You don’t want to drive without your brake lights working. This is very dangerous as it signals other drivers following that you are pushing the brakes. Not only this but it is also illegal for you to drive that does not meet road safety measures. While you can always take the DIY approach to fixing your car, it is considered best if an expert works on it.
If the brake lights or tail light bulb of your car stops working, then you should immediately have it fixed. But how do you know what’s wrong? First, you can take a photo of the back of your car then look around the internet and do some research. This will help you know what’s what. Here are some key differences for you to distinguish between rear tail lights and brake lights.
The Difference
The difference is really pretty simple between the lights. Although both the tail lights and the brake lights are usually housed under one cover they are two different things. Even though they are usually housed in under one cover, there are cars that have separate housing for the lights.
The tail lights are the ones that light up when your headlights are on. They are also on when the parking brake is on. Whereas the brake lights turn on as soon as you push the pedal. It basically works as a warning signal. Along with these two lights, there are back up lights. The color of the tail lights is red and the usual color of the brake lights tend to be a more luminous red. The backup lights are usually white light.
Testing the Rear Lights
Rear lights are pretty important for your car. As I said they can turn fatal if you don’t maintain regular checkups. So what should you check? You should be looking for any problems with the lighting and see if everything is functioning as it should. The easiest way to do it is to ask a friend or family member to stand behind the car while you test every light.
Just get into the car when you want to check the lights. Turn the ignition on. You don’t have to turn the engine on to test your lights. First when you want to check the rear tail lights just turn the headlights on. The tail lights should automatically turn on. If they don’t then you might want to have them checked. Similarly, push the brakes while you are in the car. This should make the brake lights luminous. When this happens, know that they are both functioning perfectly.
Maintenance and Some Additional Tips
Listen it is fairly easy to ignore the health of your car. I understand if you are busy and all but you should take care of it like it’s your own pet. If you take care of the car, then in the long term you save a lot of money on repairs replacements. Also, your car keeps performing well for a long time. Now you don’t have to allocate a lot of time here. But maintaining a regular schedule is recommended. If you see that you can’t then schedule it in your local repair shop.
Your tail light and brake light should be inspected while doing the checkup always remember that. Your car should meet every DOT regulation otherwise you will be in trouble. Additionally, if your car uses incandescent bulbs then I would suggest you switch to LED tail lights. These lights are superior in every way. There is plenty of Aftermarket automotive LED lights on the market that you can choose from. So go ahead choose whatever is right for you.
