Daylight in a rusty Volvo: Milwaukee M12 LED Underhood Light review

First impressions and specs

On paper, the Milwaukee looks like serious kit. It’s also priced like serious kit – around £120 depending on bundle and retailer. That’s a leap from balancing your phone torch on the battery or slam panel, but once you’ve used it, you can see where the money’s gone.

• Up to 1350 lumens on high, 600 on low.
• Around four hours of run time flat out, or double that on the lower setting.
• Adjustable frame stretches from 119cm to 196cm – big enough for Volvo barges, still usable on smaller cars.
• Build: aluminium frame, rubber grips, tough polycarbonate lens, splash/dust protection.
• Extras: paint-friendly hooks, detachable light bar and a stainless hook for hanging it anywhere.

All very sensible. But specs only tell half the story.

Testing on Nöddy the Volvo 144

Enter Nöddy, a 1968 Volvo 144 that’s been snoozing in an Exmouth garage since 1991. The job: tackle a fuel pump rebuild and swap its aftermarket Bosch headlight for the original Robo unit (donor car ‘Bucket’ supplied the part).

Open the bonnet, clip on the Milwaukee, and… daylight. The beam really does what it promises, which is both wonderful and slightly cruel. Wonderful because every bolt and cable was suddenly visible. Cruel because there’s no hiding from the rust – and Nöddy has plenty of it.

The Finishguard (not to be confused with the Welsh fishing port) hooks that are meant to protect shiny paint might be wasted on a Volvo with flaking paint and more holes than Blackburn, Lancashire, but anyone with a polished Renault or pampered classic will be glad they’re there.

Real-world highlights

• Brightness and battery: We ran it flat out for four hours. By the end it was showing one bar of charge, exactly as Milwaukee claims. A rapid recharge had it ready to go again before dinner.
• Versatility: The light detaches from its carrier, instantly becoming a torch – or, more accurately, a light sabre.
• Mounting options: The stainless hook lets you hang it from beams, doors or anywhere that needs extra light.
• Build quality: Feels sturdy enough to cope with brake fluid, falling spanners and life around old Volvos.

Beyond the bonnet

Over the weekend, the light was pressed into service for something entirely different: illuminating a family game of Pucket in the kitchen. Mounted to the ceiling beams, it turned the kitchen island into a tournament arena.

It’s easy to imagine the same setup in a barn or stable – ideal if you’ve got goats to check on, hay bales to shift, or horses to feed after dark. In other words, it’s just as useful for rural life as it is for rusty Volvos. You might look a bit odd carrying it about, but there’s no doubting its usefulness.

Petrolblog gripes

It’s a sizeable bit of kit, so you’ll need somewhere to store it. At full power it’s almost too honest: every patch of rust, every bodge, every forgotten oil leak is lit up for all to see. You’ll also need to invest in an M12 charger, although bundle deals are available.

Verdict

Petrolblog wouldn’t normally get excited about an underhood light. Yet this one has the potential to change winter tinkering forever. Strong, bright, versatile and surprisingly fun, it’s far more useful than expected – both in the garage and beyond.

Petrolblog rating

4.5 baguettes out of 5 (half a baguette deducted for making Nöddy’s rust too visible).

Disclosure

Product supplied by Milwaukee for review. Petrolblog remains stubbornly unsponsored and will continue testing products inappropriately on tatty old cars.

Further info

More details on the Milwaukee M12 Underhood Light. No affiliate links, no kickbacks – just the official page if you want to see the blurb.