I have a '90 Honda civic. My problem is the headlights don’t engage upon command. During the summer, when it is warmer, they work well. But during the winter, when it’s cold, they act as if they need to warm up. If it is very cold it can take up to 20 minutes or more. In this situation I can turn on my brights whenever I want, and they work. Why do my headlights essentially have to “warm up?” As you can imagine this is very irritating.
PS: They don’t slowly come on. It’s just nothing, nothing, nothing, working normally.
Are these those fancy silly HID lights? If so plan on a big repair bill.
I think there is a problem in the wiring to the headlights. It could be a poor connection at the headlight itself, or a bad low beam relay, or possibly a problem in the headlight switch. I’d check the relay first, especially considering the age of the car.
Headlights don’t need to “warm up.” If they are not working it is because the electric current is not getting to the bulbs.
I’d put your money on the headlight relay. Look under the dash for it…probably near the fuse box.