Traditionally, headlights have been an area of low priority for the motoring public – except when they cannot see the road at night or the bulb has failed. As a motorist, how often at night, or during a rain storm in the daylight, have you either been followed by a car with one headlight, mistaken a vehicle coming towards you for a motor bike which has turned out to be a car with only one headlight, or even had the light behind or in front of you reaching for the stars?
Headlights are a matter of great safety interest and as an industry we should be raising awareness within the consumer arena. So here’s the challenge – why not include headlights as part of your sales package? Make it a popular sales topic. It could be just the item in your sales performance which shows you to be innovative, and help to create a point of difference between you and others in the fast fit or repair business.
After all you offer Tyres (all types from standard profile to high performance), Wheel alignment, Wheel balancing, Tyre repairs, Brakes, and possibly Diagnostics too - but headlights? For many the answer will be ‘no – never thought about it.’
We all need lights at some stage of the day or night. The possibility that we will have them on all day and night when driving, as they do in Sweden, is a distinct possibility in the not too distant future.
The subject should now receive a better degree of respectability since the introduction of the latest technology over the last five years - filament ( still available) , quartz halogen, gas discharge, xenon, have all been here for some time and serve the driving public well. LED’s, whilst not common now, will become more popular. Advances in design mean that LEDs can deliver the flux and luminance required to achieve a legal headlamp beam. LEDs are already approved for use in the USA and are on course to be approved for use in Europe during this year.
It is a matter which interests the European transport authorities and certainly VOSA in the UK. During the last two years the Commercial vehicle operators have had to pay much more attention to the direction and power of the headlights. It has been a rocky ride for many, in terms of understanding where VOSA and the rest of Europe stand, but overall it can now be classed as a success.
A PRS on a commercial vehicle operator’s licence is not good news. It has been a contentious issue throughout Europe and a high failure rate, in fact, just as much as Brake testing. Commercial vehicle operators understand now, more than ever, the importance of good headlights and their correct adjustment.
Why does not this apply to cars and light vans? You have to display two lights at the front and rear of a vehicle. Yes you do qualify if you have two sidelights and one headlight but it does not look as if you are attentive to road safety and considerate to other road users. It is after all a failure at MOT if bulbs do not work and more importantly can be a reason for a vehicle to be checked by police in a routine roadside safety check.
LET PLA 20
Brightness, direction and of course replacement is of the greatest importance. It does require skill and common sense - the right bulb for the car and fitted the right way up. Water inside the reflector caused through cracked lenses and dirt all contribute to visibility problems.
The case for moving headlight testing up the agenda is clear and help is at hand in the form of the LET PLA 20 - the headlight tester which electronically ensures that the beam is correctly focused on the road ahead. It has a stable and robust stand which ensures that the measurement is correct and by a simple easy to use method of correcting to a green light from an “out of tolerance “red”, ensures that the work you do, is right first time.
The LET PLA 20 - which can also be used manually - is supplied to many of the world’s car manufacturers at manufacturing level and dealer level. The expertise and knowledge is easily seen in the build and use of the PLA20. You do not need good eyes to see if the pattern is right, or if you are adjusting the wrong way. It shows you which way to adjust: left, right, up or down – easy use technology at its best.
Some points to watch for:
Is the area where you are measuring the headlight level?
Is the lens clean?
Is the bulb, the correct bulb for the car?
Is the bulb recommended by the car company?
Is the bulb fitted correctly in the holder?
Is the reflector corroded or damaged?
Do the headlights work correctly?
Do they dip to the left?
Can they be adjusted manually or are they the new style of electrically adjusted headlights?
Beissbarth UK are holders of Best European Garage Equipment Provider 2003, Best Garage Equipment Provider 2004 and ITM Company of the Year 2005.
