How to Fix Car Tail Lights

You can be flagged by a traffic officer if your car tail lights are busted. Fines for a busted tail lights usually range from $50 to $500 plus other inconveniences. Bigger fines and stiffer penalties await you if you do not fix your tail lights. So it would be best to know how to fix your tail lights in order to avoid trouble with the authorities.

Steps

1. 1
   Replace your car tail light. You will need working gloves to protect your hand during the process. Of course you will also need a screwdriver, cleaning cloth, wire brush, and a good set of tail light bulbs.

   
   
2. 2
   Understand that different models of car have different set of tail light covers. Naturally, these covers will require different un-installation procedures. So, determine if you can dismount the cover from the outside or you will have to dismount it from the trunk of the car.
3. 3
   Determine how to dismount the tail light cover, carefully detach it from the car. You can use different sets of screwdrivers for this. Be careful not to break the tail lights cover. The important thing is you must be able to expose the bulb in order to extract it.
4. 4
   Remove the tail lights cover, unscrew the bulb from its socket. Sometimes you will have to press a little and twist the bulb in order to extract it from the socket.
5. 5
   Extract the bulb, bring it to your favorite auto parts and accessories store and find the exact match of your tail light bulb. Be sure to get the correct match because if you use other types of bulb, your tail lights may not work properly.
6. 6
   Reinstall the tail light bulb, clean the aluminum casing of the tail light. Wipe the socket and wiring with a dry cloth. You can use wire brush if there are corrosion around the tail light casing.
7. 7
   Put the good bulb on the socket. You might still need to apply a little pressure on the socket before you can install it fully.
8. 8
   Reinstall the tail light bulb, replace the cover of the tail lights and secure it tightly.
9. 9
   Test to make sure your new tail lights are working. Start the engine and apply the brakes. You can ask someone to see if the tail lights are really working.

   
   

Tips

• If the tail lights are working perfectly, you can now go to the station and report that you have fixed your tail light. This is a required procedure in order to nullify the traffic citation.
• Car tail lights are important safety feature of a vehicle. It convey important signals to other drivers behind you especially if you are slowing down or if you are about to make a stop.
• Without car tail lights, road accidents can happen. Some pile ups happen because of faulty car tail lights. They are very important also especially during weather disturbances that affect road visibility.
• That is why traffic and highway officers are very particular about the condition of your tail lights. They are very quick to note busted car tail lights because it has serious consequences on road safety.
• To avoid future traffic citations, make sure that your car tail lights are always in prime condition. The life span of tail lights usually last for several years. But it would be best to perform a thorough check on it annually or once every two years. In this way, you can ensure that your tail lights will always perform.
• It is also best to know how to replace busted tail lights all by yourself. This is a very simple task as described in the steps above. Knowing how to replace busted tail lights can save you from expensive car lighting maintenance.
• It is also good to purchase reserve tail light bulbs and extra cover. This way, you will not have to run to the auto shop whenever your tail light becomes busted. Some tail lights bulb may also be very difficult to find so it would be best to have lots of spare bulbs and tail lights cover.
• So the next time you encountered problem with your car tail lights, you can easily solve the matter by doing the replacement yourself. Good and well functioning car tail lights will ensure that you can drive safely on highways and you can avoid unfortunate accidents.

• Article provided by wikihow the wikihow manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Fix Car Tail Lights All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.