In a car accident, it is very common for a headlight to be damaged. If you are lucky, that is usually all that is damaged. You may request that the auto body repair service fix only the damaged headlight, but you really should replace BOTH headlights when only one is damaged. Here is why.

Avoid Confusion in the Dark

You have probably seen this a few times when you are driving at night. One extremely bright headlight behind you or coming in the opposite direction in front of you makes it appear to be a motorcycle. You think that because the one very bright headlight blinds you from seeing the dimmer, older headlight. Subsequently, an accident may ensue that vehicle because another driver assumes the same thing. It is only when you pass this vehicle do you realize that it is a passenger vehicle and not a motorcycle. The owner of that vehicle needs to take this into consideration and have both headlights on equal brightness to prevent confusion in the dark.

Older Headlights Use Bulbs That Are No Longer in Use

Really old headlights use bulbs that are no longer in use in the auto industry. As such, you would have to replace that headlight, and its bulbs, completely anyway. It just makes better sense to replace it at the same time that you replace the damaged headlight on the opposite side. Then both headlights are updated to current auto industry standards and codes, and both are of equal brightness.

Modern LED Bulbs Consume Less Energy and Do Not Drain the Battery

Okay, so let's say that you keep the old headlight in the car and add the new one. The new one uses LED bulbs, which use very little electricity. If you accidentally leave your lights on all night, which headlight is going to drain your battery? What, exactly, do you think will be the outcome? It makes you think, does it not?

Modern LED bulbs in headlights burn brighter, cooler, and use significantly less electricity than the older bulbs. In fact, older bulbs can drain a car battery in as little as three hours, while LED bulbs need almost four to six times as long to drain the car battery. That said, if you are prone to leaving your headlights on and forgetting to turn them off, it pays to have all LED bulbs in your headlights. Ergo, change both your headlights when one headlight is crunched so that you can benefit from LEDs instead. Visit a site like http://www.achesonautobodyandservicecenter.com for more help.