The Garage 360
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NEWS<br />
Has price<br />
replaced<br />
safety in the<br />
aftermarket?<br />
Ring, a premium quality automotive lighting and auto electrics supplier, has a state of the art<br />
lighting laboratory located at its headquarters in Leeds, UK, and while testing a range of bulbs<br />
in the industry has found worrying results, including bulbs that are not road legal.<br />
<strong>The</strong> laboratory team does not only test<br />
Ring and OSRAM’s own products, but<br />
also products from other automotive<br />
lighting companies to see how the<br />
quality compares and if it meets the legal<br />
standards. Recently, the company has found<br />
some worrying trends that there are bulbs<br />
being sold in the UK that are not compliant<br />
with current legislation and are therefore,<br />
not road legal.<br />
Vehicle bulbs used on the exterior of a<br />
vehicle have to comply to ECE Regulation<br />
37 that details exact specifications such<br />
as: light output, minimum and maximum<br />
levels, so drivers can see safely, and other<br />
road users are not dazzled. Filament<br />
geometry makes sure the light is directed<br />
on the road exactly where it is needed.<br />
Voltage, so it is suitable to work in particular<br />
vehicles and wattage, so that brightness<br />
levels are safe and doesn’t damage wiring.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se regulations are in place to ensure<br />
that road users are safe. It is illegal to<br />
fit light assemblies that carry their own<br />
performance approval numbers with bulbs<br />
that are not E approved (1989 Road Vehicle<br />
Lighting Regulations). In addition, it is also<br />
illegal to stock or offer these bulbs for<br />
sale in the UK (Filament Lamps for Vehicles<br />
(Safety) Regulation 1982). Both sections of<br />
legislation are in keeping with the UN ECE<br />
Regulations on Lamps and Reflectors, which<br />
are updated regularly.<br />
When testing bulbs in the lab, the team<br />
use multiple bulbs of the same type<br />
from the same brand, to ensure their<br />
performance or any issues that occur, are<br />
constant, and not just a one off.<br />
Included in the testing were bulbs<br />
supplied by one company which all<br />
exceeded the maximum wattage and<br />
lumens levels by a considerable margin,<br />
another was more than 26% above<br />
maximum lumen output, and the wattage<br />
was 49% above maximum. At this level,<br />
the bulbs could cause overheating to a<br />
vehicle‘s wiring.<br />
In another instance, one of the bulbs<br />
was switched on and, after only a few<br />
minutes, the chrome end cap showed<br />
8 THE GARAGE<br />
08,09, News RING.indd 1 29/02/2024 13:56