How can I replace my headlights to pass the vehicle inspection?

Many car owners struggle with choosing replacement headlights for old, damaged ones to ensure a smooth vehicle inspection and avoid rejection.

Following a period of stricter regulations on lighting inspections by vehicle inspection centers, the number of car owners who arbitrarily modify their front headlights and fog lights in violation of regulations has significantly decreased.

However, many car owners are still unsure about how to replace damaged or broken headlights with new ones in a way that complies with regulations and ensures a smooth inspection at the next vehicle check.

How to replace headlights to pass vehicle inspection is still a "hot" topic of interest to many car owners today (illustrative image).

According to a representative from a vehicle inspection center, when replacing the front headlight assembly, car owners should go to reputable, authorized service centers to purchase the same type of headlight as the old one (the original headlight from the manufacturer).

At the same time, ensure that the light cluster is installed securely and in the correct position, and that the lights on both sides are the same color, either white or yellow.

In addition, the vehicle owner should request the auto repair shop to provide a photocopy of the certificate of conformity with the National Technical Standard on Optical Characteristics of Front Headlights for Motor Vehicles (QCVN 35:2017/BGTVT).

This helps vehicle owners verify that the replacement lights comply with Vietnamese technical standards, have been assessed and certified by the state management agency, and are permitted to circulate on the market; it also ensures that they have the necessary documents to present during the periodic vehicle inspection, guaranteeing that they meet the required paperwork for vehicle registration.

In cases where only the light bulbs in the headlight assembly are replaced, it is now permitted to replace them with bulbs of a different type, such as from halogen to LED, provided that the power consumption of the LED bulbs is lower than or equivalent to that of halogen bulbs. The replacement does not require any modification or alteration to the structure of the headlight assembly, and the vehicle can then be inspected normally.

Car owners should note that replacing halogen headlights with projector headlights (Halogen, Xenon, or LED) is not recommended because installation requires modifying the headlight housing, which will result in failing the vehicle inspection.

However, if the original vehicle is equipped with bi-xenon headlights (bi-halogen), it can be replaced with other types of bi-xenon headlights (bi-LED). Note that the new type of headlights must be installed without any modifications or drilling to pass vehicle inspection.

Regarding fog lights, current regulations allow vehicle owners to install additional fog lights separately, but this must comply with the regulations in Vietnamese Standard TCVN 6978:2001 on road vehicles - Installation of lighting and signaling lights on motor vehicles and trailers.

Specifically, the following criteria must be met: two symmetrically placed fog lights of white or yellow color must be installed; the installation position must not be more than 400mm from the outermost edge of the vehicle and the height must not be less than 250mm; the lights must be directed towards the front of the vehicle; the fog lights must be switched on and off independently of the headlights.

Regarding light direction, the beam of light from the added fog lights must not shine upwards and must lie below the horizontal line of the light measuring device to be approved and certified as meeting the inspection criteria for this type of light by the inspection unit.

Because if the beam of light from the fog lights shines upwards, it can dazzle drivers of vehicles traveling in the opposite direction, posing a potential traffic safety hazard.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/thay-den-chieu-sang-the-nao-de-dat-dang-kiem-19224110117000072.htm