Member Since: 23 Jan 2008
Location: somewhere on the Notts/Lincs border
Posts: 8
Blowing Headlamp bulbs
I have a 2006MY which I have owned since new and has done 50,000m. I have not had any problems whatsoever with the vehicle except it seems to devour light bulbs at a phenomenal rate. Side light, brake light (low level but not the high level light) and dipped headlights. I have overcome the problem of side lights by replacing with LEDs from HIDS4U and will now replace brake lights also with LEDs but this leaves me with the dipped headlights. At Christmas I decided to replace the bog standard halogen bulbs with Philips Blue Vision Ultra in the hope that paying a premium may resolve my problem but after only seven weeks one of these has failed. These failures affect both headlamps. Incidentally I have not had to replace any instrumentation, indicator or interior light bulbs.
I have checked the voltage at the headlamp plugs and this reads 14.6vdc.
I do not want to go to the expense of HID conversion only to find that I blow these as well, plus the fact that I do not do a lot of night time driving, although I always have headlights on when towing my horse trailer so the lights are used for probably 50% of my driving.
If anyone else has experienced similar problems I would love to know if you have managed to resolve it.
No answer, but the same problems, I have gone the same route this HIDs and led's
"I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you read is not what I meant"
19th Feb 2011 1:53 pm
Discomog
Member Since: 23 Jan 2008
Location: somewhere on the Notts/Lincs border
Posts: 8
Hi CG,
Glad to see I'm not alone. Has converting to HID solved the problem of headlamp failures?
19th Feb 2011 2:22 pm
icestationzebra
Member Since: 05 Nov 2008
Location: Cheshire
Posts: 587
Same model year as you and similar problem. Upgraded headlight bulbs as I thought the originals seemed a little yellow and dull. Have tried Halfords and Phillips bulbs (both brighter) and had several failures-the last ones failed at same time whilst in for the brake vacuum recall and were replaced with Landrover bulbs-been OK since.
21st Feb 2011 12:06 pm
CDS Site Sponsor
Member Since: 12 Oct 2009
Location: All over the UK!
Posts: 3323
OMG - there is a whole club just for people like me. Thank you thank you thank you - I feel normal again!!
Having NEVER replaced a headlamp bulb in 20 odd years of driving, I have gone through at least 8 in the last 2 yrs with my D3!!
Nobody, but nobody seems to be able to answer this syndrome, but at least I can get therapy here now!
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Last edited by CDS on 22nd Feb 2011 1:01 am. Edited 1 time in total
21st Feb 2011 1:00 pm
JAB
Member Since: 22 May 2006
Location: Near Apeldoorn
Posts: 95
Here is another lamp blower!
Are the origional LR bulbs better or different?2012 D4 sdv6, mapped & 2016 D4 sdv6
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21st Feb 2011 5:14 pm
mick
Member Since: 21 Jan 2007
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 2049
My old D3 went through bulbs at a great rate until i got land rover ones on the brake lights the filaments have a bigger gap and look stronger than other brands the head lights were the same never needed changing when i got them from the dealers
Hi CG,
Glad to see I'm not alone. Has converting to HID solved the problem of headlamp failures?
Yes no more blow Headlamp bulbs, and I stopped the brake light bulbs blowing (well not totally) by modifying the bulbs in the fog lamps and wiring the extra filliment into the stop lights so I not have four stop lamps.
"I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you read is not what I meant"
21st Feb 2011 9:41 pm
KevB
Member Since: 21 May 2009
Location: Sunderland
Posts: 108
Mine used to go through a lot of headlight bulbs. Even the expensive ones. Picked up some bulbs for £3.99 a pair out of the Yorkshire Trading Company in Whitby last march, as one went when we were stopping at our caravan. I put them both in as a stop gap till we went home, but they have almost been in for a year now. Sods law one will blow, next time I am out in her
22nd Feb 2011 9:44 am
sopjas
Member Since: 31 Dec 2008
Location: Its never Dull in Hull
Posts: 280
I will join this club, have gone through around 5 rh headlamp bulbsin 3 years.
Upgraded to xenons problem hopefully solved.'Just because you're breathing doesn't mean you're alive'
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22nd Feb 2011 9:47 am
fat bloke
Member Since: 07 Aug 2006
Location: OXFORD
Posts: 1243
Why worry when you go home at night count how many you see, loads in one stretch of traffic i saw 15 of which 9 fords of which 7 were Ka? .....
Since this thread I have noticed a load, mostly Fords as you say.
"I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you read is not what I meant"
24th Feb 2011 11:39 pm
Phil1644
Member Since: 14 Nov 2009
Location: Probably still in work!
Posts: 303
The older Ford Focus has a design fault and blows headlamp bulbs regularly and they are a sod to change. Our fleet manager had resistors installed to lower the voltage to the headlamps......
25th Feb 2011 11:30 am
disco_steve
Member Since: 25 Aug 2009
Location: Are you sure this is the M5 ?
Posts: 1498
Phil1644 wrote:
The older Ford Focus has a design fault and blows headlamp bulbs regularly and they are a sod to change. Our fleet manager had resistors installed to lower the voltage to the headlamps......
Surely this would make then 'dimmer' Never get mad - get even !!
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25th Feb 2011 12:25 pm
Phil1644
Member Since: 14 Nov 2009
Location: Probably still in work!
Posts: 303
Yes it did!
But they always blew at our busiest time and it meant taking the car off the road, so I think he was working on the basis any light was better than none
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