Q: I have a 2000 Buick Regal. My vision at night is not so good, so I would like a brighter headlight. A newspaper article several years ago mentioned a new type of headlight that is much brighter. I believe some expensive cars have these now. Are these available for my Buick that is eight years old? - William C., Anoka
A:The bright lights you're talking about are commonly called HID or high-intensity discharge headlights. They are brighter than standard halogen lights. They tend toward a different part of the light spectrum, so their illumination has a different look. Halogen lights, by comparison, look sort of yellowish, while true HID lights have a bluish cast.
True HID headlights use xenon gas and sometimes are called xenon headlights. (If a description says "bi-xenon," that just means the regular and high beam are both covered by one light, rather than separate low and high beam headlights.) Watch out though for descriptions that say they `look' or `work like' HID or are `similar to HID' or give an `HID-style' light. These are non-high intensity lights that may be made to look like HID, for example, with a colored lens to create the bluish tint. I found a lot of headlights for sale on the Internet advertised as "high-intensity" that are not xenon and that would not have the night-piercing power you're talking about.
Xenon HID lights are expensive and they function differently from regular headlights, arcing between two electrodes rather than using a filament. They are powered differently, too. For a ballpark figure, I called Lupient Buick and talked to its parts department. Just the bulb for one side on a 2008 Cadillac STS is nearly $300. Other parts, like the ballast, add to the cost. You will likely pay several hundred dollars for a true HID system. There are companies out there like www.plasmagarage.com that advertise "plug-in" kits. Unless you have a lot of electrical knowledge, though, I'd call around to garages or auto electric places and see how much they know about installing these kits. Don't proceed until you're satisfied that the kit will suit your car and that there's a nearby shop that can competently install it for you.
You should also get a ride with someone who has these lights before you spend the money. Drivers tend to like them a lot, saying they see things like people and objects to the side of the road more quickly. Some people complain about looking into them on the roads, though, which may be from their brightness or because they project a different part of the light spectrum than we're used to.
Q: How do I exactly calculate my gas mileage? Should I run the tank empty so I know I start with a full tank? - Tom J., Minneapolis
A:I've heard this question often, but you'll be surprised when you hear how easy it is. Just fill your tank and at the same time set the trip odometer to 0. Drive as you normally would through a good bit of it - 2/3, 3/4 of a tank - the exact use doesn't matter. Now fill it again and check the trip odometer at the gas station. The amount you put in on the second filling is exactly how much gas you used. The mileage showing on the trip odometer is the distance you drove. Dividing the miles on the trip odometer by the gallons you put in tells you how far you drove for the amount of gas used.
