GOOD LIGHTING
▶ Adequate illumination is a must when it comes to working on a vehicle. If you have old fluorescent strip lights inside a garage, they can often be upgraded to LEDS from around £25 with no wiring modifications required (check with an electrician if unsure). When choosing such a light, ensure the brightness (the number of lumens) is sufficient and position them in areas where you work, such as over the bonnet of a vehicle (but not where the bonnet will obstruct the light when it’s raised) or over a workbench. Positioning LED floodlights inside a workshop is easier than converting old fluorescent lighting and more effective if you find you work in particular areas, such as over a workbench and at the front of the building when servicing a vehicle’s engine bay. Budget from £10 upwards for an LED floodlight, which can be plugged into the mains electricity. Mobile illumination is another option and much quicker to install. A rechargeable LED worklight is one of the brightest, but is often difficult to position to illuminate the correct spot, whereas a magnetic handheld torch or a head torch is easier to manoeuvre. An underbonnet lamp that hooks on to the underside of a bonnet is ideal for illuminating an engine bay. When choosing this type of equipment, find out how bright it is (measured in lumens), how long the battery will last and whether the equipment can be used whilst it’s being recharged – some lighting only lasts for a few hours before it has to be switched off and the battery recharged.