PAT GOSS:  In order to have a safe car you have to have good headlights, and here to give us some tips is Jason Ryan from Philips-Automotive-Lighting.  Jason, welcome to Goss’ Garage.

RYAN: Thanks, Pat.

GOSS: There are some basic things that a lot of people don’t understand about automotive headlights - number one, that they wear out over time.

RYAN: That’s true, they do dim over time and you may not even realize it before it’s too late and your bulbs end up burning out on you.

GOSS: All right, but just because they light doesn’t mean they’re good.

RYAN: No, it does not necessarily mean that they’re good, and we always recommend that you replace those bulbs in pairs and on a regular maintenance interval.

GOSS: The lights that come in an automobile are made in a generic fashion so they’re supposed to be okay for just about everybody, but a lot of drivers may want something specific, and Philips has some upgrades to address those specific needs, right?

RYAN: Depending on where and how you drive you may want your lights to perform in different ways.  You may want to see further down the road, you may want to have just in general more light on the road, or you may want to be able to highlight road signs, and have something that’s a little bit more whiter.

GOSS: I live in the country, and I want to see further down the road.  What do I do?

RYAN: Philips-Extreme-Power can address that by providing 80-percent more light down on the road.  You’ll see something farther down the road and also be able to react a lot sooner than you would with standard bulbs.

GOSS: Okay, and I want to see signs better.

RYAN: Philips-Crystal-Vision-Ultra provides the whitest light available in a halogen upgrade.  This is going to be easier on your eyes and it’s also going to highlight the signs a lot better.

GOSS: All right, but now you’ve got one that’s really clever here, tell us about this one.

RYAN: The Philips-Night-Guide has a three-color-beam-pattern; on the right side of the bulb you have a blue coating to it that will highlight the oncoming signs a little bit more. On the left side you have a yellow coating that will reduce the glare for oncoming traffic, and in the middle we keep it clear, and it provides up to a 50 foot longer beam for you.

GOSS: That’s pretty ingenious. All right now, a lot of cars these days have H-I-D headlamps, and everybody seems to think that’s the end-all-be-all, but even there, there are improvements.

RYAN: We recently introduced an H-I-D upgrade where we provide 25-percent whiter light available than standard H-I-D bulbs.

GOSS: So whiter light comes closer to daylight and makes people feel more comfortable?

RYAN: Yes, it tends to be easier on the eyes, and you’re able to recognize signs and road obstructions a lot easier.

GOSS: I’m a motorcycle rider, and I know that motorcycles don’t always have the greatest headlights, so you even have something real clever for motorcyclists.

RYAN: In our research we saw that safety tended to be a very important topic for motorcycle drivers, so at Philips-Moto-Vision we deliver it three ways. We give a 40-percent more light on the road for the driver, we give up to a 50 foot longer beam, and the really unique feature is that we have an orange reflection in the headlamp so it differentiates you from on-coming traffic more.

GOSS: And that’s very important because motorcyclists like to be seen.

RYAN: Exactly.

GOSS: All right, well you’ve got something for everyone. Jason, thank you so much for joining us.

RYAN: Thanks.



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