Car and Truck Light Bulbs
Lighting is an important part of safety and visibility for vehicles on the road. Each type of vehicle has different lighting needs for the cabin and the exterior. Choosing the interior lights, headlights, and taillights is an important decision for your vehicle's safety, roadworthiness, and your ability to see in dim or dark conditions.
What are some features of car and truck lighting?- Light emitting diodes: Light-emitting diodes, or LED lights, are used in most makes and models of vehicles. They emit minimal heat and consume little of the battery's power. They deliver a high level of brightness and are often used in the headlights and taillights.
- Range of bulb colors: Headlights can use LED lights that are warm or cool in their shade of white. If your car uses daytime running lamps, you might wish to use LED lights that are more reflective. For decorative underbody LED lights, select from a rainbow of colors and black lights.
- Lifespan: Lighting for vehicles usually has a lifespan of 5,000 hours. If you keep your headlights on at all times, you may wish to select lighting with a long lifespan.
- Choose the type of bulb: LED lights are the most common for use in vehicles such as Hyundai, Volkswagen, Nissan, Ford, Chevrolet, and most other makes. LED lights use minimal wattage. Halogen lights or incandescent bulbs may also be recommended for fog lights or interior lighting. Refer to your owner's manual for the correct type of incandescent, halogen, or LED lights.
- Select the vehicle placement: Some car lights are oriented toward a particular placement on your car or truck. Select from front or rear, left or right, interior or exterior.
- Choose a bulb color temperature: LED lights for headlights, fog lights, and taillights are available in a bulb temperature of 1,000 Kelvin to 12,000 Kelvin. The color temperature is a reference to the color that appears to the human eye. For example, warm white is a 2,000-Kelvin color temperature and daylight is greater than 4,000-Kelvin color temperature.
Your car's headlights and taillights have an assembly that needs to be taken apart so that you can install the replacement bulb. To find the headlight or taillight assembly, pop the hood or trunk of your car. The assembly will have a metal or plastic harness or housing that comes off either with manual pressure or with a screwdriver. Locate the exposed plug counter. Turn it clockwise 1/4 of a turn. This should release the bulb.
Install the replacement LED car lights without touching the bulb's glass. Secure them with a 1/4 turn counterclockwise. Replace the housing. In a hatchback or vehicle with a rear liftgate, the interior plastic panel will need to be removed in order to access the assembly. The plastic panel can be removed with a screwdriver.