Tag Archives | headlights

When should I drive with my lights on?

I had a young driver ask me when she should drive with her lights on.  I told her all the time especially this time of year.  It is getting darker earlier, and with the rain and wind it makes it hard to see.  I was driving to work the other morning, it was dark and raining, and a newer car came up behind me with no lights on.  There was no way for me to get is attention, and it bothered me because most new cars will turn on their lights automatically in the dark.  So to be safe and be seen, check your lights.  Have someone walk around you vehicle and make sure all of your lights are working.  Low Beams, High Beams, Brake lights, Turn signals, etc.  Most of these bulbs are easy to replace, but sometimes they are difficult.  If you run into a situation that is difficult, please give us a call and we will get you right in and get those bulbs replaced.  Sometime is can be an electrical issue, so if you change the bulbs and it’s still not working, we can repair that for you also.  We want you to be safe and seen, we are here to help.

 

How much does a New Headlight Cost?

My headlight is out, how much does a new headlight cost?  I just got a phone call asking this very question today.  It used to be that on almost all vehicles we would just charge for the bulb,which was a couple of dollars and not have to charge any labor at all, because it would take us just a couple of minutes.  Not so much anymore.  I had one vehicle that was over an hour to just change 1 bulb!!!  It appears that some engineers don’t think ahead about how hard it is to do the simplest job when they stack a bunch of stuff behind it.  Also bulbs can be expensive.  I had a customer pull into the shop a couple of years ago with her headlight out.  I called the dealer, and they want $500.00 for 1 bulb.  Thankfully I was able to get it aftermarket for $100.00.  The customer was still shocked at the price, but happy I could save her $400.00.  It’s just not like it used to be, so many variables, and different types of bulbs.  The best thing to do if you have a headlight out is to swing into the shop and let us take a look, that way we will be able to give an accurate price.