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How To: Fix Hyperflashing LED Turn Signals (Load Resistor Installation)
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By Counterman
If there’s one thing that I know about myself it’s this: I can’t help but modify any vehicles I own. It’s not that I’m unhappy with the vehicles I buy. It’s just that in my eyes, there’s always room for improvement.
Almost without fail, the first thing I’ll upgrade is lighting. In my opinion, halogen headlights shouldn’t still be around in 2022. Nighttime visibility is often overlooked, but it’s critical to occupant safety. The more your headlights can light up the road ahead, the more likely you’ll be able to see obstacles in your path.
Goodbye HID, Hello LED!
High-intensity discharge (HID) lighting, also known as xenon, was mostly seen in luxury vehicles, but it has started to trickle down into other makes and models over the years. HID bulbs are efficient, produce a high-quality light pattern and can be up to 300% brighter than traditional halogen bulbs.
HID bulbs work by igniting an electrical discharge inside a gas chamber.
There’s no filament inside an HID bulb, so they should last longer than a halogen bulb. But they’re not without a few downsides. They’re not cheap; they require ballasts to stabilize the electrical discharge; they can be difficult to diagnose if a bulb stops working; and they lose performance as they age, becoming dimmer
over time.
So, what’s the alternative? Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting has surged in popularity in the past few years, both in OE vehicles and the aftermarket. LEDs are an easy upgrade over halogen and HID lighting systems. They consist of two electrodes (an anode and a cathode). Light is produced when an electrical current passes through the semiconductive materials inside (silicon or selenium).
LED Advantages
LEDs are extremely energy-efficient, requiring significantly less energy than halogen or HID bulbs. The next major advantage would be the sheer variety that can be found in aftermarket LED lighting. Whether you’re looking for LEDs to install in place of halogen bulbs, complete headlight housings with integrated-LED beams or standalone LED housings for off-road visibility, the possibilities seem to be limitless!
But in my eyes, their biggest advantage is in their service life. LEDs can offer an extremely long lifespan, so they won’t need to be replaced nearly as often. This can be especially beneficial in applications where the headlight bulbs are very difficult to reach. My 1998 Mercedes E320 was TERRIBLE to work on, especially when I needed to replace bulbs. And let’s face it: Engine bays aren’t getting any more spacious these days, and modern vehicles aren’t getting any easier to work on.
LED Disadvantages
If you’re looking at replacement LED bulbs, oftentimes they’re not exactly what I would call “compact.” In many cases, you’ll find big, bulky cooling fans built into the back side of the bulb, and these can be difficult to install inside of some headlight housings without interfering with the wiring or protective cap.
The other downside would be their cost. The upfront costs tend to be more than the alternatives, but LEDs can offer a better return on that investment thanks to their superior service life.
You also might find that the LEDs simply don’t seem to perform very well in your factory-equipped headlight housings. This is due to design. The reflector and lens inside the headlight assembly were designed to work with halogen bulbs, not an LED. This can increase the headlight glare to oncoming traffic, and reduce the overall lighting performance.
This leads us to the final and maybe the most significant disadvantage on our list: their questionable legality. That’s right, it’s technically illegal to install HID or LED lighting inside your factory headlight housing.
Are They Really Illegal?
Here in the United States, the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) are used to regulate the design, construction, performance and durability requirements for motor vehicles on our roads. These regulations specify that your main forward illumination (a.k.a. headlights) must remain as they were fitted from the factory.
So, if your vehicle had halogen headlights when it was new, technically it’s illegal to upgrade to LED or HID. However, they can be used in any of the unregulated auxiliary lights including fog lights, side markers, brake lights and so on.
There also is a chance that your local, county or state government may consider these modifications to be illegal. For instance, here in Ohio we are permitted no more than five front-facing lights, and no high-intensity beam may strike the roadway 75 feet from the vehicle. Off-road lighting bars may not be illuminated on public roads in Kentucky, Montana, North Carolina and Wyoming, just to name a few.
Our advice would be this: Avoid making any changes to the factory headlights. If your customers install off-road lighting, they should only use it off-road. If they want to upgrade their interior bulbs with brighter, whiter LEDs, more power to them. As a counter professional, make sure you’re familiar with the local ordinances and regulations regarding LED lighting, and use your best judgment.
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By Counterman
Photo courtesy of the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page
In April, Advance Auto Parts opened a new store in Grand Chute, Wisconsin. It didn’t take long for the store to make an impact in the local community.
Last week, the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office announced a unique program aiming to improve vehicle safety. During the store’s grand opening on May 5, Advance presented $2,500 worth of gift cards to the sheriff’s office,
link hidden, please login to view. If a sheriff’s deputy stops a driver for an equipment violation such as a broken headlight or taillight, the deputy can give the motorist a gift card to fix the problem, instead of a citation.
“The program helps increase safety on the roads and gives deputies the opportunity to engage with the community in a positive manner,” the sheriff’s office said
link hidden, please login to view. A segment on ABC 2 WBAY featured a brief interview with Darin Green, a district manager for Advance.
“Taillights, brake lights, turn signals can cause safety issues, and we just want to make sure we are helping that motorist with a little bit of money to help them get that thing fixed so they are safe out on the road,”
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By OEDRO
link hidden, please login to view are a vital component of a vehicle. They help you see the road at night so you can protect yourself and your car from obstacles and pedestrians. Imagine if the headlights malfunction, not only are you in danger of getting into an accident but you are likely to hit somebody and cause injuries. Therefore, your vehicle’s headlamps must be in perfect condition. Go for headlights checkup and repair every once in a while.
Though you should be clear on how to spot defective headlights and buy the genuine product in the first place, if your high beam and low beam headlights do not work for some reason, here are some ways to find out how to fix them.
Low Beam Headlights Don’t Work - How to Fix
1. Bulb
If your car’s low beam headlights are not working, the first thing you need to do is check the bulb inside the headlamp.
Light bulbs have a limited lifespan, after which they can break any time. Normally, a bulb lasts 5 to 6 years depending on the time you spend driving at night. Those of you who do a lot of nighttime driving will burn a bulb quicker.
Fix: Repairing a headlight bulb is not possible, at least not without the proper tools and equipment. A bulb has a tungsten filament inside which burns out due to use. Unless you are qualified to replace a tungsten filament, do not think about a repair.
A replacement bulb is the best option. Buy a new bulb, twist the connector behind the headlight housing, remove the worn-out bulb, and add the new one. There are certainly many benefits for you to replace headlights.
If you’re struggled with choosing high performance headlights, OEDRO LED headlights are always the right choice for you. You can also read
link hidden, please login to view. 2. Connecting system
A car’s low beam headlights may not work if they are not connected to the system correctly. The bulb inside the headlight and the headlight housing experience a lot of vibration when you drive your car. As a result, either the bulb gets loose or the connector gets loose.
Fix: To fix a loose bulb or connector, pop open the hood and reach behind the headlight. You will feel a connector which needs to be twisted. Twist the connector and take out the bulb. Blow away all the dust from the bulb and the connector and attach them back again. You have solved your problem!
3. Fuse
The car headlights receive their power through the safety of a fuse. When the fuse blows, it does not allow electricity to pass to the bulb, therefore, the low beam headlight will not work.
Fix: The headlight fuse is located inside the fuse box in your engine bay. Usually, the fuse box is found on the top right side of the engine bay. When you open it, you find a number of fuses and relays inside. It could be confusing to find the right fuse, but fortunately, you get a map which can lead you to the right fuse. Simply remove that fuse and replace it with a new one.
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By OReilly Auto Parts
Your Ford Focus' turn signals help alert other drivers that you are turning left or right, and are required by law to work properly.
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