View Full Version : HELP on my 4th headlightbulb whats the deal?


mattmatt
06-05-2008, 06:00 PM
i have been through silver stars luminics and piaa what the hell! anyone know if there is a recall on anything electrical. Its only the left side i and the high beam s work. Hel[p

originaladrian
06-05-2008, 06:08 PM
allot of people dont kno tht if u touch the bulb itself when installing you WILL burn it out quickly...

mattmatt
06-05-2008, 06:16 PM
dude no way i know that...there is no way i burned out the same time three times in two years

kkanowitz
06-05-2008, 06:57 PM
Isn't it called "lamp??"

:lol:

Have you opened up your headlights to paint them or something?

theneelster
07-19-2008, 12:52 AM
i have been through silver stars luminics and piaa what the hell! anyone know if there is a recall on anything electrical. Its only the left side i and the high beam s work. Hel[p

It's gotta be some electrical problem...warranty=dealership.

hungryhip-ccp
07-19-2008, 12:57 AM
i never touched mine and i blew 2 in one week on the drivers side and then has never done it since, been like 4mon :confused:

tcbracing
01-06-2009, 11:51 AM
I got sick of blowing a couple Silver Stars in 6 months and pulled the DRL fuse (I've seen a lot of Cobalts with the parking lights on for DRL but mine is headlights???).

Been about 8 months on the last set of Silver Stars.

fjungman
01-08-2009, 03:42 PM
Infant mortality will occasionally show up on a bulb. This is due to manufacturing mistakes (bad support, connection, leaking seal). Getting more than one in a row would be lottery luck. Installing wrong is difficult. The only thing after that would be low quality (inferior filament or support that could not handle the vibration). There is no reason that a regular Philips, Osram, GE, Sylvania or other bulb would not work well (you don't need PIAA or other expensive bulbs).
If all is well, they will burn out around there rated MTBF hours (~2000 hours on a regular 9004), this is why the left and right bulbs usually burn out within a couple of months of each other.
If you are chewing through bulbs in one socket only, there is a vibration problem. No electrical problem can cause the bulb to burn out. Check that the gasket is in place on the socket when you place it back into the lens. This seals the lens assembly and reduces vibration to the bulb. Also, if the lens assembly is loose or banging against something nearby, that could cause an issue. Don't waste time chasing electrical/wiring issues, they are not causing it.

Njv8813
02-20-2009, 01:37 PM
my car burns through a left blinker lught every 3 days so i took it in and the socket i bad and it burnign the litle metal wires that touch for connectivety so the only way is u have to buy a whole new headlight assembly cuz they dont make just the socket :( i have 40k milees so no warranty

tuner923
03-12-2009, 08:49 PM
Are you serious in saying that an electrical problem can't be burning out a bulb? On what information do you base that statement on? So you're saying if something is causing the driverside to be getting overloaded it will not blow out?

metroplex
03-15-2009, 07:24 AM
i have been through silver stars luminics and piaa what the hell! anyone know if there is a recall on anything electrical. Its only the left side i and the high beam s work. Hel[p

That's your problem, Silver Stars, Luminics, and PIAA are "ricer" bulbs: Tinted over-watted bulbs with short lifespans. Sylvania even confirmed this with their Silver Star and Silver Star Ultra. The only reason people think these bulbs produce "more" light is because of the color temperature of the light. The human brain perceives light in the 4000K-6000K range to be "brighter" almost like a glare, but the actual light output (in SI units: candela) can be the same or less than a standard 3200K halogen or 2200K incandescent.

Anyhow, if you want a set of 9007s (or whichever size bulbs you are using) that are brighter than stock but have OEM-spec'd lifespans, the Sylvania XtraVision is the only one to really consider.

Please make sure to clean the bulb glass surface with isopropyl alcohol using a lint-free material to remove any traces of residue or oil which can cause premature failure.

I hope this info helps.

originaladrian
03-15-2009, 09:05 AM
That's your problem, Silver Stars, Luminics, and PIAA are "ricer" bulbs: Tinted over-watted bulbs with short lifespans. Sylvania even confirmed this with their Silver Star and Silver Star Ultra. The only reason people think these bulbs produce "more" light is because of the color temperature of the light. The human brain perceives light in the 4000K-6000K range to be "brighter" almost like a glare, but the actual light output (in SI units: candela) can be the same or less than a standard 3200K halogen or 2200K incandescent.

Anyhow, if you want a set of 9007s (or whichever size bulbs you are using) that are brighter than stock but have OEM-spec'd lifespans, the Sylvania XtraVision is the only one to really consider.

Please make sure to clean the bulb glass surface with isopropyl alcohol using a lint-free material to remove any traces of residue or oil which can cause premature failure.

I hope this info helps.

great info!

WickedSS2005
03-15-2009, 01:58 PM
I'm on my 10th set of lights. I've opened my headlights to paint, but it was happeneing before it. My dealer left me high and dry.

This has to be electrical because I've seen many many others w/ the driver side headlight w/ only a highbeam working.

Turbo06Sedan
03-20-2009, 11:06 AM
Check your fuse. What amp is it? what amp is it supposed to be? Try going a smaller amp fuse, if it blows the fuse, then your getting a power spike which is killing your bulbs.

CALZ13
05-01-2009, 01:25 AM
you know it is so wierd.... it has to be some sort of eletrical error. if you check or atleat in my...
when i use the alarm both lights go on, witch mean that the bulb is fine, but when i want to actually use the lights the bulb wont go on.

im assuming that it has to be an error. in the timing of the lights, im not sure....

Nighthawk243
05-01-2009, 02:01 AM
Pulling the DRL fuse on 07+ Cobalts can slow down the wear on the filaments.