Repair a dim headlight
1 of 3Clean a ground cable connection
Disassemble the connection, clean it
with a wire brush and reassemble it.
Coat the parts with dielectric grease to
slow down corrosion.
2 of 3Bulb with brown/gray film
Check the bulb to see if the inside of the glass is covered with a brown/gray film.
3 of 3New clear bulb
Replace the old bulb with a new one.
If your car has a headlight that
puts out about as much light as a
flashlight with weak batteries,
we’ve got two simple fixes for you.
Most
DIYers think they’ve got a bad
headlight switch or a bad connection
in the power feed. But most
dim headlights are caused by a
corroded ground wire. Just trace
the wiring harness from the back of
each headlight assembly and see
where it connects to the vehicle
body. Clean it as described in the photo.
Another possibility is that as headlight filaments age, they deposit a
gray/brown film on the inside of the bulb (See Photo).
Over time, that coating can reduce visibility
by almost 300 ft. If your headlights aren’t as bright as they
used to be, yank one of the bulbs and look for
gray or brown residue on the glass. If you find
any, replace both bulbs now and get back to
seeing more of the road.
