How to Change the Interior Lights in Your Vehicle

A car’s interior lights can be found on the roof and door edges in cars. They light up the interior of the car for easy access in the dark. Interior lights collect a lot of dust and grime over certain periods of time, which reduces their brightness and makes it harder to access different spaces of the car in the dark. This article will guide you through restoring your interior car lights to their optimum brightness. It is a car repair you can easily DIY.

Step 1 - Take Appropriate Precautions

Interior light covers are mainly of two types: lights that attach to the opening, which houses the light via a snap-on mechanism, and lights that use Phillip screws for attachment. In both cases, practice caution in the removal process to avoid damaging the light covers or lens. In addition, you should wear gloves while you work to avoid contact with the sprayable cleaning solution, thus preventing allergic reaction or skin rash. Make sure to avoid skin contact with halogen bulbs because the oil found on skin can damage them and reduce their working life. After you have gone through these precautions, move on to the next step.

Step 2 - Remove the Interior Light Cover of Lens

In you have snap-on light covers, use a flathead screwdriver to budge out the cover. Insert it in a corner, and very carefully wriggle the screwdriver around until the light cover falls out. Be gentle with old light covers as they break very easily.

In case of lights that use a Phillips screw attachment system, use a Phillips head screwdriver to undo these screws and remove the light cover. Cars generally have one light on the roof and one on each of the doors. Remove each one of the covers and move on to the next step.

Step 3 - Remove the Interior Lighting Bulbs

Most of the newer models of cars use halogen bulbs for interior lighting. To remove these bulbs, you will need to use a cleaning cloth to wrench them out of their sockets. Avoid skin contact with halogen bulbs. If your car manufacturer uses screw on bulbs for lighting, remove them by twisting in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction depending on the make and model of the car. After you have done this, move on to cleaning the light cover and light sockets.

Step 4 - Clean Light Covers

With your gloves on, spray sparing amounts of liquid cleaner on to the light covers, and scrub off grime using a soft cleaning cloth. Avoid the use of paper towels for cleaning as they can scratch the plastic light covers. Spray on some cleaning solution on the cloth, and use it to clean the innards of the socket into which the bulb is to be installed. After the cleaning process is complete move on to the next step.

Step 5 - Finish Up

Reinstall the replacement bulbs and the light socket by going over the related steps above in reverse order. Turn on the interior lighting after replacement and check to see the marked difference in brightness.