what would cause my low beams to burn out so quickly?

glocke12

New member
Back in November my low beams burned out on my 2011 TE. This was the first time I had to replace them.

I purchased a set of of fairly expensive bulbs, sylvania extra white or something like that.

Just went out now to leave for work and BOTH of these are burned out..
 
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Back in November my low beams burned out on my 2011 TE. This was the first time I had to replace them.

I purchased a set of of fairly expensive bulbs, sylvania extra white or something like that.

Just went out now to leave for work and BOTH of these are burned out..

Did you accidentally touch the bulbs with your skin, or get anything on them while installing? I usually install with rubber gloves on just in case.
 
The oils from your fingers will create a hot spot on the bulb. You have to wear latex gloves when you're installing headlight bulbs.

Also, Sylvania bulbs (SilverStars specifically) typically have a short life. That life is even shorter if you live in an area with very cold weather as you have a large temperature swing between cold "off" and hot "on".
 
The oils from your fingers will create a hot spot on the bulb. You have to wear latex gloves when you're installing headlight bulbs.

Also, Sylvania bulbs (SilverStars specifically) typically have a short life. That life is even shorter if you live in an area with very cold weather as you have a large temperature swing between cold "off" and hot "on".

yup..these were silverstars..

ok..so it doesn't pay to get the more expensive bulbs here in PA than.
 
Silver stars are notorious for short life span. They may burn brighter than normal halogens but at the cost of a shorter life.
 
low beam bad

In my experience (from advanced auto) the brighter the bulb the quicker they burn out. Last set I went Toyota because original lasted so long. Also check lens for cracks any moisture that gets into lights will burn them out.
 
there are also two different kinds of H11 bulb, most auto shops don't discriminate but you can find them online

H11A and H11B. H11A's are made for foglight applications with limited usage. they're bulb life is somewhere around ~300 hours. H11B's have their innards rotated slightly and are made to go in low beam applications and have a lifespan of about ~750 hours, like your typical incandescent automotive bulb.
 
yup..these were silverstars..

ok..so it doesn't pay to get the more expensive bulbs here in PA than.

It doesn't pay to get silverstar halogens.

Personally, the first thing I'm going to do with mine when it arrives in March is install a HID (XenonDepot) retrofit into mine. The OEM halogens were sadly depressing (especially compared to my LEDs in the NX), so I'm going to something brighter and more reliable (in comparison to brighter halogen options).
 
there are also two different kinds of H11 bulb, most auto shops don't discriminate but you can find them online

H11A and H11B. H11A's are made for foglight applications with limited usage. they're bulb life is somewhere around ~300 hours. H11B's have their innards rotated slightly and are made to go in low beam applications and have a lifespan of about ~750 hours, like your typical incandescent automotive bulb.

H11b bulbs are different bulbs entirely. They cannot be used interchangeably with H11 designated applications.
 
Using the "auto" function also shortens the life span of a bulb. There is an electrical surge on start up and if the headlights are on, they are exposed to this surge.
 
Using the "auto" function also shortens the life span of a bulb. There is an electrical surge on start up and if the headlights are on, they are exposed to this surge.

Agree, and that is also a thermal cycle on the bulb depending if they aren't on very long.

This is even worse for HIDs.
 
If you think you may have touched one of these type bulbs - or should it have become dirty some other way; it can be cleaned. Use a lint free cloth and some rubbing alcohol. Gently clean the bulb (it should be cool) and hold it up and inspect. Install without touching the glass. Gloves are a good idea as long as they don't have powder on them that could be left on the bulb.
 
The oils from your fingers will create a hot spot on the bulb. You have to wear latex gloves when you're installing headlight bulbs.

Also, Sylvania bulbs (SilverStars specifically) typically have a short life. That life is even shorter if you live in an area with very cold weather as you have a large temperature swing between cold "off" and hot "on".

Yup. Because of that the auto parts store I work at is now giving out free latex gloves out with new bulbs. Heh, we got tired of people returning burned out bulbs.
 

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