Lumileds, manufacturer and distributor of Philips Automotive Lighting products globally, tells PMF why the term ‘lighting season’ isn’t as obvious as it once was and highlights ample lighting opportunities for motor factors.
Traditionally, winter months were the highpoint of what was referred to as ‘lighting season’ but the reality is that, with mandatory daytime running lights, lighting is much more of a year-round topic.
That said, winter and spring bring weather that is much less certain, and driving conditions are often considerably worse than at other times of the year. Not only, therefore, are nights longer, but conditions also bring notably increased use of a car’s full lights during daylight hours.
Inevitably, with increased use of lights comes increased bulb failure, so what should factors be looking at when it comes to making the most of the opportunities?
“Cheap is often not cost-effective when it comes to car lighting,” claimed Lumileds Business Development Manager Automotive, UK & Eire, Richard Armstrong.
“The complexities and tight confines of modern car engine bays can often mean that replacing a bulb can take a few hours – not something that a workshop wants to have to undertake at its own cost if a new bulb fails prematurely.
“Therefore, selling a high-quality bulb from an original equipment (OE) brand, like Philips, will offer confidence in the product to the workshop customer (and their enduser customers). It will also give both the factor and the workshop customer a higher margin on the product – and the motorist a better performing bulb that will be safer and almost certainly cheaper to own in the long run. It really is a win-win situation.”
The award-winning range
Philips has a range of headlamp bulbs that offers the motorist the “best possible vision for all requirements”, whether this is “superior performance, extended lifetime, exceptional durability, super eco-efficient lighting, individual styling or a combination of all of these qualities”.
Every Philips headlamp bulb, including the multi award-winning RacingVision GT200, the first halogen bulb that is up to 200% brighter than the industry standard, according to Lumileds, and the XtremeVision Pro150, are produced to OE specification.
Although Halogen remains the most common type of bulb, there is still an important opportunity with Xenon HID.
There is plenty of discussion about retrofit LED lighting; Lumileds is able to boast the first road-legal H4-LED in Germany, with its Philips Ultinon Pro6000 LED retrofit. This is a range extension to the H7-LED, which was approved in Germany in 2021.
The company said LEDs deliver brighter light and their plug-and-play design allows DIYers and technicians to install it on their own; however, in the UK, retrofit LED bulbs are currently only legal for off-road use. Nonetheless, the demand is there – and because of this, there are already many products available; however, reiterating the point, Lumileds advises that as a reseller it is worth checking the pedigree of the product.
Finally, although the focus is inevitably on headlamps, there are also good opportunities for additional sales in positional and interior lights, so motor factors are urged to remind customers about them!
Headlamp bulbs should always be replaced in pairs! If one needs replacing, the other is also likely to do so shortly afterwards. It is also really important to ensure that both bulbs are of matching performance and quality.
