While it’s not something that you have to worry about as frequently as oil changes and dead batteries, the exterior lighting system occasionally needs some TLC as well.
Dirt and dust can easily pile onto the casing units, causing dimmed beams and decreased visibility. The number one tip to maintaining your car’s lighting is to keep them clean regularly. A good rule of thumb to follow is to wipe them down with a microfibre cloth every week.
Next, if you notice any yellowing or cloudiness, you need to address it as soon as possible. It makes your automobile look ancient, and it can also hurt your visibility. Headlight restoration kits are available for this very reason. If that doesn’t work, you can replace the housing entirely for a brand new look.
Another thing you can do is to check the illumination by looking at the lights head-on. If you don’t want to get out, you can also flood a blank wall with your beams to see if one is duller than the other. This step will also work for seeing if one is out of alignment.
Finally, you can replace bulbs as needed, but you should never swap out only one. You should change them in pairs to ensure that they are equal.