We’ve hit that time of year in the Northwest when the days are shorter and we spend more time in the dark.  Along with a sharp drop in our collective Vitamin D levels, the shorter days and longer dark periods can make it harder to see while driving.  We’ve heard from lots of customers who express concern about how hard it can be to see when driving in the dark.  

Good news! We spent time researching the best options for improving visibility at night, and several options that can make a dramatic impact.  Having good visibility from your car is crucial to safe driving, especially in the fall and winter driving seasons.

1. One of the best options to improve visibility is increasing the brightness of your headlights. For that, we offer LED headlight upgrades.  We’ve researched and found high-quality LED headlight bulbs from SuperbrightLEDS.com.  These bulbs often will double the amount of light cast from your cars headlights, and are almost always a direct plug-and-play fit.  One of my favorite features of LED headlights is how the brighter light helps make road signs and lane markings really pop at night.  Give us a call if you’re interested, most of the time we can complete the installation in an hour or less while you wait.

2. Cloudy and UV-damaged headlight lenses can also dramatically cut the amount of light your headlights are putting on the road. If the headlights on your car are yellowed or hazy looking, then it the car would benefit from a headlight polish.  We use a 4-stage, aerospace grade polishing kit to cut the UV damage out, leaving your headlights clear and bright.

3. New wipers! New wipers may be one of the most overlooked items in respect to visibility. Old, dried out and worn wipers don’t clear rain of the windshield well.  Wipers generally will only last a year, often getting dried out over the summer. I recommend replacing them once a year, in the fall, once the worst of the summer heat has passed.  We carry all lengths of wipers in a premium Rain-X Latitude and a more economical Rain-X line. Swing by for a set of new wipers, you don’t even have to call ahead.

4. My single favorite simple trick for improving visibility is a windshield treatment called AquaPel. AquaPel creates a low water tension coating on the windshield that allows water to quickly bead up and roll off the windshield.  It’s so good, that over 30 mph, you barely need to turn the wipers on.  It’s my single favorite treatment for auto glass, and I put it on all my cars every fall.  We’ve got plenty in stock, and the treatment can be done in 15 minutes or so.

5. Lastly, making sure your AC system is working properly is a big benefit.  If you get in your car and its muggier than the Amazon rainforest, then having good working AC is critical to getting the moisture out of the car and keeping the windows free from condensation.  Along with servicing the AC, replacing a restricted cabin air filter can help. If you find the car is constantly wet inside, I recommend having the car checked for water leaks, where rain water may be intruding into the car.  Finally, keeping the glass clean helps reduce the amount of condensation that can cling to the window.