Encountering non-working headlights is something that no one ever wants to experience. But if this ever happens to you, it’s best that you get more info about what you’re dealing with.

Your car’s headlights are one of the most important parts of your vehicle. It not only makes you more visible so you drive safer. It also makes it more convenient to see the road at night even in dim or unlit areas.

But what if your car’s headlights suddenly go out and stop working? While this may not be a problem in the morning, it can spell trouble at night time.

In most cases, owners won’t be able to tell that the headlight stopped working while in broad daylight. Most people only notice this when it gets dark out and they realize they need to turn on their headlights.

Your car’s headlights are one of the most important parts of your vehicle

So what should you do when this happens? Should you cancel your plans and contact the mechanic in the morning? Should you insist on pursuing your plans amidst the danger? Or would you rather understand the situation by reading through this article?

Encountering non-working headlights is something that no one ever wants to experience. But if this ever happens to you, it’s best that you get more info about what you’re dealing with. So, if you chose the last option from the questions above, a great choice! Philcarnews.com prepared everything you need to know about a headlight ordeal.

Knowing your headlights

Recognizing headlight technology isn’t for everybody. But it definitely isn’t that hard to understand. First off, there are tons of reasons why your headlights may have failed you. To determine the solution, you first have to pinpoint the cause of the problem. From there, you can start patching up or replacing what needs to be replaced.

The troubleshooting process that you need to follow will depend largely on the cause you have at hand. Before anything else, you should check if only one or both the headlights are dead. Then, check if the high and low beams are still working.

Recognizing headlight technology isn’t for everybody.

Common scenarios where your headlight may not work

If you ever encounter a non-working headlight, the reason is usually one of these two. It can either be a physical problem with the bulb or an electrical problem. To solve your problem right away, you need to determine what type of problem your headlights have.

Take into consideration the circumstances and the bulb or bulbs that aren’t working. Then, refer to the following list of problems:

1. One of the headlights doesn’t work

Possible cause: Incidents like this are usually caused by burned out bulbs.

Best way to fix: Get a new bulb and replace the old one. If this still fails, the problem may be in the wiring.

Note: HID or high-intensity discharge headlights can also fail because of other associated components.

Incidents like this are usually caused by burned out bulbs

2. Low beam headlights aren’t working/ High-beam headlights aren’t working

Possible cause: This could be caused by a defect in the high beam’s switch or relay. This could also be caused by a burned-out bulb.

Best way to fix: You can replace the bulbs. If that doesn’t work, you can also try replacing the switch and the relay.

Note: If only one bulb is defective when it comes to the low-beam or high-beam mode, the problem could be the bulb. A lot of the headlight problems out there related to low and high beams are connected to things. This can either be the high-beam control switch or the relay.

If the low beam / high-beam headlights aren’t working it could be caused by a defect in the high beam’s switch or relay

3. None of the headlights are working

Possible cause: Incidents like this can be caused by problems with the ground or power. It can also be caused by burned-out bulbs.

Best way to fix: Check for ground and power. If necessary, fix it. If not, simply replace the bulbs.

Both headlights not working can be caused by problems with the ground or power

4. Headlights are working but are dimmer than usual

Possible cause: This could be caused by worn out bulbs, a charging system issue or foggy lenses.

Best way to fix: Consider having the bulbs replaced, repairing the charging system or cleaning the lenses.

Note: If the headlights had always seemed dim to you, the problem could be foggy lenses. It could also be worn out bulbs but use judgment in determining this. If your headlights are only dim at particular times, the problem could be with the charging system.

Other headlight problems can be caused by a combination of wiring, relay and switch problems. Bad or defective bulbs may also be the cause.

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Dimmer headlights could be caused by worn out bulbs, a charging system issue or foggy lenses.

How do my headlights work?

A lot of the headlight techs in the market are pretty blunt. The basic components are usually the fuse, the switch, the relay and of course, the bulbs. However, they can be variations but this depends on the vehicle. Some modern vehicles can have adaptive headlights, daytime running lights and fog lights while some can even have all of these at the same time. The mechanism, however, is usually still the same.

Whenever you turn the headlights on, it activates a relay. That relay then gives the electrical connection between the battery and the headlights. The fuses are there for sacrificial purposes. If there’s ever a problem, they’ll be the first to blow out.

In the same way, tapping on the high beam switch will trip off the relay and turn on the high beams. When it comes to dual-filament headlight capsules, the power is sent to the headlight’s high beam filament. If any of the listed components fail to work, you will experience problems with your headlights. But just by looking at the way it ceased to work, you’ll be able to trace back how it broke.

Tapping on the high beam switch will trip off the relay and turn on the high beams

DIY or a trip to the mechanic?

Burned out mechanics are usually an easy fix. But there will be times when going to the mechanic is your only option. If you don’t have diagnostic equipment as well as other basic tools, then it’s best to have a professional do the job for you.

You will typically require a voltmeter and a few screwdrivers for this task. So if you lack those, you may not get the task done. Replacing a bulb or bulbs will usually only take a few minutes. But before that, professional mechanics do visual inspections first.