Problematic Auxiliary
You can find many articles about automotive lighting in the automotive press. However, the vast majority of these materials are devoted exclusively to headlights and light sources built into them. Meanwhile, vehicle lighting also includes position and brake light bulbs, as well as direction indicators known as auxiliary lights. Not everyone knows that, unlike headlamps, they are more prone to various kinds of damage during everyday use.
Traditional or durable?
The most common causes of failure of additional lamps, in particular direction indicators and brake lights, are sudden voltage drops in the car's on-board network. This problem mainly affects traditional light sources and is most often associated with non-approved incandescent lamps. To avoid the need for frequent replacement of auxiliary lighting, it is worth using lamps with a long service life. They are especially recommended in vehicles with high power surges or in cases where they are difficult to access. On the market you can also find bulbs (actually so-called xenon burners) for the front position lights, the so-called increased color temperature. They are designed for cars with xenon and bi-xenon headlights. The wide range of auxiliary light sources also includes modern turn signal lamps, characterized by an iridescent or orange bulb surface. The latter are used, among other things, in transparent lenses installed on Saab and Ford. The offer is complemented by "reinforced" brake light bulbs that can emit up to 60 percent. more light. Overall, leading manufacturers of long-life auxiliary bulbs claim that they last more than three times longer than traditional ones.
Safer with approval
Experts warn against using auxiliary lamps that do not have the appropriate certification. This applies in particular to modern vehicles equipped with automatic high beams. The latter are particularly "sensitive" to improper placement of the filament in the bulb, resulting in too little light emission at a certain angle. As a consequence, the automatic high beam system, and therefore the additional headlights, will not be able to correctly set them. Therefore, when deciding to replace a light bulb, owners of such cars should choose products from recognized manufacturers. Despite the higher price, they will be guaranteed proper cooperation with the aforementioned system, without exposing themselves to unforeseen malfunctions and the limited life of the bulbs.
LEDs yes, but...
Increasingly, traditional auxiliary lamps are being replaced by LEDs. In the case of the latter, the list of benefits is quite long, but it is worth mentioning the two most important from the point of view of the car user. First of all, LEDs have a much longer lifespan than traditional light bulbs, which saves on replacement costs. The second advantage, which cannot be overestimated, is the low power consumption necessary for their proper functioning. In addition, the beams of the LED light sources can be arbitrarily formed, which is of great importance when designing front or rear position lamps. Of course, wherever there are advantages, there are also disadvantages. The most serious, and at the same time the most negative blow to the pocket of the owner of a car equipped with this type of lighting, is the need to replace the entire LED beam when at least one LED fails. The assurances of manufacturers in high-quality materials used in the construction of LEDs remain a consolation. In their opinion, the durability of this type of light source is comparable to ... the service life of a vehicle. Well, it sounds very good, although it is absolutely unbelievable. However, as is usually the case with modern technologies, their usefulness will be tested by daily operation and economy.
