7 Easy Steps to Checking Your Car Lights

Here is a quick, easy way to check your car’s turn signals, and head, tail and brake lights while you are sitting in the driver’s seat. All it requires is a location where you can park your car facing a wall or some other vertical surface from about 10 feet away.

Although you can do this during the day, you may find it easier to see after sunset.

graphic of headlights from inside the car

Step 1 Headlights

Put your car in park, and turn on the headlights. They should cast two nearly identical patterns of light on the wall. If they are not identical, or if one light pattern is missing, you have a problem.

graphic of highbeam lights from inside the car

Step 2 High Beams

Now, put on your car’s high beams. You should see two light patterns that are larger, brighter and higher.

graphic of daytime running lights from inside the car

Step 3 Daytime Running Lights

Turn off the high beams and headlights. Daytime running lights, if your car has them, should now produce two dim patterns on the wall that may be visible only at night.

graphic of front turn signal from inside the car

Step 4 Front Turn Signals

Turn on the left turn signal and then the right. You should see the light from the turn signals striking the wall in front of the car.

graphic of taillights from inside the car

Step 5 Taillights

Back up to the wall and stop about 10 feet away. Turn on the headlights, which should also turn on the taillights. Looking through the rear window, you should see two areas of red on the wall.

graphic of brake lights from inside the car

Step 6 Brake Lights

Apply the brakes. Note that the brake lights you see in the rear window are much brighter than the taillights were. You want to see two areas of light with a matched brightness and pattern.

graphic of back turn signals from inside the car

Step 7 Back Turn Signals

Now, release the brake pedal, and turn on the left signal and then the right. You should see the light pattern from the left and right signals on the vertical surface in the rear window.

If your car passes these tests, you know that most of your lights are working, but there could still be bulbs out.

Once a month, walk around the car with the lights on. Make sure the front parking, side marker, back-up and license plate lights are working. Also, check to see that each bulb is illuminated. Some cars have more than one bulb on each side of the vehicle to handle turn signals and tail and brake lights.

Perform these checks regularly to help ensure that your lights are working properly.