Xenon And Coated Halogens - Extending Their Life

Xenon And Coated Halogens - Extending Their Life

Xenon bulbs improve on the standard Halogen bulbs, and take their name from, the Xenon gas used. Xenon gas does not support combustion and so allows the bulb filament to burn hotter, and therefore brighter, without the filament burning out. Coated bulbs provide different colouration of light, such as blue or "ion", but this coating reduces the life of the bulb. However, there are a few simple rules that if followed should extend bulb life:

1) When handling the bulbs, do not touch the glass with fingers. Grease will cause hotspots on the glass and premature bulb failure. Should grease get on the glass clean well with methylated spirit and allow to dry.

2) Do not tap the bulb glass onto the rim of the reflector or lens unit when fitting the bulb. Grease and dirt can transfer onto the glass, again causing hotspots. As above, clean with methylated spirit if in any doubt.

3) Always switch the car lights on after the car engine is running. As well as extending the life of bulbs this method also makes the car easier to start in the first place as more battery power is available to spin the starter motor.

4) At dusk, drive on sidelights, rather than dipped beam, where it is safe to do so. Newer cars, such as the Mondeo, use low power or dim-dipped beam to increase the light emitted whilst on side lights. The heat produced by the dim-dip is far less than on straight dimmed beam and so the bulb is not as stressed.

5) When parking up, switch off the car lights before turning off the engine. Surprisingly, switching off the engine is the most likely cause of damaging voltage surges.

Following these instructions won't guarantee that coated or Xenon bulbs will last as long as ordinary Halogen bulbs, but they should last more than 6 months, generally the earliest coated bulbs failures occur, and hopefully upwards of 1-2 years, depending on usage.

Submitted by Oz