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Car dealerships · Lighting audit

Dealership lighting audit: a 20-minute checklist you can run tonight

Walk the store at dusk with a phone and check five things: what's out or flickering, whether the front line is the brightest part of the lot, whether your whites match, how the building reads from the road, and how the lot looks to cameras after hours. Write every fix down. Most will be maintenance, not new lights.

By Sol Zendejas-Smith, owner of Curbsight Lighting · Updated November 2026

Have Sol run the audit Call or text 405-706-6042

Before you start

Go about 30 minutes after sunset, when the sky is dark but not black. Bring a phone for photos and video and a notepad. A second person to drive helps for the first step.

1. From the road (5 minutes)

  • Drive past in both directions while a passenger takes video.
  • Can you tell from the road that the store is open?
  • Is the building outline visible, or only the poles?
  • Can you read the monument sign and the entrance from far enough away to turn in safely?
  • Does anything glare into your eyes as a driver?

2. The front line (3 minutes)

  • Is the front row brighter than the rest of the lot?
  • Is the hero car on the corner lit from more than one side?
  • Do paint colors look right, especially reds and dark blues?

3. The lot (4 minutes)

  • Note every fixture that's out, flickering or noticeably dimmer.
  • Look for dark gaps between poles.
  • Are the whites the same across the lot, or a mix of blue, yellow and white?
  • Are lenses dirty or yellowed?

4. The building and showroom (4 minutes)

  • Is the showroom lit after hours, or dark behind the glass?
  • Do you see cars through the glass, or reflections of ceiling fixtures?
  • Is the logo or brand element lit and complete?
  • Is there a spot for delivery photos, and does it look good on a phone?

5. After hours and security (4 minutes)

  • Check the entries, service drive and perimeter.
  • Look at your camera feeds: are faces and plates readable at night?
  • Is anything on all night that doesn't need to be?
  • Do your timers match sunset this month?

What to do with the list

Sort it into three piles: maintenance (bulbs, lenses, timers), quick upgrades (front-line accent, matching whites, a delivery stage) and projects (building outline, LED retrofits, controls). Fix the first pile this week. For the rest, see lot lighting and controls.

Want a second set of eyes?

I run this audit as a free dusk site walk. You get a written list of what I found, sorted the same way, plus a rendering of what the store could look like and one price per piece. No obligation to buy anything.

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Questions

Questions

What does a dealership lighting audit include?

A dusk walk of the road view, front line, lot, building, showroom and after-hours lighting, with a list of what's out, dark gaps, mismatched whites, glare and camera coverage.

How often should we audit dealership lighting?

A quick walk every month, and a full audit when the seasons change, since sunset times and timers drift.

Do you charge for a lighting audit?

No. The dusk site walk, the written list and the rendering are free.

Sol, owner of Curbsight Lighting

Let's walk your building at dusk.

I'll look at it the way your customers see it after dark, and show you what it could look like before you commit.

Book a site walk Call or text 405-706-6042

Or reach me directly: 405-706-6042 (call or text) or [email protected].