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Your vehicle may be burning through your headlights too quickly, and there are usually numerous reasons for why this is occurring. If you can discover the issue you will be able to save yourself from purchasing replacement bulbs, and thus the need to change them.

The Times You Use Your Headlights Affect their Usage

The life of an original halogen light bulb is typically 350 to 400 hours. If you do a lot of driving during the winter, at night, or have your headlights on during the day you could be using your lights up in two to three months.

You should know that upgraded xenon light bulbs will work for 200 hours because they are meant to produce a higher power of light for projection purposes. Drivers who use these lights for a long duration will find they need to replace them with longer living headlight bulbs to avoid the frequent changes.

These tougher car bulbs contain heavy duty reinforced components and so last normally three times longer than standard halogen bulbs, whilst still offering the same lighting performance as normal halogen bulbs.

Do You Wear Gloves to Change the Headlight Bulbs?

If you touch the glass section of the headlight bulb with bare hands, the natural oils within your skin will leave a small residue of grease behind. Once the halogen bulb is illuminated this oil patch will create a hotspot within the bulb and lead to it failing early. Therefore it is a good idea to wear latex gloves when installing new halogen bulbs.

Moisture or Vibration Affects Light Bulbs

Whilst most of the major bulb manufacturers used toughened glass in the construction of their headlight bulbs, they are still vulnerable to the effects of thermal shock. This means that if they come into contact with water that has leaked into the headlight unit, then it is very likely that the bulb will be damaged. It is also important to ensure the bulb is securely installed as otherwise the extra jolts and bumps it will be subjected to can damage the filament

Is Your Wiring System Correct?

The connectors in the headlight holder are electric. They are the source of power from the battery to the bulb, and these metal connectors need to be properly secured to the base on the headlights. If this does not occur a short circuit or blown bulb will result.

You also want to check that the alternator is not providing too much power to the battery, which offers a higher voltage than the bulb can handle. Volts for a headlight bulb are 13.2 as a maximum.

Are You Buying Good Quality Headlight Bulbs?

Whilst cheaper car bulbs may seem like a good idea, they normally lack the high quality and precision components used by the leading manufactures like Osram and Philips, and will not last as long. High quality bulbs will be marked with the E1 mark, which indicates they have undergone the most rigorous testing and quality standards.

To ensure that you always get the maximum lifespan from your Car Bulbs you should always fit good quality auto bulbs. For drivers looking to get more light from their headlights you can fit upgrade Xenon Bulbs which are brighter than halogen bulbs and are designed to be a direct replacement.