News of the automotive lighting market. Is it worth it to buy expensive lamps?
A set of the cheapest H4 bulbs can be bought at a car shop for only PLN 10. At the same time, market innovations from leading companies can cost up to PLN 150-200. Is it worth spending so much money?
The standard for the most popular segments A, B and C on the market is lighting based on traditional halogen lamps, most often of the H1, H4 or H7 type. Their properties are similar, the difference is mainly only in the form, which is adapted to different types of lampshades. Automakers install halogen bulbs in base cars because they are less bright than xenon headlights, but they cost a lot less.
The warmer the worse
With daily use of the car, with the obligation to drive around the clock with dipped headlights, it happens that the bulbs burn out after two to three months. What determines their consumption?
Sebastian Popek, an electronics engineer at the Honda Sigma car dealership in Rzeszow, first of all pays attention to the condition of the battery.
- The second question is the type and age of the headlights. Light bulbs burn faster in biconvex ones, especially small, old ones. They have higher temperatures, especially when the car is old and the reflector has lost its reflective properties. High temperatures cause the light bulb to heat up quickly, which speeds up wear and tear,” explains Popek.
The temperature to which light bulbs heat up also affects their wear. Smaller - H1 heat up faster and stronger than large - H4. Therefore, the latter, as a rule, should serve much longer.
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The rapid wear of light bulbs means that many drivers do not invest much money in them.
- Most often they choose Chinese goods, at 4-6 zlotys apiece. The problem is that the savings are usually obvious. Such lamps have a shorter life and are poorly made. It is difficult to find two identical items in the entire package. Very often the frames are crooked and the fastening is not perpendicular to the glass axis. After each replacement, you have to go to a diagnostic station to adjust the headlights, says Andrzej Szczepański, owner of a car shop in Rzeszow. He adds that cheap light bulbs can also break while driving.
– I know cases when customers had to repair or change headlights for this reason. Traditional but branded light bulbs are a much better choice, costing around PLN 20-30 per set. They are well made, safe and durable,” adds the seller.
Light for the demanding
New on the market are lamps that provide more intense light. For example, Philips has just added the ColorVision series to its offering. These are the first colored light bulbs approved for use in Europe. They are blue, green, purple and yellow. Color, however, is only an aesthetic effect. The light is actually white, up to 60 percent more than a standard incandescent bulb.
Philips experts claim that products from this series increase visibility up to 25 meters.
– We use quartz glass to make our lamps, which makes them very resistant to moisture and temperature fluctuations. An additional anti-UV coating blocks UV rays, protecting lampshades from tarnishing and yellowing. The best color effect is achieved in traditional reflector spotlights. They are not recommended for biconvex lamps, explains Tarek Hamed, Philips specialist.
Read more: How to choose good LED daytime running lights? Guide to Regiomoto
ColorVision lamps are available in H4 and H7 versions. Depending on the store, the retail price of the H4 set is around PLN 160-180. You have to pay about 7 PLN for the H200 kit.
Another market leader, Osram, boasts an interesting novelty. His Night Breaker Unlimited lamps are touted as some of the brightest halogen lamps in the world. Compared to a conventional incandescent lamp, this model gives off 90 percent more light, which is about 10 percent whiter. The manufacturer claims that thanks to this, the lighting range has increased by about 35 meters. This is due to the new, highly efficient technology for the production of twisted pair and blue rings. The lamps have gold-plated contacts, which are excellent conductors of electricity. They are available in H4, H7 and H11 versions. The price of the kit is about PLN 45 for H1 and H4 and about PLN 60 for H7.
for xenon
The new Xenarc D1S and D2S xenon lamps, also part of the Osram Night Breaker family, also offer greater luminosity. Compared to traditional products, they should increase the range up to 20 m and generate up to 70 percent more light. The manufacturer claims that this is the brightest xenon in the world. Interestingly, the unique design of the arc tube allowed the manufacturer to achieve a color temperature of 4350 K, which is very similar to daylight. As a result, the headlights should not burden other road users and are designed to illuminate the road and lanes very well. The bulb of the lamp is not covered by any additional filter that limits the amount of light produced. The current model remains in the offer - Xenarc Cool Blue Intense, which emits a bluer light with a color temperature of 5000 K. The price of a Xenarc set is about PLN 500-600.
See also: xenon or halogen? Which headlights to choose for your car?
In turn, Philips offers three new products for xenon headlights: Xenon Vision, Xenon BlueVision and Xenon X-tremeVision.
The advantage of the former is that it adapts to the color of the old filament, allowing only the used lamp to be replaced. Xenon BlueVision is advertised by Philips as a lamp that emits up to 10 percent light with a color temperature up to 6000K. To the human eye, the color is bluish.
– Xenon X-tremeVision is the most powerful xenon lamp available on the market. It emits 50 percent more light than other lamps thanks to the special geometry of the burner. A longer beam of light means you can see danger on the road sooner, says Philips.
Prices for threads depend on the product series and car model. For example, for a 6 Volkswagen Passat B2006, the kit costs: PLN 500 for Vision, PLN 700 for X-tremeVision and PLN 800 for BlueVisionUltra.
Halogen as xenon
Manufacturers have also thought about car drivers who cannot afford replacing traditional lamps with xenon ones. Philips offers new BlueVision ultralamps that emit light at 4000K. Despite the blue color effect, this is up to 30 percent more than traditional products. The lamps are available in H1 and H7 versions and cost, depending on the shop, around PLN 70-100 per set.
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According to the mechanics, this is a much better solution than cheap kits for converting headlights into something like xenon at home.
- In order to install non-original xenon, you must fulfill many conditions. The basic equipment is the equipment of the car with a homologated headlight adapted to a xenon burner. In addition, the vehicle must have headlight washers and an automatic light leveling system based on the vehicle's load sensors, says Rafał Krawiec from the Honda dealership in Rzeszów.
He adds that most cars equipped with non-original xenon do not have these elements, and this can create a danger on the road.
“Incomplete systems can blind oncoming drivers,” he explains.
Costs pay off
See also: Buying a used car cold, or how not to be deceived?
Andrzej Szczepanski and Sebastian Popek argue that investing in good light bulbs pays off. Branded products not only shine better, but also last longer.
“On the other hand, cheaper lamps often produce stronger light through thinner, modified fibers and higher power ratings. They heat up faster and more strongly, which accelerates their wear. That doesn't mean you should always buy the most expensive products, but the cheapest ones are best avoided, Popek says.
Governorate Bartosz
photo by Bartosz Guberna
