Headlights burnt out AGAIN! WTF?

I have a 2000 Mazda Protege ES with 180k miles on it.

Last June one of my low beams burnt out. So, as a precaution, I replace ALL the bulbs including tail lights, etc.

I used Sylvania XtraVision as replacement headlamps.... pretty standard 2003 bulb

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Two days ago I went to Walmart and when I came out BOTH low beams were non-functional after only 5 months service!! All else worked fine including high beams and all turn/parking lights.... but no low beams!

Surely this is unusual given both bulbs out and such low life, yes? Or does this actually happen more than I think?

Question.... what abt replacing them with LED units that have super long life? I am university student and don't like working on cars or have much time for it?

Bottom line....chalk it up to happenstance and put another set of Sylvania bulbs at $18? Or maybe look for other cause or go LED?

Reply to
me
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No, this is NOT a standard 2003 bulb, this is an extra high intensity bulb. And it's not a very good one either. That intensity comes with serious disadvantages, and you just found them.

Go and get proper 2003 bulbs. NOT fancy high intensity ones. They will be fine. Go to a real auto parts store, not some place like Wal-Mart which sells the lowest quality products at the lowest prices.

This is, of course, assuming that your bulbs ARE out, and you haven't done something like blow a fuse (since these lamps do pull more current than regular ones).

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

go buy some halogen 9003's. that is what that car calls for.

both blowing out at the same time is a bit unusual, but I've seen it happen before.

Reply to
m6onz5a

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My guess is that headlights are like lightbulbs - brighter lights are more fragile and won't last as long. Try using the standard bulbs. I'll bet however, that what you're really looking for is something cool, in which case, go with the LEDs. To tell the truth, I don't think you can get LED headlights for the Mazda at this time. Wouldn't you need a housing and reflector made specifically for that application?

Reply to
dsi1

also, please excuse me if I'm insulting your intelligence, but do NOT touch the glass when installing the bulb, that will drastically shorten its life. If you do happen to accidentally touch the glass, stop, clean the glass well with rubbing alcohol and dry with a lint free cloth, then start over.

nate

Reply to
N8N

Good point. The packaging on the light bulb does not emphasize this important step enough. I'm slightly embarrassed to say that I was one of those AV-room nerds in grade school that learned how to change a halogen bulb early on. :-)

I had a bulb on my Taurus that lasted less than two weeks recently. The problem was water in the housing. My wife must have gone over a bump and splashed water on the bulb and shattered it. In this case, I had to replace the headlight housing - the housing and bulb cost me about $42. $17 for the housing/bulb and $25 for shipping. Thanks eBay! :-)

Reply to
dsi1

OK.....but how could it be a fuse if the high beams STILL work?

Reply to
me

Maybe because high and low beams have separate fuses?

Reply to
Steve W.

If they are fused seperately.

Hey, my E28 has four fuses, for left and right high and low.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

Same with most vehicles from about 2001 and up. Of course it could also bee that the higher wattage bulbs fried the low beam relay or took out the power feed wire to them as well.

Reply to
Steve W.

They probably have separate relays too. If both low beams failed at once I'd test one bulb, if it was good the next step is the fuse, if that's good, it has to be the relay or the switch.

Chris

Reply to
Hal

Really!!

I had no idea that was possible! I thought the low/high beams all on same circuit. No?

Reply to
me

Well if it ever stops raining here (Missouri) and clears up.... I can get outside and check all this out (no garage for me).

But it is supposed to only be in the twenties next few days.......... crap!

Thanks everyone and will report back what I find. I had no idea that some cars had sep circuits for low/high beams and even sep headlamps!

Reply to
me

No. Not since about 1984. Get out your ohm/volt meter and test.

Reply to
Paul

We try to hide it as much as possible. Did you have a propellor hat? (I left mine at home...)

Reply to
Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B

If my memory is correct, the Xtravision are rated for around 200 hours of use, the "regular"Vision are around 1500 hours. There isn't a whole lot of extra light that you get from the Xtravision for that trade off, something like 1400 Lumens verses 1200 lumens. The difference in power draw is not enough to worry about, both are roughly the same wattage. After trying several different bulbs of various wattages I concluded that there isn't much you can do with a different bulb that will make a crappy headlight better, if the reflector/lens design sucks with a 55 watt bulb it still sucks with a

100 watt bulb.
Reply to
Ashton Crusher

A lot of vehicles will put both of the low beams or both of the high beams into a series circuit for daytime running lights. Switching from series to parallel requires separate circuits for each side.

Reply to
Steve Austin

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One of the symptoms of a bad voltage regulator is burning out bulbs frequently. Bulbs are very non-linear devices and sensitive to proper voltage.

Reply to
Don Stauffer

I believe that used to be more of a problem (with generators and electro- mechanical voltage regulators) than it normally is today.

Wiring with intermittent open conditions can also burn out bulbs quickly, and you normally wont see it by fuses going bad. (This same condition is often a cause of failure of blower motor resistor packs. The pack may fail but the fuse may not blow)

Also, if water gets into lighting units, I have seen the bulbs blow.

Reply to
hls

While electronic regulators are more reliable than electromechanical ones, they still go bad. Auto manufacturers unfortunately save money by using semiconductors with insufficiently high max temp ratings, then stick them in hot places like interior of alternators. Not a good idea :-(

Reply to
Don Stauffer

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