The Garage 323

LightsFeature
Get Into Alignment!
Lighting is more than replacement bulbs
It is little wonder that HELLA, the company behind so many of the
automotive industry’s lighting firsts, also offers the aftermarket,
through its workshop equipment division, Hella Gutmann Solutions
(HGS), the ultimate in headlight alignment tools.
Correctly set headlights are vital in order for motorists to drive
safely in poor light conditions, which means that misalignment
directly impacts their effectiveness by reducing the amount of
light they can actually focus on the road in front of the vehicle.
Incorrect alignment is also an MoT test failure and, particularly
as many projector lights are now extremely bright, can cause
excessive dazzling to the eyes of other road users.
Despite these facts, along with blown bulbs, misaligned
headlights are a common sight during the hours of darkness.
Therefore, as a matter of course, workshops should offer a
lighting and alignment check for all of their customers. This
would not only help reduce the number of accidents caused by
defective lighting, but provide workshops with a legitimate additional
revenue stream.
In order to make this opportunity a reality for workshops, HGS
offers the SEG series, a new generation of alignment tools that
are able to measure and adjust even the most advanced headlight
systems, quickly and efficiently. However, reflecting the fact that the
requirements of workshops vary, the SEG range comes in several
different specifications.
While each features a digital luxmeter to precisely calculate the
glare rating of the low beam and the light intensity of the high, as well
as a high quality fresnel lens, the top of the range SEG V also comes
with automatic levelling, an 8.4” touchscreen, vehicle recognition via
car history and an USB interface, to provide the complete solution for
every current lighting configuration from halogen to Matrix LED high
beam assist.
“The constant and rapid development of headlamp systems
on modern vehicles presents serious challenges when ‘simple’
procedures such as alignment or replacement are required,” explains
Neil Hilton, the head of business development at HGS.
“Over the years, vehicle lighting has been transformed from
tungsten, to halogen, to xenon/HID, to Matrix LED and the latest Laser
Matrix, which has an astonishing range of 650 metres! This lighting
must have strict control systems to avoid blinding other road users;
these include automatic levelling using ride-height sensors, round
corner activation using steering angle sensors and automatic high
beam using windscreen mounted cameras.
“On these applications, headlamp replacement is now a complex
procedure as the component first needs to be adapted using basic
settings on a diagnostic device, such as a HGS mega macs tool, then,
if it’s not camera controlled, calibrated with a SEG V, for example. If
however, the system employs a camera, it will need to be calibrated
with specific ADAS (advanced driver assistance system) related
equipment, like the HGS CSC (camera & sensor calibration) tool.
“As many manufacturers already use a variety of these systems,
workshops need to be aware of the requirements when undertaking
service and repair on vehicles with any kind of adaptive
lighting. It is therefore vital that they partner with
businesses such as HGS, who are able to provide the
equipment, advice and support to help them tackle
the issues with confidence.”
For more information about the products available
from Hella Gutmann Solutions, please call the sales
team on: 01295 662402, email hgs.support@hella.com
or visit www.hella-gutmann.co.uk
34 THE GARAGE
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