My Honda goes through headlamp bulbs like I go through hot dinners

Howard

Howard

Howard

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It's eaten two pairs of Philips Xtreme Powers in the last 6 months. I then put some Halfords Uber Mega thingy ones in a couple of months ago, max, and they've died. Only once did a pair of the Philips die at the same time, the rest were individually, a few weeks / a month apart. So I'm back to the standard candles.

What could possibly be wrong?
 
Have you checked the battery voltage when the car is running Howard? First thing that popped into my mind was overcharging.

I guess it could also be water getting into the headlamp units? Known weak spot on the Accord?
 
Cheers Andy, haven't checked the voltages yet. What would I do in the event of overvoltage? I initially thought a while back that it might have been me turning them on too quickly after starting the engine but I wait a few seconds now!

Don't think it's a weak spot, and the insides of the lamp units are dry as a bone!
 
Overcharging (if it is that) would be caused by a failed regulator in the alternator. Much easier to just swap the alternator than it would be the regulator. Depends how it's failed though... if the voltage is rising with the revs, you'd see the lights glowing and dimming as and when the revs increased. It could also just be supplying a steady 15v+ though, but I reckon that'd cause a few warning lights to appear.

Doubt it's the case but worth a quick check.
 
OK 14.2v at the battery and bulb terminals with the engine running, regardless of revs or whether the lights are on or off
 
That looks fine to me.

Connectors for the headlights all clean? What's the wattage of the Philips/Halfords bulbs compared to the standard ones?
 
I had a 54Reg Accord that ate bulbs, anything from 5-6hours to 2-3 months. Finally bought a load of cheap bulbs and just added as and when, managed to find a pair that lasted a full6 months before getting rid of the car.

As AGW says, water in the headlights is a weak spot
 
Well it seems you don't have a leaky cluster and your battery voltage is ok...

Do the bulbs tend to blow when you turn from on, or have they ever blown when they are already on?
 
IIRC the last few have done it either a couple of seconds after coming on, or they just haven't come on at all!
 
I have the very latest mondeo and it use to eat break light bulbs, i changed them every 1-2 months, told ford dealer and they said i needed to buy ford ones only, i thought he was telling me rubbish but i did and i havent had to change one since, so maybe have a word with your local honda dealer m8.
 
Howard said:
IIRC the last few have done it either a couple of seconds after coming on, or they just haven't come on at all!
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That sounds about right. When a bulb is cold, the resistance is lowest, so you're most likely to blow a bulb when you first turn it on, be a car bulb, house bulb, or any other bulb with a filament. This is because low resistance = high current, and too much current = filament burns out.

I'm not familiar with the electrical system of a Honda, but a fix for this problem would be a soft start circuit. This limits the current to the bulb when it is turned on, greatly decreasing the chance of the bulb blowing. :)
 
Fair enough :) Thanks for your advice, I'll see how I get on with the 'normal' bulbs I've put back in - I can't be arsed spending money on the high intensity bulbs if they're only going to last 5 minutes
 
I used to have this problem on my Saab, it was because the headlights were on all the time, even when I started the engine. But as you've said, you wait a few seconds after the engine's on, so i'm stumped :/
 
Howard said:
Fair enough :) Thanks for your advice, I'll see how I get on with the 'normal' bulbs I've put back in - I can't be arsed spending money on the high intensity bulbs if they're only going to last 5 minutes
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No problem, you'll find that normal bulbs will last longer than high brightness bulbs anyway, as they normally run less hot. :)
 
Hopefully this wont sound patronising but did you touch the bulbs at all with your hands? If you do then grease from your hands can cause a hot spot on the bulbs which would cause them to pop quickly.
 
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