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Short Life of Headlamps / Improving Grounding

3K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  RogueMantis 
#1 ·
Blew another low beam headlamp last night, and it'll be the 2nd set in as many years. :(




Same bulbs as a Subaru part according to my mechanic, so I'm wondering if grounding is the issue.



Is there a way to improve the grounding, or have you other suggestions to prolong the life of the headlight bulbs?
 
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#2 ·
The only time I had a problem with bulbs was the "one", yes I hyphenated it, time I used Ebay lights and they lasted for about a month before one blew out.
But your using name brand lights so I don't think it quality of the lights , I think I have the same ones myself. Been running those for about 3 yrs now.
is it the same side that keeps blowing out?
 
#4 ·
Do you install them yourself or has someone else done it in the past?
The reason I ask is if someone has touched the bulb itself while installing them that kinda kills the life of bulb somewhat. What happens is oil from that persons fingers gets on the bulb and creates a hot spot and the end result will be a dead bulb sooner than later.
 
#5 ·
We used gloves and didn't touch the bulbs themselves, yes.

Car Club guys say Silverstar bulbs are sensitive to vibration and don't last as a result. One suggests using GE bulbs and the other switched to an HID kit.

We'll clean the vehicle ground terminals and try GE bulbs this time. psinuse mentioned that there were 3 of these grounds.
 
#7 ·
I'm having a similar issue myself. Since I've owned my 04 WRX, just over a month, I've replaced both fog light bulbs, driver's headlight bulb, and both license plate light bulbs. In the last week my driver's side fog light and passenger side headlight have gone out... wtf. All name brand bulbs, no eBay crap.. any ideas on what could cause it?
 
#8 ·
@mikestripes
Car club guys think it's from shock/vibration - the kind of jarring you get when you hit a speedbump unintentionally at speed.

Vibration is increased with typical performance suspension improvements; stiffer springs, HD bushings (poly), etc. and is understandably a tradeoff.

The stiffer the suspension is, the shorter headlamp bulb life is.
 

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#10 ·
I have a tendency to burn out bulbs quickly, Might have something to do with all the miles on the 405 freeway. Its like driving on a corrugated tin roof. I usually get about 6 months out of bulbs before they are toast. I also like the whiter light around 4200k but that also means sacraficing some light and bulb life for the color.

Philips Crystal Vision have lasted me the longest and they are right around 4000k. Ive had them in since September of 2013 and they are still going strong. Ive had OK luck with silverstars. They tend to burn out on me after about 6 months But I think its because they are overdriven to a higher wattage to compensate for that blue tint.

hope that helps
 
#11 ·
Won't help your other bulbs, and doesn't sound like part of the problem, but you could disable the DRLs to keep your headlights from running all the time. I did this on my 06 and didn't have to take the glove box off, but I have creepy long fingers/small hands. Don't know if the 04 is in the exact same spot, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

Here's a handy how-to!
http://www.wrxtuners.com/forums/f73/2004-wrx-drl-dissabeling-25729/
 
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