September 2019

parts and those parts claiming to be ‘matching quality’, OESAA is the perfect home for the Philips automotive lighting brand.” Caston adds: “To find out more: www.philips.com/automotive , to learn more about its portfolio of lighting solutions, visit lumileds.com “ Revive Part of upselling involves encouraging customers to buy into the concept. With this in mind, and to support its work to continue to improve its existing lighting systems, HELLA has revised its range of bulbs for cars, commercial vehicles, agricultural machinery and motorcycles. This is reflected in the new carton and blister packaging, as well as a new colour scheme. Helen Goldingay, Senior Head of Marketing and Communications at HELLA says: “Good visibility is vital for road safety, therefore HELLA is continuously working to improve its existing lighting systems. The new blister packs are designed to support the retail sector with a transparent front and back, making it easy for the end user to search for and select the right product. Helen adds: “This packaging ensures that product categories such as Standard, Performance, Design and Long Life are recognisable at a glance. Furthermore, icons and QR codes are also on the packaging and provide additional information on service life or light colour and show suitable applications and vehicle types.” HID bulbs It helps if we are all on the same page when it comes to lighting. If technicians and customers are talking at cross-purposes, it won’t end well. “When it comes to aftermarket lighting,” says Tim Brotherton, Marketing Manager at ELTA Automotive, “misconceptions regarding terminology and replacement still remain within the trade, which naturally gives motorists mixed messages and can potentially sow seeds of doubt in their minds.” In order to help tackle this, Tim explains what HID bulbs are and what they can do: “HID systems, also known as gas discharge bulbs, provide 200% more light on the road than a standard halogen bulb. Unlike these bulbs a HID system uses xenon gas, which is ignited by creating an electric arc between two electrodes. “HID headlamp burners produce between 2,800 and 3,500 lumens, from between 35 and 85 watts at 12.8-volts, compared to between 700 and 2,100 lumens using 40 to 72 watts for a standard halogen. “HID bulbs are designated as either ‘S’ burner or ‘R’ burner. An ‘S’ burner has a plain glass shield and is used in projector type optics, whereas ‘R’ burners are designed for reflective type optics and have an opaque mask on certain parts of the shield to create the cut off boundary near the top of the low beam. “HID bulbs first appeared in automotive applications in the early 1990s as an option on the BMW 7 Series, but it was not until the end of the 1990s however, that the first Bi- Xenon headlights as we know them today appeared on the Mercedes- Benz CL-Class. Since then HIDs have risen in popularity and an increasing number of vehicles fitted with them are entering the realm of the independent aftermarket. After all, 90,000 miles is by no means ‘end of life’ for a vehicle today, especially the high-end and prestige marques that commonly feature HID systems.” ELTA has seen a significant increase in demand for replacement HID bulbs in recent years and expects the trend to continue. Tim comments: “Just like their OE counterparts, ELTA’s recently launched VISIONPRO HID bulbs provide 200% more light on the road than standard halogen bulbs, as well as the same average life of around 2,000 hours. “Encompassing both projector (S) and reflective (R) type optics the range includes D1R, DS, DR, D2S, D3R, D3S, D4R and D4S, plus the latest D5S and D8S versions, alongside upgrades offering a boost in Kelvin temperature up to 6,000k or 7,000k, for a modern blue tint.” Upgrade Bulbs On upselling, Tim says: “One of the 48 AFTERMARKET SEPTEMBER 2019 LIGHTING www.aftermarketonline.net Below: VisionPRO 150 Above: HELLA bulb packaging