Excessive headlight bulb consumption

[JustinCombi]

My October 2009 Superb has had 10 headlight bulbs blow in the 2 and a half years I've owned it.

I have tried all sorts of bulbs - Bosch, Philips, Osram, Halfords, OE and they never seem to last more than a few months.

I do have the early DRL - I think the headlight bulbs run at something like 85% brightness when the car is running - is this likely to contribute to their short life? I can't seem to get more than 3 months out of a bulb - another one blew at 1am this morning, which given the darkness and the driving rain wasn't great!

Justin

[RADIOTWO]

My October 2009 Superb has had 10 headlight bulbs blow in the 2 and a half years I've owned it.

I have tried all sorts of bulbs - Bosch, Philips, Osram, Halfords, OE and they never seem to last more than a few months.

I do have the early DRL - I think the headlight bulbs run at something like 85% brightness when the car is running - is this likely to contribute to their short life? I can't seem to get more than 3 months out of a bulb - another one blew at 1am this morning, which given the darkness and the driving rain wasn't great!

Justin

Hi Justin

The usuall reason a lamp burns out is excesive voltage, have you measured the voltage ? but I would not have thought that running the lamps at 85% would take them out early (infact should extend there life).

My bet is voltage too high, and if so poss you need to change your voltage regulator in the altenator.

Another thing to mention, when you fit the lamps dont tuch them with your hands/fingers as the grease on them will distroy them when they get

hot, use a tissue or alike to fit them.

Radiotwo

Edited 24 June, 2012 by RADIOTWO

[ddyer79]

My October 2009 Superb has had 10 headlight bulbs blow in the 2 and a half years I've owned it.

I have tried all sorts of bulbs - Bosch, Philips, Osram, Halfords, OE and they never seem to last more than a few months.

I do have the early DRL - I think the headlight bulbs run at something like 85% brightness when the car is running - is this likely to contribute to their short life? I can't seem to get more than 3 months out of a bulb - another one blew at 1am this morning, which given the darkness and the driving rain wasn't great!

Justin

Justin, I ran my 2009 Twindoor with the early DRL (85% headlights) for three years and 60K miles, only issue was one side light bulb, but had both replaced to avoid dealer trips.

[skippy41]

Fit some 4300 HIDs in that should sort it

[Supurbia]

If you want a bulb that will last go to a VX dealer and use those, I had this many times before, only bulb I can find that doesn't blow out is a VX H7.

[ukcruiser]

Fit some 4300 HIDs in that should sort it

Remember, that HIDs without Projector lenses, that dont self level and dont have washers are Illegal for use on Uk roads.

I would have thought that so many bulbs in the time frame, there would be something wrong - as has been suggested, over volting.

Al.

[BurialConstant]

I have had the same problem loads of bulbs and I know some one with an Octava 59 plate is also having the same problems, my previous car was an Octavia 06 plate and that went for 3 years with not a single bulb blowing!

[Guest]

Check all your earth conections from bulbs back, coroded or loose conections will also cause bulbs to blow.

Never had a bulb fail on Skoda Superbs in 14 years.

[BurialConstant]

Could be right, some one told me to put some silicon spray on all the connections under the bonnet.

Check all your earth conections from bulbs back, coroded or loose conections will also cause bulbs to blow.

Never had a bulb fail on Skoda Superbs in 14 years.

[lowedb]

Touching the bulbs while fitting is a killer for sure, but why did the first one fail so soon?

Check the lamp fixings are secure as vibration is also a killer. A friend had one side of his pug constantly failing and I suggested vibration. He had a look and it was vibrating though the fixings were tight. Gluing a penny on as a weight stopped the vibration, and it no longer eats bulbs.

Overvoltage would mean bulbs don't last, but then surely all the bulbs would suffer. Conventional bulbs moreso than halogens, wouldn't they? Of course most of them aren't on as long as the headlamps in DRL mode. Certainly worth checking the alternator output with a meter to be sure.

[gianthotdog]

My superb was going through rear side lights at the same rate as your headlights. I bought it second hand and found out it had had a towbar fitted and removed prior to my ownership. On removal the job had been botched and this was the problem. The dealer replaced parts of the rear loom and not had a single bulb blow since.

[skippy41]

Remember, that HIDs without Projector lenses, that dont self level and dont have washers are Illegal for use on Uk roads.

I would have thought that so many bulbs in the time frame, there would be something wrong - as has been suggested, over volting.

Al.

The superb has projector lenses, and the HID kit fits inside the rear cover, 4300 are only slightly brighter than Ome and they are still not an mot failure as yet

Edited 25 June, 2012 by skippy41

[rosesteve]

My October 2009 Superb has had 10 headlight bulbs blow in the 2 and a half years I've owned it.

I have tried all sorts of bulbs - Bosch, Philips, Osram, Halfords, OE and they never seem to last more than a few months.

I do have the early DRL - I think the headlight bulbs run at something like 85% brightness when the car is running - is this likely to contribute to their short life? I can't seem to get more than 3 months out of a bulb - another one blew at 1am this morning, which given the darkness and the driving rain wasn't great!

Justin

I had exactly the same problem with my 2009 Superb in its early days, the solution is to switch off the DRL's, I haven't needed to change a headlight bulb in 18 months and I am using ones from Carrefour (job lot bought on a day trip a couple of years ago when one went in France) - now I've said that one will go today!!!!!!!

Edited 26 June, 2012 by rosesteve

[rwbaldwin]

Check that the headlight range adjuster is working. Sometimes when this fails, the bulbs can vibrate and it isn't always bad enough to be visible.

If the bulbs are failing on both sides, then it won't be the 'local' earth. The left and right headlight clusters have a completely different earth point. It could be the main earth strap.

Bulbs are extremely sensitive to voltage, so check the charging voltage and the VOLTAGE AT THE BULB.

'12V' bulbs are rated for output at 13.2V and are rated for bulb life at 14V. DRL bulbs are rated differently.

For INCANDESCENT bulbs

- a 10% reduction (which is an 19% reduction in power) in voltage typically give 4 times the life.

- a 4% increase in voltage (which is an 8.2% increase in power) halves the life.

For HALOGEN bulbs

- a low voltage REDUCES the life of the bulb. For the halogen cycle to operate effectively, the filament must be up to a temperature where most of the evaporated tungsten filament atoms are deposited back onto the hot filament. If it's not hot enough, the filament gets thinner very quickly as the atoms are lost, and it fails.

- an increase in voltage reduces the bulb life exponentially.