One of my Osram Nightbreakers blew tonight and it's only 8 months old :(

Also I've had an MTEC Drl blow too a while ago and that was 6 months old.

MTEC was replaced no quibble.

I've emailed the eBay seller about the Nightbreaker tonight about its warranty.

Please add to this thread about your upgraded bulbs that have had a short life.

Is it really worth it in the long run?

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I've just fitted my M-tec and Phillips x-treme vision headlights I'll report on the Phillips bulbs when I see how they perform over the nightbreakers

DRL bulbs, upgraded or not, are on all the time you drive without headlights on, so are going to be something regularly replaced. Consider that most of the bulb types used are originally stop / tail lights, so where designed to only illuminate the 21W filament while braking. The only car I have had where the DRLs never needed frequent replacement was the Mini, where they used under driven H8 35W bulbs, which lasted the 154,000 miles that I had the car for.

Upgrade headlight bulbs generally don't last as long as standard or long life bulbs. The filaments run hotter, so burn out quicker. The original Nightbreaker bulbs from around 2007 had a noticeably limited life, I had them in the Fabia VRs and they lasted for around 2 months. They also blew within two hours of each other, indicating close tolerance manufacturing. I ran a set of the Unlimiteds over winter in the Rio which lasted at least three months, until I sold the car.

Being H4, the Citigo headlight dipped beam bulbs go off every time you switch to main beam, which shortens their life a lot, regardless of bulb type. This is probably why H4 is generally cheaper than you would expect for something with twice as many filaments as other bulbs.

Is it worth upgrading? The headlights definitively IMO, DRLs I would not bother. The other element to consider is that the headlights may need adjusting. My car was supplied with the headlights set very low. Even with Nightbreaker Unlimited fitted they where pretty hopeless. I have adjusted them upward a lot (still well within MOT limits) and the improvement is great. They are now good.

Chris

I've just fitted my M-tec and Phillips x-treme vision headlights I'll report on the Phillips bulbs when I see how they perform over the nightbreakers

 

 

Fitted Philips Extreme 18 months ago and still going strong. Absolutely brilliant lighting !!

I had a set of Nightbreakers in my Octavia for 18 months and I always drive with dipped beam on, so it just goes to show its all random. However, normal bulbs can last for years, so they do have a much shorter life.

Skoda only give 6 months warranty on bulbs from new.

Worth bearing in mind that I do around 1000 miles a week, so get through more consumables than most.

It's interesting because my Octavia never blew a bulb in the 7 years I owned it and they were all upgraded bulbs.

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It's interesting because my Octavia never blew a bulb in the 7 years I owned it and they were all upgraded bulbs.

I had the Philips Xtreme vision in the MR 2 for many years. It was only when one blew and I had to replace with an oem bulb that I realised how much their light output had dropped over time.

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Also forgot to add that you don't get a warning light on the dash if the bulb is blown like other Skodas :(

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Also forgot to add that you don't get a warning light on the dash if the bulb is blown like other Skodas :(

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That probably explains why I have noticed so many Citigo's/Up's with missing/blown DRL's. These are running factory fitted yellowy ones on 63 and 13 plates so that shows they have a fairly short life, even on standard lamps.

I have Nightbreakers in my Octy for 18months - perfect.

 

Around the same time as my fitting, a lot of Octy Owners were fitting the NB's or Philips XtremeVision if feeling flush.

Noticed quite a few reports of burnouts on the Xtremes after about 12months...

Where the Osrams are mostly still going fine....

Put H7 NB's in swmbo's Pug 12 months ago and they were alsio still perfect when trading in for the Citigo.

I had 2 Halfords Ultra Brilliance +120% in the garage so I've put them in. They're so much brighter than the Nightbreaker Plus for some reason.

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I had 2 Halfords Ultra Brilliance +120% in the garage so I've put them in. They're so much brighter than the Nightbreaker Plus for some reason.

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Could be because there is a lot less blue on the glass?

Quite possibly. Only the end has a blue tip.

I received this reply about making a claim for a blown bulb after 8 months.

I don't think it's worth the hassle to carry on with this. I'm happy with the Halfords ones now especially the brightness compared to Osrams.

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Well surprise surprise the n/s MTEC has blown now. I've had enough of these so I'm back to standard. MTEC,s are sh**.

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so... how long did each of the mtec's last?

The MTECs are hardly worth the hassle or the money to be honest.2 new bulbs are supposedly on their way to me from H-Direct honestly don't know if its worth fitting them.Wait and see if they actually turn up first.

I have had my MTEC DRLs since January when I got the car and fingers crossed they haven't blown yet.

 

I did have the matching MTEC H4 bulbs but although these looked great, they were terrible at lighting up the road (possibly worse than stock) and one of the bulbs went cloudy after a month????

 

So I now have the MTEC DRLs and Osram Nightbreaker Unlimited bulbs and these are an amazing improvement on the road at night, especially over the MTECs.

 

I always like to give products a fair review but I was disappointed with the H4 bulbs, DRLs seem to be ok at the moment...

so... how long did each of the mtec's last?

One was 6 months and the other 9 months :(

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I'm well impressed with the Halfords Ultra Brilliance bulbs. They make Osram Nightbreakers look dull

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I'm well impressed with the Halfords Ultra Brilliance bulbs. They make Osram Nightbreakers look dull

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Be interesting to see what the longevity is like on them... Id consider them for swmbo's if they last fairly well

Yes me too. I'll report back if one of them blows

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Thought I'd drag this back up. Just had both Night breaker unlimited blow within 8 hours of reach other. After 73000 miles. Not too shabby then!

Thought I'd drag this back up. Just had both Night breaker unlimited blow within 8 hours of reach other. After 73000 miles. Not too shabby then!

Mine are still going strong 2 years after I fitted them