Why should you replace the headlights as soon as they are turned off? This time, I will explain the importance, lifespan of headlights!
What happens if you don’t replace the broken headlights?
If you notice that the headlights have gone out, you need to replace them immediately. If the headlights remain off, you cannot illuminate the front, and it is very dangerous because oncoming vehicles and pedestrians cannot see your car.
Immediate replacement of headlights is very important for safety reasons.
Performance and replacement time vary depending on the type of headlight
There are three types of headlight light sources: halogen, HID, and LED. The features of each are introduced below.
HALOGEN
Until HID became popular in the 1990s, most car headlights used halogen lamps. The structure of the halogen lamp is simple, and it is a light bulb that emits a filament. It is pale warm color light and friendly to oncoming vehicles. However, it is inferior to HID and LED in terms of brightness.
The calorific value and power consumption are large, and the service life is short, 800 hours. However, the outlook during rain and fog is better. The gentle light does not reflect much on rain or fog. Also, because of the large amount of heat generated, it has the advantage of melting the snow attached to the headlights.
Halogen is designed to be replaced as a consumable, so replacement labor is cheap and it is easy to replace it yourself. There are many general-purpose products, and replacement lamps are easily available.
HID
HID became practical and popular in the 1990s. HID has no filament and emits light in the air in a glass tube filled with xenon gas to generate light. This is the same principle as fluorescent lighting.
The biggest advantage of HID is brightness. HID has the best brightness among the three light sources. The service life is as long as 2000 hours. Another advantage is the rich color variations.
The disadvantage is that it takes about 5-10 seconds to get the maximum light intensity after turning on the switch. Therefore, it is rarely used for high beams, which are often used to brighten the front momentarily.
In addition to the bulb for emitting light, HID requires a part called “ballast” that converts DC current to AC current and boosts it to tens of thousands of volts, and replacement requires a certain amount of knowledge. Ballast also consumes power, so total power consumption is higher than halogen.
LED
LED is a light using light emitting diode, and it is the newest type of light source that started to spread about 10 years ago.
The lifetime of the LED is overwhelmingly long at 30,000 hours. It consumes very little power and generates very little heat. Brightness is inferior to HID, but better than halogen.
Replacement is relatively easy due to the simple structure. In addition, the maximum amount of light is obtained immediately after lighting. With a long service life and reasonably bright, LED penetration will continue to increase.
