Automobile club Luxembourg

The Automobile Club du Luxembourg is taking part in the traditional lights and tyres campaign run by the road safety department from 18th October to 18th November. Like previous year, our mechanics also offer the opportunity to test the condition of your battery.

Be safe on the roads

Reduced visibility, early morning frost, slippery road surfaces - a whole host of dangers are lying in wait for us at this time of year. For your own safety and the safety of other road users, the ACL will be offering free tyre and lights checks for cars throughout the country. And to help prevent one of the most common causes of a breakdown - a flat battery – the ACL will check that for you too.
 

Tyre control

Tyre checks are very important, especially at this time of year. Fallen leaves on the road, rain and low temperatures are a danger for motorists if the tyres are not in good condition. We check the material of your tyres as well as their age, profile and state of wear, which may be irregular. As a reminder, by law the minimum tread depth is 1.6 mm. The ACL recommends, for safety reasons, not to go below 4 mm. It should be noted that breakdowns due to tyre punctures are the second most frequent cause of accidents in the ACL statistics.
 

Checking the lighting

During the lighting check, all headlights must be in working order (dipped headlights, main beam, fog lights, long-range headlights, parking lights, license plate lights, reversing lights and turn signals). We also check the condition of the reflectors and light lenses. As well as checking that they are working properly, their position is also checked as far as possible. The various headlights must be positioned in such a way that they do not dazzle oncoming traffic and provide the driver with maximum visibility. Poorly adjusted headlights can be a real hazard.

Battery control

According to ACL statistics, battery-related breakdowns are the most common, especially in winter. Temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius have a negative impact on battery operation, as the chemical reaction becomes slower and therefore provides less current. A weak battery amplifies this difficulty, resulting in a breakdown. In addition, in winter, more accessories such as headlights, windscreen wipers and others are switched on and therefore require extra work from the battery. ACL offers to check batteries that are 4 years old and older on site, bearing in mind that the average life of a car battery is 4 years and that the average age of the Luxembourg car fleet is 7 years.
 

Note: During the campaign period, tyre and headlight inspections will be exclusively performed on our checking points at the places and dates mentioned above and without appointment. The ACL Diagnostic Center in Bertrange is running the other tests as usual, upon appointment only, via our web dedicated area, per phone at +352 450045-6007 or per E-mail: dc1@acl.lu.