Car Doctor Q&A

Q My question has to do with the color of car headlights. I’m not referring to the HID type of headlights that tend to give off a blue hue. During the day I see high-performance cars with headlights turned on that have a colored ring of tiny LEDS that encircle the perimeter of the headlight. I’ve seen these tiny LEDS in red, green, yellow, etc. possibly trying to match the color of the car body. At night I’ve seen cars with yellow headlights (not fog lamps). I thought all car headlights in the US had to be white? And, other than turn signals, you couldn’t have any colored lights on the front of your car. (Probably to prevent private cars from appearing to be police cars.) Come to think of it, how do these cars pass any state vehicle inspection with those colored headlights and other colored lights on the front? A You are correct that in most states white lights are the only legal light and turn signals in the front need to be white or amber. These colored halo lights (sometimes called angel eyes) are designed for show and are not supposed to be turned on while on the road. This is yet again a case of “just because you can buy it doesn’t make it legal”. The cars probably pass state inspection because the owner can probably switch them on and off. For those old enough to remember hot rods had blue-dots. These were small blue crystal lenses that were mounted into the red taillight lenses. I was told these were favored by the hotrod crowd but not by the police.

Q I have made changes in my life, adding heat pumps to my house and even solar panels, now I’m car shopping. What do you think of electric cars and what have you driven, and thought would be a worthwhile replacement for a gasoline car?

A I have driven several electric cars, the Chevy Bolt is a very functional small car with good range and performance. The Nissan Leaf also does a good job. The One car that I was prepared not to like but really enjoyed was the Mustang Mach-e. The performance was great, the interior stylish and functional and it handled well. To me a Mustang should have a gasoline engine, but the Mach-e converted me, it is a well designed and executed vehicle and if you are looking at electric cars it should be on your list.

Q I own a 2014 Chevy Express van with Explorer custom build out. I would like to know if it is possible to replace the rearview mirrors with rear view mirrors with blind spot monitor system. I have asked my dealer and they sent me to Explorer. Explorer said they could not do it. My regular mechanic said they thought some aftermarket accessory companies might have something, but they would not know how to do it or what to buy. Is it possible to add on or incorporate a blind spot system and replace the mirrors with upgraded capability? A This is one of those cases of with enough time, talent and money anything is possible, it just may not be practical. You would need to mount sensors on the back of the vehicle have some sort of warning indicator or display inside the van. The other option is adding some sort of camera system similar to what Honda and Genesis have used. Basically, a camera pointed to the rear of the vehicle that turns on with the turn-signal and displays an image of what is next to you in a monitor. I have seen something that used a rear license plate frame and a smart-phone but I found the system I tried didn’t give nearly enough warning. Although not an elegant solution perhaps an add-on trailer mirror (added to the outside edge of the factory mirror) would give you more of a view into your van’s blind spots.

— John Paul, Senior Manager, Public Affairs and Traffic Safety,

AAA Northeast