Head light bulbs .. whats a good brand ?

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Head light bulbs .. whats a good brand ?

Mark

1653 posts

Uber Geek

#177549 6-Aug-2015 13:23

My car seems to be going through headlight bulbs fairly rapidly! (3 in the past 4 months), I'm wondering if the brand I've used might be too cheap ?

Whats a good brand of H5 bulb to use ?

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3552 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#1359995 6-Aug-2015 13:36

I imported some Philips Crystal Vision bulbs from www.autolamps-online.com about a month ago, took a week to turn up. Big improvement over what was in there before. Do not touch the bulb glass when putting them in. Use gloves or just be careful to only touch the metal. It could also be a sign of a broken regulator in your alternator I suppose. Try a multimeter over your battery with the car on and make sure your charge isn't over about 15v.

graemeh

2078 posts

Uber Geek

#1360002 6-Aug-2015 13:49

I buy the heavy duty bulbs from www.autoworkshopsupplies.co.nz and find they last for years, they are cheap and even with delivery cost of $8 they are still cheap. Delivery is normally overnight.

I've tried the brand name ones from Philips and Osram and they just don't seem to last.

Inphinity

2780 posts

Uber Geek

#1360016 6-Aug-2015 14:06

I tend to use Hella.

solival

160 posts

Master Geek

#1360030 6-Aug-2015 14:32

I prefer Osram. For car and for home :)

solival

160 posts

Master Geek

#1360031 6-Aug-2015 14:34

BTW. I second idea with checking alternator regulator. There should be about 14.4 volts on any RPM.

timmmay

20575 posts

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#1360042 6-Aug-2015 14:47

I buy from Repco, they tend to last a year or so in my Corolla.

Inphinity

2780 posts

Uber Geek

#1360058 6-Aug-2015 15:19

Even a year or so seems like a fairly short life for a headlight bulb, unless you do a massive amount of driving. I have mine on all the time when driving, and they last 2 - 3 years, maybe a bit more.

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nakedmolerat

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#1360098 6-Aug-2015 16:03

Mark: My car seems to be going through headlight bulbs fairly rapidly! (3 in the past 4 months), I'm wondering if the brand I've used might be too cheap ?

Whats a good brand of H5 bulb to use ?

Hey Mark, you need to get someone to look at the car. I think something is not right here.

It could be either due to spikes/switching/vibration/alternator issue.

Mark

1653 posts

Uber Geek

#1360409 7-Aug-2015 06:26

Well .. maybe I should get the car looked at, the drive home was via AA flat bed last night as both bulbs blew out within 30 seconds of each other on SH1 :-(

Bah!

I will lookout those other bulb brands though, thanks! :-)

Bung

6477 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#1360421 7-Aug-2015 07:21

I don't remember the last time I had a standard bulb from the likes of Osram or Navra blow. Plus type are a different matter and they definitely have shortened lifespans. I've settled on +50 as a compromise that lasts 18-24 months. I keep the original bulbs in the car just in case. In France and some other European countries you must carry a spare bulb kit and a fluoro vest to wear while you're working on the car. Good idea unless your car needs 4 hours dismantling to get at the bulbs.

scuwp

3885 posts

Uber Geek

#1360427 7-Aug-2015 07:39

Sounds like you either have a electrical problem that needs attention, or perhaps whoever is installing it keeps on touching the glass.

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pdath

252 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1360431 7-Aug-2015 08:20

Mark: My car seems to be going through headlight bulbs fairly rapidly! (3 in the past 4 months), I'm wondering if the brand I've used might be too cheap ?

Whats a good brand of H5 bulb to use ?

That is very abnormal. What is the voltage across the battery when the car is running? No water or anything is getting into the bulb assembly that might be causing rapid heating/cooling?

I'll put my money on some kind of electrical issue in the car rather than 3 defective bulbs.

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graemeh

2078 posts

Uber Geek

#1360484 7-Aug-2015 08:56

pdath: That is very abnormal.

You just have to observe the number of cars driving around at night with one headlight to demonstrate how abnormal it is for both bulbs to fail around the same time. :)

PhantomNVD

2619 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1360684 7-Aug-2015 14:05

I can't remember the last time I had to change a headlamp bulb... maybe 10 years already? (Toyota Corolla)
Definitely an electrical fault IMHO.

RunningMan

8953 posts

Uber Geek

#1360715 7-Aug-2015 15:17

Mark: [snip] both bulbs blew out within 30 seconds of each other on SH1 :-(

Too much of a coincidence - there's got to be some other issue here that's leading to the failure. First thing to check is the charging voltage.

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