About headlights and fog lights – keeping you safe on the road
Alright, if you’re out driving in Hamilton late at night — say along Te Rapa Road, Cobham Drive, or through Dinsdale — you rely on your headlights more than you realise. Not just so you can see what’s up ahead, but so everyone else knows you’re coming! Proper working headlights are a must if you want to pass your next Warrant of Fitness (WOF Hamilton), too. Had a lady from Morrinsville in last week, couldn’t believe both her low beams were out, just in time for her WOF re-check. Simple fix, but a good reminder — if your bulbs are iffy, get onto it!
Just so we’re all on the same page: headlights have two settings — low beam for your regular night driving (like Lake Road or through the Frankton railyard), and high beam for those pitch-black bits around the outskirts, maybe heading out to Cambridge or Ngaruawahia. High beam burns a bit brighter so you can see further, but don’t blind other drivers! Both use different bulbs — if one goes, you might still have the other, but best to get both checked.
Now, fog lights… Huge help with those thick Waikato mists, especially in winter crawling up State Highway 3 from Ohaupo or coming into town from Tamahere. Because fog hugs low on the road, these lights point downwards to cut through it, shining on the bitumen right in front of you. Handy for safety, but you don’t want to blind folks, so keep them switched off unless it’s actually foggy.
Learn how your car’s headlights work >
Why headlights and fog lights stop working
We see all sorts – from Toyota Prados to Honda Fits and even the occasional Peugeot 308. Here’s the stuff that usually knocks out your headlights or fogs:
Busted bulbs: Hamilton’s roads aren’t always kind, with all those potholes around Chartwell and endless speed bumps in Rototuna. Shakes up your bulbs, makes ‘em blow sooner. Happens more often than you’d think — had a Suzuki Swift in last month, just vibration from old age did it.
Blown fuse: Fuses are like a safety net – when something shorts out, they pop and the lights quit. Easy enough to replace if that’s the cause. One of our techs sorted a BMW X1 with this the other day after a sudden blackout on Cambridge Road.
Dodgy relay or wiring: Relays handle the on-off for your lights. If it’s on the fritz, or wires are a bit rough from all those hot summers and wet winters, you get flickering or no lights at all. Saw this with a Nissan Tiida, just old wiring perishing over time.
Physical damage: Couple of hits from a rogue trolley at The Base or a low-speed nudge in the Countdown carpark, and you’ve cracked a light or knocked out the assembly. Sometimes the whole headlight or fog light needs replacing. It happens more than you’d think in Hamilton’s busy shopping spots.
Out of alignment: Sometimes the beam’s aiming too high or low. Could be from a saggy filament or a bump from Hamilton’s back roads — next thing, you’re dazzling other drivers or struggling to see the edge of State Highway 1 out near Horotiu. Fog lights can misalign too, shining anywhere but where you need them.
How urgent is it to fix your lights?
Honestly, you can’t muck about with headlights. Invalid lights mean you fail your car service Hamilton WOF, and — more importantly — you can’t see properly at night, especially on the outskirts or in rural towns like Raglan. Imagine missing that sneaky possum crossing the road!
Fog lights aren’t as mission-critical, but in pea soup fog (and there’s plenty in winter around Hamilton East or heading down to Te Awamutu), you’ll be glad to have decent ones. If yours are dodgy, get them sorted before you need them — not during the next white-out.
Headlight and fog light replacement in Hamilton – what we fix
Here at Grimmer Motors, we sort lighting issues every week – for all sorts of cars. Toyota Corolla, Mazda Axela, SsangYong Rexton, Skoda Octavia, Hyundai Tucson, or that old Fiat Punto your uni kid drives. We sort them all. Keeping your car visible makes you safer, and lets you pass your next WOF Hamilton check without a hassle.
We look after:
- Brake and tail lights
- Headlights, fog lights, park lights
- Indicators and turn signals
- Interior lights and much more
If your headlights or fogs are on the blink, don’t wait till it’s pitch black on Forest Lake Road or you’re stuck in thick fog out Te Kowhai way. Swing by for a car service Hamilton and we’ll get your vehicle sorted properly – no nonsense, just honest fixes that last.