New headlight technology shines at auto after market show

Discount Store News, Dec 9, 1996

LAS VEGAS - Beyond halogen: headlights that produce four to five times the light of existing auto headlights. That's what's in store in automotive lighting as technology forges ahead into the 21st century.

Meanwhile, vendors continue to tweak halogen lamps in order to boost both light output and margin dollars, while working on the next generation of auto head lamps, high-intensity discharge, or HID.

Another development to emerge from the APAA/SEMA/ASIA aftermarket show held here Nov. 4 to 8: a three-way tussle to supply an alternative to Freon (R-12) air conditioning gas in older cars.

And those who manage shelf allocation for motor oil now have another sku to squeeze in: 0W-30 weight synthetic oil from Mobil.

HID fights are already here - for a stiff price - in German luxury cars, such as the BMW, which gets $1,600 for a pair of optional HID headlights. HID lights can be identified by the "bull's-eye" center of the headlight.

As an add-on alternative light - say for 18-wheel trucks or pickups with light bars - Phillips Lighting will introduce next year a $249 HID light filled with Xenon gas. Specialty shops are the most likely first outlets, Phillips concedes, and it will be a while before the price gets down to mass market levels.

The HID light has no filament, so vibration can't destroy it. Instead, a high-voltage current, starting at 30,000 volts, arcs between two electrodes in a tiny capsule filled with inert gases. Phillips calculates that the lamp bulb will last about 20 times as long as halogen.

Besides more light and longer life, the smaller size also fits into automaker designs for smaller front ends. Another advantage: less light scatter, hence better visibility in snow, fog and rain.

GE Lighting already has an HID light system for ambulances and other emergency vehicles. Called the GE Light Engine, the system uses a single HID, metal halide light bulb from GE to light all fixtures on an ambulance, such as emergency flashers and running lights. Fiber optic cables distribute light to all fixtures, except headlights, under the system developed by Federal Signal.

GE calls its bulb High Output Halogen. In 1997, GE also plans to introduce Halogen IR, a headlight that features an infrared coating to enhance light output. The Dodge Viper, an $80,000 specialty car, already comes equipped with Halogen IR, a bulb that will carry a retail of about $20.

Wagner Lighting introduced its BriteLite, a headlight filled with Xenon gas, instead of halogen, for cooler operation and an 80% gain in light output. Improved lens optics reduce light scatter for better visibility in snow, fog and rain, Wagner said. Wagner will begin shipping BriteLites next June.

Osram Sylvania introduced its Halogen Xtra Vision, which according to the company lasts twice as long as standard halogen and puts three times the light onto the critical foreground area while on low beam. It will retail between $13 and $15, a premium over standard halogen.

Philips introduced its Weather Vision halogen bulb that also reduces light scatter for better visibility in bad weather, but its total light output is the same as standard halogen. It, too, will carry a premium, about $3 to $4 at retail.

In the motor oil realm, Mobil will begin shipping in February its synthetic, low-viscosity 0W-30 oil at about the same price as its 5W-30 synthetic. Prompting the move: General Motors is recommending 0W-30 synthetic for '97 cars driven in temperatures below minus 20 degrees. For protection at extremely low temperatures, engines require an oil that flows freely at sub-zero extremes. Amsoil, a producer for mom and pop stores, introduced 0W-30 in February, and Xcel, a regional brand, plans to introduce it next spring.

Major brands such as Pennzoil, Quaker State and Valvoline, though, are waiting for consumer demand to build for 0W-30.

The market fight for a Freon (R-12) gas replacement for air conditioners in older cars heated up with show announcements that Pennzoil and Quaker State have become distributors for two of the three replacements, FRIGIC and FreeZone. A third contender is Freeze 12, distributed by Technical Chemical.

Because Freon damages the ozone layer, all cars made since 1995 are designed to use SUVA 134A, a replacement gas made by DuPont.

Since R-12 legally can no longer be made and since 134A is incompatible with previous air conditioning systems, manufacturers have developed alternatives to R-12 that will save car owners the expense of converting air conditioners to use 134A. Existing stocks of R-12 gas will run out within one to three years.

Companies such as Fluoro Tech, Sewell, N.J., which makes DuPont Suva servicing equipment under license, said that estimates of $200 to $400 to convert R-12 systems to Suva are excessive. Fluoro Tech estimated the conversion costs about $100 for a few O ring seals, new lubricant and a Suva refill.

All three alternatives are incompatible with each other, so air conditioning service chains, such as Wal-Mart Tire & Lube Express and Pep Boys - Manny Moe S, Jack, face logistical problems in stocking the right gases and refill valves for not only 134A but also the three competing alternatives. Each alternative will have to have a unique refill valve so mechanics can't get the wrong stuff into a car. Cost of switching to one of the R-12 replacements runs from an estimated $75 to $100.