Top 6 Major Causes For Headlight Flickering

Flickering headlights are hazardous, mostly when right after leaving your driveway or pulling into a parking spot, you notice that one headlight or both of them are flickering. Having your headlights flicker is not just an annoying inconvenience, but it can also be dangerous. As it can create hazardous driving conditions because they distract you and other drivers.

A problem like this can lead to an awful lot of trouble, especially if most of your commute is late at night or in the early morning. If you are in search to know why your headlights and dashboard lights flicker when your car is running, then you are on the right page.

Here are the 6 tips to help you figure out what needs to be repaired or replaced.

Sign Of Failing Vehicle Battery

In most cases, the cause of flickering headlights is a failing battery. Getting your headlights to work properly requires power from your car’s battery. If the battery is weak, it may not give enough power to the headlights, causing them to flicker or dim.

In general, car batteries can last for three to five years. However, several factors can affect the battery’s lifespan, including the condition of your vehicle, your driving habits, even the weather conditions where you live. Moreover, a battery that is left parked for a long time, or a very cold or very hot climate can also decrease its lifespan.

No matter what the problem is, don’t ignore dimming or flickering headlights. Furthermore, flickering headlights might indicate troubles with your vehicle’s electrical system.

Issues Of Bad Alternator

You will notice an adverse effect on your car’s electrical performance when the alternator fails. As the headlights are powered by the battery, this could cause flickering, dimming, or inoperable headlights.

An alternator that is unable to charge the battery causes the vehicle’s electrical system to quickly drain the battery. If your headlights are flickering, you or your mechanic must diagnose the problem as soon as possible so it can be fixed as soon as possible.

Remember, when the battery light illuminates your car, it usually indicates that your alternator is failing or it may be having trouble charging the battery.

Bulb Failure Which Causes Them To Dim

Various types of headlight bulbs have varying expected lifespans. One of them is Halogen headlights. As they typically burn hot, so they usually last shorter and fail sooner.

Whether you have an older or a more modern vehicle your headlight assembly likely uses halogen bulbs. So, when the bulbs or lamps of your headlights are old or damaged, your headlights may flicker. 

Whereas, higher-end vehicles usually have light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or high-intensity discharge (HID) lights, which make the vehicle last longer. With these lights, they can show signs of failure in the light itself, which can cause them to dim, and LED lights tend to flicker when close to their end of use.

Nevertheless, if those items are fine, then you have to examine the wiring, relays, switches, and light sockets. A loose connection, worn-out switches, and burnt relays and sockets may also cause an intermittent loss of power.

Loose Connection Cause Headlight Flickering

If the headlights flicker, there may be a loose connection or the fuse hasn’t been properly installed. You might encounter this malfunction when you’re driving on a rough surface, such as a gravel road. To correct loose connections and fuse problems, bring your vehicle to your nearest PitStopArbia garage for them to diagnose your electrical system issue.

Faulty or Damaged Headlight Components

Sometimes, headlights start flickering because of physical damage to the components. As the inside of the connector starts to melt, connections to the bulb will become poor. There are instances when the wire may start to pull out of the connector as well, resulting in a poor connection.

Possibly, replacing the damaged components is the best way to solve this issue. As this requires disconnecting electrical components, so having an inspection from a qualified technician might be a good idea.

Failing Headlamp Switch

When the lights fail to turn on at night or the nighttime headlight sensor does not work, it is a good idea to take it to the auto garage since it indicates that the sensor is malfunctioning.

You may have flickering headlights if your car’s electrical system and the computer cannot communicate. There are some cases in which a defective headlamp switch is responsible for this condition.

This issue might be resolved with the installation of a new headlamp switch. In some cases, the problem requires a deeper look into your car’s computer or electrical system, including the fuses, relays, switches, battery, and alternator.

Wrap Up!

Flickering headlights can have several different causes, as discussed previously. Once you’ve ruled out the battery and the alternator, you can check other methods to diagnose your flickering headlight. Pitstoparabia also provide the services of headlight restoration in abu dhabi. However, it’s better to have your lights inspected so that you won’t be in the dark without headlights, and you’ll avoid unnecessary damage to your electrical system.