Lighting specialist, OSRAM is reminding workshops to focus on bulb sales this winter, especially as the component is more likely to fail in colder temperatures.
With more than 100 years in the automotive sector, OSRAM is highlighting why bulbs are more likely to fail in winter and why workshops should be informing their customers of these facts, so preempting bulb failure and improving their bulb sales.
It’s a focus every year as the clocks go back, that workshops should concentrate on their bulb installs and ensure their customers have the best light for the darker nights ahead.
Naturally drivers will notice if their bulbs are performing poorly, as they use them more over winter months, but workshops should be actively encouraging drivers to consider their bulbs while they’re still working before they potentially break.
One of the main reasons for bulb failure in the winter months is due to the tungsten filament, which is a part of every halogen bulb and generates the light when a current passes through it; cold weather can cause it to contract, which can lead to it breaking.
Workshops should also lean on the fact that because it’s getting darker earlier, drivers will want the best light source to see the road ahead, and should upsell brighter and whiter bulbs, so drivers can comfortably see everything on the road and have maximum visibility.
The OSRAM range is vast, which means that they have a wide selection for drivers to choose from.
Xenon range
OSRAM upgrade xenon bulbs generate up to 220 per cent more brightness when comparedto the minimum legal standard. Xenon bulbs also use less energy and have a longer life span than halogen bulbs.
Products that are prominent in this portfolio include the Xenarc Night Breaker 220, which is OSRAM’s brightest xenon upgrade bulb. It has a 250m long beam and up to 20 per cent whiter light, allowing drivers to see further and, therefore, respond to the conditions on the road earlier.
If a driver is looking for more whiter light, OSRAM offers the Xenarc Cool Blue Intense, which also offers up to 150 per cent more brightness than the minimum legal standard.
However, if a driver is focused on a reliable bulb that will last a long time, OSRAM’s Xenarc Ultra Life, has a 10-year guarantee, which is up to four times longer than a standard bulb, providing the driver extra reassurance and saving them costs.
Finally OSRAM has the Xenarc Original, which has a four-year guarantee and is original equipment manufacturer quality. These bulbs fit a variety of vehicles and are of premium quality manufactured in Germany.
Halogen range
Due to their impressive beam range, performance and longevity OSRAM’s halogen bulb offering has always been incredibly popular amongst drivers, technicians and retailers.
Similar to its xenon counterpart, the Night Breaker 220, is the latest offering from OSRAM and is the brightest street-legal halogen bulb, with up to 220 per cent more brightness and up to 150m long beam.
The Night Breaker Laser is the second most powerful halogen bulb with up to 150 per cent more brightness.
If a driver is looking for a bulb that will have excellent performance, and has longevity, technicians should recommend Night Breaker Silver, which has an excellent performance-lifetime ratio, up to 130m long beam and up to 100 per cent more brightness.
For a more modern and stylish look for halogens, OSRAM’s Cool Blue Intense is perfect, with extra white light for an LED look and is ideal for use in clear-glass headlights with its modern design with a silver cap.
For drivers that are looking for a reliable headlight bulb and aren’t worried about anything more ‘flashy’, OSRAM’s Ultra Life is the ideal solution, with a four-year guarantee and up to a 62,000 miles service life.
Finally, in the halogen range, is the Original 12V range, which is an OEM quality product that is tried and trusted by vehicle manufacturers across Europe and therefore covers a wide array of applications for both headlight and auxiliary applications.
Alongside the quality bulbs technicians should be fitting, they should also be undertaking standard practices when fitting bulbs, such as checking the headlight bulbs of every vehicle that enters the workshop to ensure it’s ready for winter.
OSRAM also recommends technicians to change bulbs in pairs. Purely from a business point of view, replacing in pairs means double the revenue for the workshop. However, from a practical point of view, replacing bulbs in pairs is good practice and means that both bulbs are putting out the same light output and it also stands to reason that if one bulb blows, the other is likely to follow soon after.
Therefore, to save the driver time and hassle, OSRAM is urging technicians to fit quality parts and ensure both bulbs are changed at the same time, especially during the winter period.
