Automotive lamps are subject to wear and tear – and have a shorter service life than a motor vehicle. Including indicators and brake lights, around 60 million auto lamps a year need to be replaced in Germany.

Every time a lamp fails, safety suffers. So experts recommend that a selection of spare lamps should always be kept in the vehicle. Whether motorists change the lamps themselves or leave the work to a mechanic, they are well advised to keep spare lamps on board because not all lamps are available in every country. Brand manufacturers' lamp replacement sets are definitely a practical option: they give motorists the security of knowing that the rights lamps are on hand in brand quality.

Glittering assortment

Auto lamps often look identical but they are not. There is a lot for the motorist to choose from in a product family today. Personal preference decides: should the vehicle lamp deliver maximum light power, for example, or should it achieve a special effect instead? Halogen lamps enjoying particular popularity at present include "high-performance" models, which offer more light for maximum safety, and lamp types that imitate the bright bluish white light of xenon lamps. The point to remember here: anyone who buys brand lamps can count on getting top quality.

Retrofitting xenon lights

A third of all new vehicles rolling off the production line are fitted with xenon lighting. The energy-efficient lamps score points for powerful bright light, better illumination of the roadway and a good safety track record. Sadly, the possibilities of retrofitting xenon lights are very limited. For the most popular vehicle models, the trade offers vehicle-specific sets that include not only the headlight and lamp but also the legally prescribed

• automatic headlight levelling system and
• washer system to prevent undesirable light scatter due to external soiling.
  
  

Here too, brand products made by respectable headlight manufacturers guarantee quality and safety.

Another possibility is to retrofit daytime running lights.