September 2021

Above: Philips bulbs in action T erri Clark, Lighting Marketing Manager, at OSRAM observed: “Checking all of a vehicle’s lights thoroughly is a quick and easy process, and also essential to ensuring they are functioning and working as they should do. This should be applied to every vehicle going through the workshop for servicing. Faulty bulbs are still one of the most common reasons for MOT failure and the most inexpensive part to fix.” Terri added: “Automotive lighting technology is advancing at a significant rate with the introduction of LED, intelligent forward lighting, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), in cabin ambient lighting and sensing to name a few. The good news is that traditional lighting technologies such as Halogen and HID will be around for a considerable time to come and that means the most up-to-date solutions, such as whiter or brighter light, can still be retrofitted to older cars. This means profit opportunities for garages and workshops to upsell to upgrade bulbs, and satisfied customers who will be able to see more and feel safer on the roads at night.” Upgrades Commenting on how to create extra turnover from lighting, with a strong safety message, Richard Armstrong, UK & Ireland Country Manager, Lumileds, said: “When liaising with their customers, technicians only need to ask a simple question to start the process; ‘Would you like more light when driving at night?’ “As well as the significant increases in road safety, there are also revenue benefits. The margins on upgrade bulbs for workshops are obviously that much greater than replacing with a standard bulb, and, it is really relevant to the upsell to understand that headlamp upgrades are one of the least expensive that can be done for a customer but the results undoubtedly represent some of the most impressive ‘bang-for-buck’ differences that can be offered - certainly in terms of the overall driving experience. Furthermore, a workshop will demonstrate itself as a quality business with a special focus on customer care and service. The result; Satisfied customers and safer roads.” Upselling On the pricess of upselling, Richard observed: “In terms of fitting the right bulb, it’s important that technicians understand that a quality headlight bulb has a low tolerance filament geometry, perfect light distribution, optimal road lighting and can point light to where it’s needed for both comfort and for where it can act appropriately in dangerous situations, and without glaring uncoming traffic or cars in front of you. “The Philips automotive lighting range, developed by Lumileds, allows technicians to fulfil that criteria. Philips RacingVision GT200, which was recently commended in 42 AFTERMARKET SEPTEMBER 2021 LIGHTING www.aftermarketonline.net All the latest on lighting, from bulbs to all the equipment you need to work with them SHINE A LIGHT Auto Express Headlight Bulb of the Year honours – having already been awarded Recommended Buy status – was the first halogen bulb with an incredible performance up to 200% brighter light compared to the minimum legal standard. Philips X-tremeVision Pro150, meanwhile, offers a longer lifetime plus up to 150% brighter light when up against the minimum legal standard, and its H4 version was hailed as the ‘best performer for high beam reach’ by What Car? Magazine. Both bulbs, therefore, offer a huge jump in performance compared to the Industry Standard Bulb and also come with the commensurate benefit of increased safety.” Safety Richard suggested that lighting upselling’s safety credentials come into play when considering the neeed to compensate for eyesight deterioration: “As drivers age, their eyesight deteriorates. The lens of the eye becomes more opaque and the eye’s natural protection against glaring light drops, which means – especially at night time when most incidents occur – that a driver can really benefit from a premium headlight bulb. Simply put, this will compensate for a driver’s eyesight worsening over time by producing excellent light output, thus helping ensure that journeys are completed safely and, of course, helping to prevent potentially hazardous situations for other road- users. It’s a really logical case for upselling - but one that has yet to be properly embraced.” Speaking of diminishment, this also counts when it comes to replacing in pairs: “Luminosity diminishes as a bulb comes to the end of its life and if it fails, it’s likely the other one will follow shortly after since they have the same life time – therefore, it is always best practice to change headlight bulbs in pairs. This also prevents the customer from returning to the workshop shortly afterwards because only one car bulb was changed – when the other car bulb was on the verge of failing.