TechASSIST: Complete Guide to Xenon HID Headlamps

A Complete Guide to Stocking, Selling, Identifying and Fitting Xenon HID Lamps

Sales of Xenon HID Lamps throughout the aftermarket are certainly on the rise. Although Xenon Lamp lifespans are much larger than halogen bulbs, they do eventually fail and many vehicles are now requiring replacements. Here we look at some of the key facts and misconceptions surrounding this lighting technology to help your business to benefit from the significant rise in demand.

Xenon HID systems (also known as Gas Discharge Lamps) provide 200% more light on the road than a standard Halogen bulb. Unlike a standard Halogen bulb 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 (the measure of light output), from between 35 and 85 watts at 12.8 volts compared to between 700 and 2,100 lumens using 40 to 72 watts on a standard halogen.

HID bulbs are designated an “S” burner or “R” burner. An “S” burner has a plain glass shield and are used in projector type optics where as “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.

ELTA Automotive are asking motor factors and garages to consider how much they are paying when purchasing HID/Gas Discharge bulbs on demand. Whilst O.E bulb prices remain high, ELTA product development teams have been successful in reducing costs without compromising quality and performance across their HID range. So is it now time to put HID into stock?

HID bulbs have an average life of 2000 hours compared to the standard bulb, which is between 450 and 1000 hours. This equates to around 90,000 miles for the average driver and so HID bulbs are generally considered a ‘lifetime’ bulb. Because of this, many motor factors decided against holding stock of expensive HID bulbs preferring to order on demand. Whilst this made good sense a few years ago, ELTA believe now is the time to consider stocking a small range.

HID bulbs first appeared in automotive applications in the early 1990’s as an option on the BMW 7 Series, but it was not until the end of the 1990’s 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 expect the trend in growth to continue. ELTA believe motor factors can capitalise on the growth within the aftermarket by choosing to stock a range of lower cost, high quality aftermarket HID bulbs in favour of ordering O.E on demand.

Just like O.E counterparts, ELTA VisionPRO HID bulbs provide 200% more light on the road than standard Halogen bulbs, producing between 2,800 and 3,500 lumens. They also boast the same average life of around 2000 hours and replace both projector (S) and reflective (R) type optics including D1R, DS, DR, D2S, D3R, D3S, D4R, D4S, D5S and D8S.

The ELTA VisionPRO range now also boasts upgrade HID lamps offering a rise in Kelvin temperature up to 6000k or 7000k for a modern blue tint.

ELTA VisionPRO Blue upgrade bulbs are E marked, offering a simple road legal replacement that increases colour temperature to 6000k.

For an extreme 7000k boost, ELTA VisionPRO Sport upgrades deliver ultimate performance for off road applications such as rally and racing.

Xenon HID upgrades not only delivery real benefits to the driver, they can also help to boost sales for the business. Is it time you upgraded your sales?