How to Check Your Used Vehicle’s Light Bulbs By Yourself

By Product Expert | Posted in Maintenance, Service, Tips and Tricks on Monday, May 30th, 2016 at 9:21 pm

Have you ever had the experience of getting pulled over by a cop because you had a tail light that was out? And you were completely unaware of the problem until then? Luckily, the cop will oftentimes just give you a warning and he urges you to fix it as soon as possible. Since the rear lights are behind us when we drive, they are one of the easiest components to forget when we maintain our used vehicle, and it can be a little challenging when you are trying to do it alone. Let us share a few tips on how to check your used vehicle’s light bulbs by yourself.

How Often Should I Check My Used Vehicle’s Light Bulbs?

If you use CFL lights, they will typically last approximately 10,000 hours, while LED lights will last about 50,000 hours. Most sources suggest checking your lights twice a year. If you know that the lifespan of your bulbs is coming to an end, we advise you to check them more regularly, such as when you check your oil. And once one of the bulbs go out, keep an eye on the others because they all seem to want to go out at around the same time frame.

Learn How Often You Should Wash Your Vehicle

How to Check the Head and Fog Lights

Checking the head and fog lights on your vehicle is easy since you see them the most, especially when you are driving at night. Simply flick on your high beams and low beams. For additional verification, leave your engine and lights on and get out to check them.

Follow Joe’s Auto Sales on Facebook!

lights for vehiclesHow to Check Blinkers, License Plate Lights, and Tail Lights

For the lights in the rear, simply turn on your engine, flip your blinkers, and walk around to the back of your vehicle a couple of times to make sure that everything is in working order.

What to Look for on a Used Vehicle’s Exterior

How to Check the Brake Lights

This is the trickiest one in the bunch since you need to apply pressure to the brake pedal while checking the lights in the rear. We recommend that you place a few heavy books on your brake pedal to help you out.

Let Joe’s Auto Sales Help You Out!

If you need additional assistance with your used vehicle’s lights, come to Joe’s Auto Sales and let our service department help you out! And if you are looking for a different vehicle, all of the models on our sales lot have been thoroughly inspected so all of them will last a long time (and so will the lights)! If you have any additional questions, feel free to give us a call at 317-243-2269. We are located at 3250 West Washington Street, Indianapolis.