs and learn about safety at the same time.
If you are in the Phoenix Metro area and want a no-hassle cash offer on an old, wrecked, unwanted, salvage or burned car, SUV, van or truck, give us a call at I Buy Junk Cars. 480-771-8290.