Brake Lights
About Brake Lights
Driving around with no brake lights can make your vehicle nearly invisible to the cars behind you. Not only is there a danger of vehicles ramming into the rear of your car when you hit the brakes, but it is also an easy way to get pulled over by the police.
Brakes are the first line of safety in all vehicles and one that you use every so often when you drive the car. Only when the situation is worse than what the brakes can handle do other safety features in the car come into the picture. The significance of brake lights is that they let those driving behind you know when you brake. If this is not conveyed, it will take them quite some time before they realise the potential danger. Having proper working lights is imperative to get past the vehicle safety inspection. And because cars are not just a part of our daily lives but also a style statement, you can add to their appearance of them with a custom set of lights to reflect your style.
Different types of brake lights
Even though brake lights only turn on for a fraction of time as compared to a headlight, they undergo hundreds and thousands of on and off cycles even in a single trip. This causes them to wear out faster than the headlamps. Especially if they are old-style incandescent bulbs, and when that happens, you should replace them immediately. Knowing the basics of different types of brake lights will help you choose the right one for you. You can weigh the costs and benefits of each of them and buy the one that suits your needs and budget.
Taillights vs brake lights
It is possible that many of you might have confused the taillights with brake lights. Both brake lights and taillights are in the rear of the car, and they both have the same colour. In fact, sometimes the brake lights sit inside the taillight assembly. But they are not the same. There are apparent differences between the two of them, and there are clear rules that regulate each of them too. As a thumb rule, taillights are those lights in the rear that light up when you turn on the headlights. Unlike the taillights, brake lights only turn on when you push the brake pedal. But in some cases, you will find people using both names interchangeably.
Halogen car brake light bulbs
Halogen bulbs have been part and parcel of car lights since 1915. They were based on the same technology as that of the earliest tungsten bulbs. But instead of air, halogen bulbs were sealed with halogen gas to increase their durability. These bulbs have decent levels of brightness and durability that is good enough for their cost. But they are power-hungry and produce more heat. Therefore, the brighter bulbs produce more heat, and it turns out to have shorter lifespans. Today, you will find brake halogen bulbs in almost 90 per cent of all the cars on the road.
LED brake lights
Even to this day, halogen bulbs are the predominant technology used in the brake lights. But recently there has been a switch happening towards LED bulbs. This is because of all the benefits that LEDs offer despite their high cost. Because LEDs are unidirectional light sources, they do not need additional reflectors in the light assembly. The faster turn-on time of LEDs is a desirable feature for brake lights. Using diffusers and LED bulbs, it is possible to provide uniform illumination. And on top of it, they are vastly energy efficient and brighter.
OLED brake lights
Organic Light-Emitting Diodes, or OLEDs for short, are a fairly new invention. They are still in the development stage. Until now no manufacturer has used OLED brake lights on their vehicles. But the initial testing proves promising. The most notable advantage of OLEDs is in aesthetics. It is possible to design them in complex and elegant patterns with sharp and clear-cut edges. There is no light that bleeds out of the edges when you use OLED panels. They are also much thinner and slightly more energy-efficient than conventional LEDs.
Tips on how to buy Brake Lights
There are some factors that are common for all kinds of lights in a car. But there are also those that are specific to brake lights. You have to consider all these factors when you are searching for a good quality bulb. Here are some of the most important among them.
- Durability – This is an important factor to consider when you shop for any bulb for a car. But this is especially important for brake lights. You don’t want your lights to fail when you are in the middle of a busy street or doing 90 on a freeway.
- Brightness – The lights should be significantly brighter than taillights. Those driving behind your car should be able to understand that you have applied brakes without any confusion. But they should not be too bright to dazzle their eyes every time you push the brakes either.
- Response time – The time between the pushing of the pedal and when the lights turn on is called the response time. You should look for bulbs that have a fast response time. That’s because the faster the drivers behind your car know that you have braked the safer it is.
- Type of bulb – There are only two types of bulbs you will find for brake lights. One is the most common halogen type which, in fact, is the majority of all the bulbs used in a car. The other one is the LED type. These days, LED bulbs are becoming more and more common due to the faster response time and brightness.
You will see the list of bulbs that are compatible with your car in the vehicle user manual. Additionally, it is important to ensure that the brake lights are working after you install them. For this, you can push down the brake pedal and see if the lights have turned on. Apart from the lights on either side of the car, the high centre mount should also be in good condition. If they are not, you can find them here on Shops.ae. Finally, don’t forget to check out all the other amazing products in the car supplies category.
Question & Answer
Are brake light and taillight the same?
Both taillights and brake lights are usually located inside the same globe. So, when both these lights are off, you can only guess which of them are taillights and which are brake lights. The purpose of taillights is to alert the drivers behind you of the presence of your vehicle. If there are no lights, other drivers will have to get closer than they should be before realising that they should slow down. But brake lights only light up when you push the brakes. When the lights turn on this will also make the already on tail lamps brighter.
How do you fix brake lights?
There are a few possible reasons behind a broken brake light. It can be a blown-out fuse, an issue with the wiring or a dead bulb. If you have come to the conclusion that the problem is with the bulb itself after checking the fuse box and the wiring, then you can try replacing the bulb. You should be able to access the bulbs by removing the screws of the assembly. After that pop out the old bulb and replace it with a new one. Unless the new bulb is different from the old one, this is going to be an easy task. Turn on the car and push the brake pedal to check if the new bulb is working. If you are alone, you can place something heavy on the brake pedal to check the lights.
How much does a brake light bulb replacement cost?
If you are doing all the labour yourself, it won’t cost you much to replace a broken brake light bulb. A typical halogen bulb costs around 10 to 15 AED. They will last for up to 500 hours, which for a brake light is good enough. But if you are going for LED bulbs, you will have to spend 100 to 150 AED. LED bulbs will handle the frequent on-off cycles better than the halogen bulbs. And if you want a new set of sockets as well to install the new bulb set aside ten more bronzes. If you take your car to a repair shop to replace the bulb, the labour charges will cost you nearly the same as the cost of the bulbs.
Where can I buy brake lights online in the UAE?
Brake light bulbs are easy to find in any car accessory shop near you. But you can buy them online, and there are many benefits to doing so. That way, you will be able to find plenty of brake lights for sale and might come across some high quality yet cheap car brake lights. You can also use our product comparison site to compare them against each other and select the best brake light among them. Here on Shops.ae you can access a wide selection of car lights in the UAE. Explore more than 500 shops offering them on Shops.ae including car light brands like Philips, Spyder Auto, Hella, KC Hilites, Anzo, and Sylvania.