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Why aren’t my headlights bright?

While I was driving last night I realized that my headlights were sort of dim and weren’t illuminating as much as they’re supposed to—why aren’t my headlights bright?

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Andrew Biro · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Great question! Your headlights might not be bright for a number of reasons, but the most common is that the bulbs are dying and need to be changed—but if replacing them doesn’t do the trick, you might be dealing with one of the following:
  • Lens oxidation: your headlights’ lenses are made out of acrylic, a material that can become foggy or yellowed over time—this results in dimmer headlights and will require either a lens replacement or lens restoration
  • Electrical issues: dim headlights can also be caused by an electrical issue, such as faulty wiring, a lack of voltage, or a dying fuse—have these checked by a mechanic to determine which is at fault
  • Wrong size bulbs: if you recently replaced your headlights but they aren’t bright, you may have bought the wrong size bulbs—double check your owner’s manual and make sure the right size was used
Hopefully, this helps answer your question!
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