Replacement Car Bulbs
Ensuring your vehicle's lights are working correctly is critical for your own safety and also other road users as it allows you to be able to see and help others to see you.
A blown bulb will also result in an MOT failure, so make sure you check your lights before taking your vehicle in for its annual MOT test.
Replacing blown car bulbs can be a fiddly business, particularly on some vehicle models where the bulb housing is located in close proximity to other engine components. Everything is so compact now in cars, gone are the days when you used to be able to lift the bonnet, unscrew the bulb, and replace it with a new one.
Nowadays, you have to take off panels, remove engine components and have expert knowledge in order to be able to change a headlight or brake light bulb. You can't touch some light bulbs with your fingers either, e.g. halogen bulbs, so it's almost impossible for a novice to change it without touching the glass.
At Kwik Fit, our experienced fitters can supply replacement bulbs suitable for your vehicle and fit these for you, saving you the trouble.
Checking your bulbs as part of our free safety check
Bulb blown or not working as it should? Keep your car running smoothly with our free Vehicle Health Check.
To give you one less thing to worry about, book your free Vehicle Safety Check online and our trained technicians will check your bulbs for you plus other common faults including your tyres, battery, wipers, and fluid levels. Should any bulbs need replacing the team will be able to change them for you. Complete peace of mind so you can get back on the road.
Better bulbs - higher performance
At Kwik Fit, we recommend, and stock, bulbs from Ring Automotive. Ring is a leading European lighting brand, producing high-quality vehicle lighting solutions for over 40 years. We stock a wide range of Ring Automotive bulbs including those suitable for headlights, brake lights, indicators, and fog lights.
Ring Automotive bulbs meet ECE and SAE standards and are road-legal. If we don’t have your particular fit in stock then we can order them in for you and fit them.
We stock both standard bulb replacements plus a range of performance bulb upgrades to aid night time driving.
More light on dark nights
If you have trouble seeing the road and other hazards on dark nights, upgrading your bulbs can make a big difference.
The Xenon200 from Ring utilises the latest advancements in filament technology which puts up to 200% more light on the road compared to a standard halogen bulb. Xenon200 is a multi-award winning product with exceptional brightness and longer beam pattern, allowing motorists to see potential hazards and other road users earlier.
A colour temperature that is up to 3700K means a whiter look in the headlamp and better reflections of road markings and signs for safer night-time driving. They are E-approved and road-legal and offer motorists instant improvements in visibility. The Xenon200 bulbs are also now available in 100% recyclable packaging.
How to check your car bulbs
Checking that your vehicle's lights are in good operational condition should form part of your regular vehicle maintenance check. Here are some of our simple checks to help you:
- Headlamps should be cleaned to remove dirt to provide optimum light output, as dirt on the headlamp unit can cause refraction of the light that can lead to glare for other road users. Similarly in wintry conditions, you should clean any snow off your lights before starting your journey so that other drivers can see you clearly.
- Ask a friend or partner to help you check brake lights and indicator lights by observing the lights while you apply the brake pedal and indicators respectively. You can also drive up to a wall and shine your headlights against it to test whether one or both of them are dimming.
- It’s not always immediately obvious when a car bulb blows. If visibility seems poor or other road users flash their lights at you, check your bulbs are operating correctly as they may be trying to warn you about bulb failure. Sometimes it may not be that your bulb is blown but rather that you may have a wiring issue or a bad setting configuration.
- If you can hear one of your indicators blinking faster than usual, it means there is a fault or the indicator bulb has blown. You should try to rectify this as soon as possible as other road users won’t be able to see you turning.
- You should try to replace your bulbs in pairs. If a bulb has blown and it is one of a pair of lights, replacing both will give consistent light output. It may be that you need a bulb realignment which you can do at home or can come to a professional and we can do it for you.
- Remember that lights which are too bright could be illegal if they are ‘dazzling headlights’, this is usually checked in an MOT. It’s always better to get lights professionally fitted as Retrofit LED lights are illegal. It’s also worth checking dim-dip headlights to see if they are working effectively — if they are not, you may be inadvertently dazzling other drivers.
- The best way to check which bulbs you need is to look at your car manual.
- Some cars have static cornering lights which help illuminate the road when turning, so it’s worth checking these too to see if they are functioning properly.
Consider the types of lights you need to check regularly and have a look at the range of lights available: Adaptive front-lighting system (AFS), Daytime running lamps (DRL), High-intensity discharge (HID) lamps, and repeater lights on your wing mirrors are all potential lights you should check regularly. You may also consider LED strips too, as there are laws surrounding these types of lights regarding dazzling and flashing as they can distract other road users.
Remember, if you are in any doubt, or find that you have a blown or faulty bulb, pop into your nearest Kwik Fit centre where our trained staff can supply, fit and align replacement bulbs for you. Don’t chance it, check your bulbs today.
