How to choose and replace a low beam bulb yourself

In what cases should you replace the low beam bulb?

To prevent low beam failure from catching the car owner on the road, it is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the lamps in the headlights and, if the first symptoms of malfunction are detected, immediately replace them with new ones. These are primarily the following signs:

1. Direct lamp burnout when turned on before a trip.
2. Deterioration in power, brightness and luminous flux.
3. Constant flickering.
4. Switching on every other time.
5. Burnout of one or several light bulbs (filaments) in the headlight, for example, not only the low beam, but also the high beam.

Moreover, depending on the type, signs of damage to the light source may have their own specifics. So, the first sign of the need to change an LED is a significant deterioration in its brightness. LED elements can work for a very long time, but the quality can drop sharply. Therefore, it is better not to wait until the lamp goes out completely, but to replace it with a new one.

Xenon disease in low beam is the difference in ignition time between the right and left headlights. In this case, the problem may not necessarily be hidden in the lamp itself, but also in the electronic initiation device. Halogen lamps are the most difficult to detect when they break. As a rule, they do not show visible signs until they completely burn out. However, in most cases, such an event does not occur before the service life specified by the manufacturer. Therefore, at the end of it, it is better to replace them with new ones, or at least carry them with you in reserve.

Note! The reason for the lack of low beam is not always a burnt out lamp. The fuse may fail, or the wiring may simply break or contact with the base may be lost due to incorrect installation or defect. In addition, the control relay, on-board electronics system and optics control unit may fail. Therefore, troubleshooting and replacement of components will be required.

What kind of service is this?

Car owners know firsthand that replacing a low beam light bulb is not at all an easy procedure, as it may seem at first glance. For many brands and models of cars, such an operation is akin to dancing with a tambourine. After all, its implementation will require great ingenuity, sleight of hand and sometimes more than an hour of wasted time. This is due to the fact that there is simply no open, and therefore direct access to the headlights. In some cases you will have to:

• Remove the battery;
• Turn out the wheel and jack up the car;
• Move the neck of the washer reservoir;
• Unscrew the bottom of the fender liner.

When such difficulties do not inspire, it is better to turn to specialists. By ordering a call from a specialist directly to your home or office, you can even go to a special parking lot. You may not even personally observe how the low beam light bulb is replaced . The technician will do everything on his own, after first checking with you about the make of the car and agreeing on the cost of consumables. If you already have light bulbs and components, the technician will simply install them, which will significantly speed up the process. Replacing license plate lamps is no longer a problem.

Tips for choosing headlight bulbs

When choosing a replacement lamp for low beam headlights, the following criteria must be taken into account:

1. View. The new light bulb must be the same as the previously installed one, or correspond to the control parameters. For example, xenon and LEDs require a luminous flux controller. Otherwise, equipping headlights with such lamps will be contrary to the rules and will impede the passage of technical inspection.
2. Design. Lamps are divided into single-filament lamps - only low beam H7, and double-filament lamps - H4 - low beam and high beam. The choice depends on the headlight itself. They can have one mounting slot (for one lamp) or two compartments – for two lighting devices.
3. Power. According to this indicator, when replacing lamps, they must comply with the factory standard, otherwise, in an effort to increase the illumination of the highway, you can blind an oncoming traffic participant and provoke an accident.
4. Base. When replacing a lamp, it is best to take the old one with you to the auto shop and use it to compare the dimensions of the seat of the new model.
5. Number of copies. With good quality, warranty and reliability of the manufacturer, it is better to buy several copies with a reserve than to be left without low beam in an emergency situation.
6. Brand. The most well-known manufacturers with good quality products today are Bosch, Philips, Osram, Koito and others.

Recommendations for selection

When choosing light bulbs for low or high beam, you should not skimp on their quality, since cheap products may not only not differ in the quality of road lighting, but also have a service life of no more than 1000 hours (for inexpensive xenon). It has been noted that various manufacturers produce lamps that not only differ in their characteristics, but also in the shade of light. For example, Osram has a pronounced cool white spectrum, but Bosch often turns yellow, which is more typical for high-quality halogen.

Products from manufacturers Bosch, Philips, Osram have proven themselves to be the best. The advantage of domestic brands is their low price. Of the low beam bulbs from Russian manufacturers, Dialuch and Mayak are noted. Such emitters are produced in a wide range and have an affordable price, but you should not expect outstanding characteristics from them.

You can also find products from premium brands from Japan on sale. However, such lamps have a high cost and are beyond the means of most domestic car owners.

Below is a video testing the most popular halogen lamps:

Replacing a light bulb yourself

If you follow the instructions, replacing the tab in the low beam headlights will not cause any particular difficulties even for those who have never performed basic auto repairs with their own hands. First of all, you need to prepare tools, consumables and safely position the car itself. Next, you need to perform dismantling work, remove the old light bulb and install a new one, then reassemble the components in the reverse order and, if necessary, adjust the light. Let's look at these stages in more detail.

Preparation

First you need to park the car on a level, safe place, putting it on the handbrake and speed. Then de-energize the on-board network by turning off the ignition and disconnecting the negative contact wire on the battery. The quantity and composition of the necessary tools is determined by the type of car model and the design features of its headlights and nearby components. In addition, you will need clean gloves made of cotton material, since when changing a lamp, they always make one very serious mistake - they take its glass bulb with bare fingers, leaving a coating of grease, which is why it quickly burns out.

Removing old light bulbs

There are no universal instructions for replacing low beam lamps in the headlights of any car. Therefore, you need to carefully study the operating instructions supplied with any model. If it is not in the technical documentation, you can contact the supplier or the manufacturer itself. As a last resort, a lot of useful information can be found on Internet resources devoted to this topic.

Nevertheless, you can still give some general recommendations for replacement:

1. To facilitate access to the headlight, remove from the working area all nearby vehicle components, for example, an air duct pipe.
2. Detach the rear headlight protection panel.
3. If necessary, the module with wiring is detached from the mounting socket.
4. According to individual instructions, remove the light bulb from the socket and replace it with a new one.
5. Reassemble all parts in reverse order.

Installing a new lamp

When installing a new lamp, you need to consider two basic rules:

1. Do not handle the flask with your bare hands - you must use cotton gloves or, in extreme cases, a napkin.
2. Insert it into the mounting socket exactly according to the technology, avoiding poor fastening, distortion and under-twisting. Otherwise. Even if the lamp shines, it will not last long and will quickly deteriorate.

After the lamp has been changed, it is necessary to check its functionality. To do this, you need to connect the terminals to the battery, turn on the ignition and low beam.

Replacing low beam lamps

There is a certain procedure for changing lamps. In some cars, the lamp is difficult to reach due to the location of the reservoirs and other parts under the hood.

Replacement procedure:

1. Disconnect the negative terminal from the battery (ground).
2. Remove the headlight covers. Some expensive cars are vulnerable to thieves because of how easy it is to remove the headlights on these cars. For example, on a Land Rover, Land Cruiser, Volkswagen Touareg, Volvo, BMW, a passing thief hits the headlight in a certain place and the headlight cover falls off. Headlights for such cars are expensive, up to 250 thousand rubles. The cooler the horse, the more expensive its headlights. Watch the video at the end of the article.
3. Remove the lamp. To do this, remove the rubber plug, grab the contact block and disconnect the plug from the lamp. Press the lamp, turn it and pull it out of the block.

4. Take a new lamp with a clean rag and insert it into the socket. It is not recommended to touch the glass with your fingers, because greasy marks will remain, and this, although not significant, will deteriorate the lighting.
5. Secure the flask with clamps and put on the rubber plug.
6. Connect the battery and check.

Replacement is always done by finding the cause from easy to difficult. If the light does not light, the first thing you need to do is check the fuse. The location of the fuse varies from car to car.

Reasons for frequent light bulb burnouts

Often, immediately after replacement or after a short period of time, low beam lamps burn out. The reasons for this are:

1. Poor quality, defective.
2. Violation of installation technology (the lamp bulb is contaminated with fatty deposits from the skin of the installer’s hands).
3. Fuse failure.
4. A current greater than the required value has passed into the lighting circuit.
5. The voltage regulator is broken.

If the lamp was installed by a service provider, it must have a warranty and the company’s specialists are obliged to fix the damage.

What to do if the lamps in your car headlights malfunction.

From time to time, every car enthusiast is faced with a situation when the time comes to change defective lighting sources. It is especially important to replace faulty lamps in car headlights. Remember that if a bulb in your car is burned out, you should replace it as soon as possible. Otherwise, you increase the risk of being in an accident. Especially if this concerns burnt-out taillights and brake lights. At the same time, it is also equally important to promptly change faulty light sources in the front optics. Unfortunately, the process of replacing lamps in not all cars is simple and cheap.

Main conclusions

Replacement of low beam lamps is required in the following cases:

1. When burned out.
2. Deterioration of characteristics (brightness, power).
3. Flickering.
4. When one of the threads burned out.

Depending on the type of lamp (halogen, LED or xenon), specific symptoms may be observed. When selecting replacement lamps, you need to pay attention to such features as type, design (one or two filaments), type and size of base, power, quantity and brand.

To properly replace a light bulb, you need to prepare tools and consumables, move the car to a safe position and, strictly according to the instructions, disassemble the components, replace and install a new lamp. After which, you may need to adjust the light beam. Its rapid re-burnout may be due to incorrect installation, violation of installation rules, defects and breakdown of the on-board electrical circuit.

Previous

Lamps and lighting fixtures for housing and public utilities: a review of modern anti-vandal, energy-saving, automated lighting devices

Next

Lamps and lampsReplacing the low beam bulb of the Kissan Qashqai: comparison and selection of lamps, step-by-step instructions

Selecting a light element

Before you change a lamp that has failed, you need to purchase a new element that fits your car. The headlights of most modern cars are equipped with elements with a base of type H4–H7 of the following varieties:

1. Inexpensive light bulbs with tungsten filament. They are characterized by a short service life and low luminous flux.
2. The most common are halogen lamps. They combine reasonable cost with optimal light output and long service life.
3. Gas-discharge, they are also xenon. Reliable and inexpensive products, a characteristic feature is that they emit a bright beam of bluish light.
4. LED. Economical elements that create good illumination and have a long service life. The downside is the high price of the product.

If desired, the standard halogen lamp can be replaced with an LED or xenon lamp, provided that the part fits the base. If you change the type of lighting elements, you will have to buy and install a pair of light bulbs in both headlights. Regardless of the type, the electrical power of the part should be 55 W (marking on the package - 12V/55W). It is not recommended to replace the low beam bulb with a more powerful one, so as not to dazzle drivers of oncoming cars.

This is interesting: Do-it-yourself replacement of a window regulator on a VAZ-2107: step-by-step instructions

Domestic and Dialuch products attract attention due to their optimal price-quality ratio. Among foreign brands, it is worth highlighting several well-known brands:

• Philips;
• BOSCH;
• OSRAM;
• General Electric;
• Koito.

Types of lamps

The choice of lamp depends on the characteristics of the car and its brand, but the final decision is up to the owner. So incandescent lamps are the standard type of low beam lamps and come from the manufacturer. They do not stand out for their brightness or reliability, but are quite suitable if the vehicle speed does not exceed 90 km/h.

Halogen lamps, whose bulbs contain a special gas, combine quality and functionality. The main advantages of such light bulbs are:

• ease of installation;
• low price;
• safe work;
• wide range of applications;
• low energy consumption;
• no ignition unit needed.

Xenon lamps are also popular. They have fairly high brightness with a minimal size. Other advantages:

• long-term operation;
• durable flask;
• the presence of two electrodes replacing the filament;
• powerful light;
• the small size does not create the effect of a light wall.

Replacing a low beam bulb is a necessary skill for every car owner.
LED lamps are an almost ideal option, as they significantly improve visibility, thereby ensuring a high level of safety. Another undeniable advantage of LEDs is their resistance to various shocks and vibrations.

Low beam lamp brands

• Philips (Philips);
• BOSCH (Bosch);
• OSRAM (Osram);
• General Electric (General Electric);
• Koito (Koito).

How to replace the license plate light bulb?

To work you will need the following tools:

• Screwdriver.
• Rag.
• Silicone Grease.

Work order:

1. License plate lamps are usually mounted in a niche above the license plate. They can be mounted differently on different cars. License plate lamps can be screwed on with screws or inserted into latches, which is practiced on most foreign cars.

2. The screws are unscrewed with a screwdriver, and the lampshade on the latches just needs to be pryed off with a screwdriver, but be careful not to break it.

3. After dismantling the lampshades, remove the lamps from their seats and replace them with new ones. But do not rush to reattach the lampshades; first, it is advisable to check the functionality of the room lighting system.

4. Before screwing in the screws, take the time to lubricate them with silicone grease, which will slow down the corrosion process.

Not every manufacturer indicates in the manual how to change the lamp and what tools to use

If you don't find instructions for replacing headlight bulbs in your car's manual, don't be surprised. This is a completely normal situation. Indeed, some automakers, for some reason, may not indicate in the manual the process of replacing light sources.

This is most often explained by the fact that, due to the design of the machine, replacing headlight bulbs involves a labor-intensive process of dismantling various components of the machine. For example, to change the headlight bulbs on a Ford Fiesta, you also need to dismantle the radiator grille and remove the optics from the car using a special tool.