Despite the fact that they’re one of the most vital parts of your car, many people take their headlights for granted.

1. How to...
KEEP YOUR HEADLIGHTS IN
GOOD CONDITION

2. Intro
 Despite the fact that they’re one of the most vital parts of your
car, many people take their headlights for granted.
 Of course, you only ever seem to worry about them once
they stop working. However, by paying a bit of attention to
them in order to keep them running at tip top performance,
you can save yourself a lot of hassle, and help to prevent
them from going on the blink while you’re behind the wheel.

3. First off – cleaning them
 Headlights looking a bit dirty or grimy? Don’t just stare at
them - do something about it!
 If they’re dirty you won’t get the best out of them, defeating
the purpose of headlights altogether in some instances.
 But how best to clean them? Read on…

4. Cleaning, continued.
 Apply some toothpaste on a dry cloth.
 Rub the headlight cover with said cloth, in an effort to get the
grime off. If you’re struggling to make much of an impact, make
sure to rub in a circular motion to break down the grime.
 After that, simply rinse with water then wipe down with a wet
cloth. Easy-peasy, and definitely cheaper than buying a
specialist kit, although those are on the market as well.
 Be warned though, whitening toothpastes or those with extra
mint car have an adverse affect, so try to avoid those for this
particular job. Feel free to use them in your everyday life
though…

5. Changing the bulb
 By regularly keeping your headlights clean, you’ll have
another advantage – knowing when your bulb is dimming, or
close to needing to be changed.
 While hopefully you’ll see it coming, sometimes these things
can happen unexpectedly. If your bulb isn’t working, you can’t
drive in the dark for the obvious reasons (well, as long as you
don’t want to have to fork out for windshield repair).
 As for changing the bulb, a garage can do this for you, but it
can often work out pretty expensive. If you’d rather do it
yourself…

6. DIY bulb change, part 1
 First things first, you’ll need to work out what kind of bulb
your car needs
 Done that? Good. Now you’ll need to locate the bulb holder.
You can usually find this by safely propping the hood open
and looking back around to the back of the headlight.
 The bulb holder should have three wires coming out of a plug
shaped like a trapezoid.

7. DIY bulb change, part 2.
 From there, you’ll need to remove the plug attached at the
base of the headlight itself. Depending on the type of car you
drive, this plug will either be held in by a plastic, metal or
screw cap.
 If it’s a plastic cap, press down the lever sticking up at the top
of the plug, this should allow the plug to slide off.
 If it’s metal, just pull and it should come off in your hands.
 Finally, if it’s a screw cap, just, er, screw it off. Simple!

8. DIY bulb change, part 3.
 Now it’s time to remove the old bulb. Do this by simply
holding onto the base of the bulb (this is what the plug was
in) and gently pulling.
 If you’re struggling to get it out, try rotating it ever so slightly.
 As you might expect, it’s time to add the new bulb now.
However, before taking it out of its packaging, grab a clean
rag or a tissue to make sure the oils on your skin don’t come
into contact with the bulb. This can have a severe impact on
its performance.

9. DIY bulb change, part 4
 From there, you simply have to plug the bulb in. To do this,
hold the bulb’s plug end and stick it into the back of the
headlight.
 Make sure that it’s properly in though – if it is, everything
should be lined up properly, and the bulb’s rubber gasket
should be showing.
 To finish up, simply plug the wiring back in and make sure the
bulb is secure. Test it from there, and if it’s working – hey
presto, you’re done!

10. Further reading:
 http://www.ehow.com/how_4519165_clean-car-
headlights.html
 http://autorepair.about.com/od/fixityourself/ss/hlite_replace.ht
m
 http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-Headlights