Are Headlight Brighteners Useful?
2 Answers
Headlight brighteners are useful and can improve the lighting of older vehicles by up to thirty percent. However, increasing the bulb's power also means higher power consumption. With the increased current, the wiring may heat up, and the increased resistance due to heating can lead to messy wiring after modification, which is prone to wear and grounding. In mild cases, it may burn out the wiring, while in severe cases, it can cause the vehicle to catch fire. Additionally, this certainly affects the lifespan of the car bulbs. A headlight brightener does not actually increase brightness but is rather a power line that changes the original headlight wiring from the generator to a direct connection from the battery. This ensures the stability of the headlight brightness. The brightener consists of two relays.
Just helped my neighbor with this a couple of days ago. When I opened up his car lights, I found the original wiring was particularly thin. Installing a brightness booster essentially bypasses the original wiring to supply power directly. The brightness does increase noticeably, but at a significant cost. I measured his car's voltage, and at night during idle, it surged straight to 15V, even warping the lamp housing. What's more troublesome is that this thing requires cutting into the wires for installation, and if it causes a fire, insurance won't cover it. If you really want to improve brightness, it's better to just switch to a set of Osram Night Breaker halogen bulbs—compliant, safe, and no need to mess with the wiring. Older car circuits can't handle the strain; last time I saw a Lavida with a burnt BCM module, and the repair cost over two grand.
