Lighting the way this MOT season

Leading lighting specialist, OSRAM, reminds workshops and factors to focus on upselling bulb opportunities during MOT season and reinforces why choosing and fitting original equipment (OE) quality bulbs will ensure driver safety on the road. With OSRAM, nobody will be left in the dark.

According to DVSA data analysed by the RAC, lamps, reflectors and indicators continue to be the most frequent reasons for vehicles failing their MOTs, at just over a quarter (25.5%)*. Especially with the safety element of bulbs, it’s clear from this statistic that drivers are not regularly checking, changing and updating the bulbs in their vehicles, giving technicians the chance to upsell during MOT season.

Unless a headlight has blown, for example, drivers don’t generally notice if their bulbs are performing poorly, so rarely have them replaced in time for the MOT. However, OSRAM suggests that when technicians are looking at the bulb section of the MOT, they should consider if the bulb is putting out less light and if it will need replacing soon.

The filament of any headlight bulb deteriorates with use, time and exposure to the elements. At the end of a typical service, headlights produce less light, reducing the drivers night vision. OSRAM tests have shown that a standard halogen bulb loses 30 percent of brightness after 500 hours of use – so it’s important for technicians to be proactive.

Having the MOT’s peak season in months such as September and October, when the nights start to get darker earlier it may mean that they need replacing sooner. Helpfully, with the MOT, drivers are forced into looking at their vehicle to see if there are any problems that need resolving, meaning this is the perfect time for technicians to talk to them about their bulbs.

As every technician knows, bulbs are a safety critical component, but many drivers may not fully appreciate the dangers they may face if their bulbs are not updated regularly and they allow them to burn out. This will leave them without an efficient way to light the road in front of them, and also doesn’t allow other drivers on the road to see them.

It’s also important for technicians and workshops to start billing for the changing and fitment of bulbs if they do not already. It’s a lucrative revenue stream that workshops do not take advantage of because it’s a smaller job and, on the majority of vehicles, doesn’t take a lot of time. 

However, as with any job a technician does, there is product, time and skill put into it, and, especially as the technician should be aligning the bulbs after fitment, can take at least 15 minutes, which should be billed to the customer. While many workshop owners will say that it’s not worth the hassle with a customer, it’s a job that has used time and resource that may be costing the business thousands of pounds a year if not charging customers.

This MOT season OSRAM urges workshops to think seriously about the bulbs they are buying and fitting from the marketplace. What’s the quality of the bulbs being bought? Do they comply with all the ECE regulations? Has the alignment of the bulbs been checked once fitted? Bulbs are a safety critical component that should not be over looked.