Headlights — Description and Replacement of Bulbs (Honda Accord 3)

Headlights, like any lighting device, can fail due to a broken filament. The front of any car is the worst place for lighting devices due to the possibility of damage from a collision, high-temperature fluctuations and vibration. All these factors reduce the life of the headlights; on the other hand, the front of the car is a place that needs good lighting, so the car owner has the displeasure of changing the headlights several times during the life of the car.

There are two basic types of headlights: sealed bulb and replaceable bulb. The sealed bulb type is the most common and includes almost all round and rectangular headlights found on cars after 1980. The sealed bulb is so called because it includes the bulb (filament), reflector, and lens in one solid piece. This type of headlight comes in a variety of sizes and shapes. All Hondas covered in this book except the 1990-91 ACCORD use this type of headlight. The latest ACCORDs use replaceable bulbs in their housings.

The replaceable incandescent bulb is a product of more advanced technology. When a small halogen bulb fails, only it is replaced, while the lens and reflector are part of the car body. These headlights are used on European lighting systems. Although replaceable bulbs are more expensive than sealed ones, they provide brighter and better quality light.