Hey Everyone,

Since I purchased my 2006 Skoda Fabia vRS last May..

.. It was proceeded to chew through..

3 H7 Dipped beam lights (Philips 120% ultrabright)

1 front left side light

2 rear fog lights

3 Rear Brake lights

I first I thought nothing off it but when my 2 month old front left H7 bulb blew when I started the car last night.. I'm now starting to feel a little bit p****d off and worried that it has yet another problem.

Does anybody have any idea what it may be?

I have the car booked into Skoda for next Wednesday so it would be helpful if anybody here has any good ideas so that might help them find the solution..

Car is still under warranty so thats why I went to main dealer.. and its 5 minutes walk from my house.

So yeahhh.. please help!

Thanks Everyone!

I drive on dipped headlight all year round and wouldn't be surprised at popping 4 X H7 per annum but I average over 25,000 miles a year. According to posts on this forum, Phillips extreme and the like won’t last as long as a standard bulbs which is all I use. I have only ever changed 3 sidelight bulbs, all the same lamp first 2 were from Halfords as I got them as soon as I noticed the original had blown and they were the only place open. They didn't last p*ss*ng time and the one that has been in for the last 2 years was from the dealers.The only other bulb I have replaced is the left hand festoon bulb (twice) for the number plate.One thing to be aware of is that if you touch the glass while replacing H7 / H3 and the like, then you will shorten their lifespan considerably. If you do touch the glass then you should clean any residue from your fingers off with meths or similar before carrying on.

One obvious thing would be alternator voltage regualtor - if it was dodgy, or its ground connection was dodgy, the voltage would spike and could blow bulbs.

Best to stick with either Osram or Philips bulbs, and if you want longevity either standard or long life bulbs. Other manufacturers and various shop name brand bulbs are usually of varing quality. Ring bulbs seem to be bright enough (Halfords' ones are made by Ring, I think), but both in car and home variety I never could somehow get even 1/3rd lifetime out of them. YMMV

Hmmm.. Alternator voltage regulator sounds about right..

It's booked into Skoda for Wednesday..

I always use Philips standard bulbs which are like £18 each or something.. But the last lot were Philips Ultrabright. Only my last car, 2007 Ford Fiesta and I only ever replaced 2 bulbs in 2 years.. And one was because a stone went through my fog light and smashed my light.

I think I may try and get xenons to fit as they are a tad more reliable :p just super rare to find and a pain to fit..

Try daffodil bulbs. I hope this helps.

Or....could be cheap bulbs. There are loads on the market at the moment. But, it could be voltage connected. Do your headlights go dim and bright when you are parking and using steering and/or a small amount of throttle? All of my cars eat headlight, sidelight and break light bulbs. I have a journey to and from work every day that is basically 32-34 miles of speed bumps and pot holes.

I'd suspect voltage variations ,too. Halogens don't like wide variations . I've tried some of the deared lamps ,but they never lasted . I'm now using Lucas ones from petrol station and I find the last quite well . Especially as at night it's all stop start & junction work which varies the voltage a fair bit .

Try daffodil bulbs. I hope this helps.

Or....could be cheap bulbs. There are loads on the market at the moment. But, it could be voltage connected. Do your headlights go dim and bright when you are parking and using steering and/or a small amount of throttle? All of my cars eat headlight, sidelight and break light bulbs. I have a journey to and from work every day that is basically 32-34 miles of speed bumps and pot holes.

Yes my lights do go dim especially when I'm reverse parking. My parking space is up a slight slope too so turning into this with the reversing up hill does make them go dim.. does this mean its a voltage problem?

Probably the power steering buddy, as its electric. IIRC under 1500rpm the power steering runs from the battery, and over this rpm it runs from the alternator.

Not just me either that thinks it could be the alternator :p