Headlamp Bulbs

[Guest timswait]

Does anyone else's Hood munch headlamp bulbs? Another one has just blown on me, both main and dip out :gdit: . I guess that maybe the harsh suspension shakes them up a bit and makes them fail prematurely, or is it just a consequence of me keep buying cheap bulbs?

[Guest peter2b2002]

Hi Tim, get some H4 bulbs mutch better than the RH ones

pete2b

[Guest Petemate]

Hi All

FWIW, mine are the bulbs supplied with the (nice &) cheap units from a show. No known make on the bulbs, but so far so good, and there are some pretty rough roads round here, AND mine is SP. Time will tell, but if I do have probs, I will be buying top quality bulbs from a well-known maker.

Pete

[Guest Andy Rathbone]

ive never had a problem, i'm using H4s i have two sealed beams if you want them for reasonable price

[Les Welsher]

What about THESE

So cheap you could buy a couple of pairs

[Guest rizla]

or get the rally ones from burton

[Guest chris brown]

Are you sure there isn’t any water getting into the headlight? Also if you are using halogens then NEVER touch them with bare fingers or they will blow.

[Guest Battery Bill]

I have a collection of bulbs from all the cars I have had through the years (Well the broken ones anyway) or if you are in a scrappy they are just crying out to be taken home

We did have our first headlight bulb go last week but after 7000 miles thats not so bad.

[Guest docter fox]

how do you change from the sealed beams to those?

[Grizzly]

how do you change from the sealed beams to those?

 

... you ditch the sealed beams and buy light uniths that take bulbs instead.

I got a pair of H4's from SVC at Donnington for £19

[Guest Cantbearsed]

FWIW H4 is the type of bulb fitment. Most cars accept a halogen bulb with a flat round base with 3 locating prongs on it. THAT is the H4 bit.

 

"Standard" headlamp bulb is a (Bosch) 472. Unless you have seperate dip and main beam units (most bmw's or new Astra's +others i'm sure...) then your dip beam bulb (the one that's normally on in the dark...) is a (Bosch again) 499. 472 is 3 pin, 499 is 2 pin.

 

Other bulbs for headlight dip beams have a base like a jam pot lid. They are either non-halogen (citroen visa/c15 etc) or pre focused bulbs (1950's/60's cars mainly!). This can be overcome by using a halogen conversion bulb which has the funny round base but has the familliar pointy-finger glass bulb on the front.

 

Clear?

 

No?

 

Go ask at your local factor!

[Guest timswait]

I do have H4s, I've still got a pair of RH sealed beams knocking about somewhere. I did have moisture leaking in on one side, which explains the one which shattered a while back, but I've solved that, and now it just seems to be the filaments burning out. Maybe I've just been unlucky, but I do seem to be having to replace at least a bulb a year, and the one I've just changed only lasted a few months.

P.S I always do avoid touching the glass, but I've never quite understood how grease on your fingers can blow a light bulb, does any one else know?

P.P.S Doc Fox - despite the short life I've been having with bulbs I'd definitely recommend changing from sealed beams, even trapping a couple of glow worms in your headlights would probably be brighter!

[Guest Battery Bill]

Tim

P.S I always do avoid touching the glass, but I've never quite understood how grease on your fingers can blow a light bulb, does any one else know?

 

Any grease off your fingers can cause hot spots on the glass and cause it to blow up

[Guest rizla]

its an old wives tale

 

or it would give you warnings on the pack,in this day and age every bit of goods cover themselves on the packaging against claims etc

 

20 od years as a mechanic and ive never had a bulb blow through touching it

 

dropping it,well thats another story

[Guest Battery Bill]

I must admit I have not experienced bulbs blowing either but I try not to touch them anyway just in case