Why Did My Headlight Suddenly Turn Pink?

It’s common to be driving along the highway and notice that one of your headlights had turned a strange hue, this can be quite alarming and shocking to see your headlight suddenly change to a pink colour. It is very paramount to get to the root of the issue as fast as possible so that you can repair the damages and get back on the road with confidence. In this post, we shall explain the potential causes of why your headlight may have turned pink, as well as what you can do to detect and fix the issue. It is good to stay informed and prepared as regards car maintenance, this article will provide you with the necessary information to get your car back on track. 

Why can’t colours other than white be used for headlights? 

It’s all because of visibility. If you were allowed to use a different colour like blue, red, or pink headlights, you’d be less visible to other drivers, especially at night. This will also give you less visibility when driving at night and in foggy conditions. With coloured headlights, you would only be in incredible danger. 

What causes headlights to turn pink?

There are just a few causes for headlights turning pink. They may be due to the following reasons.

1. Type of bulb: 

The type of bulb used by your headlight could bring about discolouration, these bulbs have a different way of indicating worn out. there are three major types of bulbs namely:

• Halogen bulbs
• Led bulbs
• Xenon HID bulbs

2. Replacement of only one bulb: 

Some individuals will do justice to one bulb leaving the other. This is not a good practice, it’s better to have both bulbs replaced at the same time.

3. Burnout bulbs:

The life span of bulbs as described by manuals is between 8-10 years, but you shouldn’t wait this long to change them. 

Reasons for headlight discolouration

Most cars have headlights that emit yellowish light. However, there are bulbs in the market that are of different colours. They’re sold as blue or super blue and there is uncertainty around their safety and their legality. 

This coloured light applies to the three major types of headlights currently in use this means that you cannot use any other colour headlight as it’s prohibited.

Headlights reflect white light which may have a bluish tinge, but if it suddenly takes on a violet glow or even pink the reason is simple. It’s simply because it has come to the end of its life or better still burned out. For some lights, this is a gradual process and for others, the headlight turns pink suddenly. 

But actually, the loss of light is a more serious problem. Before a xenon lamp fails completely it does lose around half of its original light. This change of colour leading to loss of light is something that all types of light suffer.

What to do if your headlight is discoloured

What you need to do once you detect a headlight discolouration is to first act quickly, turning off your engine and stepping down from your vehicle is a good start.

Secondly, you can investigate the cause of the tinted headlight or if you don’t have great mechanical knowledge, restarting your car and heading straight to a mechanic or electrical workshop will savage the issue.

Tips for preventing headlight discolouration

• The major way to avoid the unsightly effects of discolouration is to replace the lamps before they outlive their life. This is a preventive approach a practice that is highly recommended, especially for xenon HID lamps.
• Replacing a lamp could be time-consuming but should only be done by someone who really knows about headlights. When these lamps are switched on there could be ignition voltages of several tens of thousands of volts and not many people have that in their garage or at home.
• Do not replace your light by the roadside.
• To save more money and time, replace both lamps at the same time.
• The differences from one manufacturer to another may be much greater, therefore use the same type of bulb from the same manufacturer.

The potential cost to fix a pink-coloured headlight 

The cost to fix a pink-coloured headlight varies from one electrician to another and from one cause of the problem to another. also, some people know their DIYs and could do this without extra charge.

Do your best to fix this problem professionally by contacting an experienced electrician or mechanic.

Conclusion 

If the filament in the bulb had worn out and started to burn a pinkish hue when it is illuminated then, you’re at risk of being caught and fined by your state. To fix the problem, you have to replace the headlight bulb with a new one, which could take just a few minutes and bucks. So when you come across a pink headlight, you know what to do!