sylvania headlights burning out!!!

[justanotheradikt]

ok so this is my second set of sylvania starlight or starbright (w/e they are called) headlights to burn out in like 3 or 4 months.....do you think its the actual bulb or do you think i have something wrong with my car to make the burn out so quick?

[chaosProtege]

do you mean the silverstars? mine last 7-8 months usually. i think i'm gonna get the PIAAs when these burn out, they seem to last longer from what i hear.

[Mr. 4500 RPM]

try luminics from **********. they illuminate well and last long. have a 1 year warrenty on burn out as well i beleive.

[justanotheradikt]

do you mean the silverstars? mine last 7-8 months usually. i think i'm gonna get the PIAAs when these burn out, they seem to last longer from what i hear.

yea those...mine dont last that long. but i think i might try those PIAAs

[Leppy]

I have Nokya 7000K equiv. H4's in mine. They look awesome with a slight blue tint. Kinda like the APC's I had when i was there, but they burned out while I was in Mississippi. So far so good.

[DiS]

Silvania doesnt last long at all comparing to stock bulbs. DONT even think of getting PIAA either unless you wanna change bulbs each 3-4 months.

Thats the actual bulb thats burning out fast, nothing to do with your wiring or anything else.

[Roywhitep5]

piaa's last for about 6 months. they throw out alot of light, but are expensive. i need to pick up a new set in japan the next time i go

[mountjonas]

i've got the apc hyper whites. no problems for over a year now. same goes for my piaa ion fog bulbs. my sylvanias burned out in about 6 months so i figured to try something else. strangely enough, those apc's aren't too bad.

[OrngSpd03]

Ive had APC, Nokya, and PIAA in my MSP. They all lasted less then 3 months a set. Ive had Silverstars in for over a year and no troubles. I can't believe you only got 7 months out of them. Also If you buy the Expensive PIAA bulbs you may want to consider a current stablizer. Basically a capasitor you run in like with your headlight power wire. The Hotter running bulbs Just dont take well to Spikes. My buddy has them installed in his 3000gt and hasn't burned out his Piaas yet, its been almost 8 months.

[justanotheradikt]

yea i put the apc ones in....i hate the idea of having ANYTHING on my car apc...but its a headlight bulb...figured it does not count. we will see how it goes....

[Simpletons101]

Stock Bulbs! hahah, I've had mine for 3 years now and still no problems!

-dan

[nezumi]

did you touch the glass with your fingers, if you did they will burn out faster. the oil from your skin can affect the life of the bulb. i have my m-tec one for almost for a year now.

[justanotheradikt]

nah i didnt touch it..... i remember hearing that a long time ago, forgot exactly when, but ive known that for a good bit

[MP3Architect]

bump for an old thread!
my piaa's just went out....after over 2.5 years. i dunno why you guys seem to have issues with bulbs only lasting a few months. do you run the lights 24/7 or something? and i do over 50% of my driving at night!

trying to decide if i wanna go with piaa again or try another cheaper brand and save myself some money...any thoughts?

[SLA]

bump for an old thread!
my piaa's just went out....after over 2.5 years. i dunno why you guys seem to have issues with bulbs only lasting a few months. do you run the lights 24/7 or something? and i do over 50% of my driving at night!

trying to decide if i wanna go with piaa again or try another cheaper brand and save myself some money...any thoughts?
How much are the PIAA's? I just installed some silverstars in my headlights and fogs yesterday, and they look great. It was like 35 for a 2 pack of the headlights and like 17 ea. for the fogs.

[MP3Architect]

thinking of getting the piaa xtreme whites....$50 which is a good deal on piaa...i think the hyper blue ones i have now were about $70ish

[SLA]

thinking of getting the piaa xtreme whites....$50 which is a good deal on piaa...i think the hyper blue ones i have now were about $70ish
Damn for that much you might as well go HID. I think thats what I'll be doing next if these burn out fast. But for right now I like them just fine.

[MP3Architect]

Damn for that much you might as well go HID. I think thats what I'll be doing next if these burn out fast. But for right now I like them just fine.
what are those running now? lowest i see is around $150

[eszoom]

did you touch the glass with your fingers, if you did they will burn out faster. the oil from your skin can affect the life of the bulb. i have my m-tec one for almost for a year now.


i had mtec blue caps for almost a year then my connecter burnt out. i then bought the h.d. nokya connecters and it burnt out too. plus one bulb got loose from the base and i emailed them they said to send the bulb, free replacement,to taiwan or hong kong? never got my replacement. at the same time i bought another set all sitting in storage. maybe i"ll put them on a cruise nite only. i got the osram silverstars pretty soon a year too? no problems. but the mtecs look better!

[SLA]

what are those running now? lowest i see is around $150
Like 150-170, but I just saw the hi/lo combo is like 240ish, so nm thats a little on the high side.

[fateexceeds]

I've used 2.5 sets of Silverstars, with the bulbs lasting about 6 to 9 months (trust me, I was very careful to never touch the glass). I finally got fed up after the 5th bulb died and switched to GE Nighthawks, and I've had them for 10 months so far. They aren't as bright, but they're much cheaper.

[Operator]

Did you get the bulbs replaced under warranty?

[fateexceeds]

Did you get the bulbs replaced under warranty?


no. I didn't realize I could've.

[red95_240sx]

What is the voltage and wattage of you alls headlights. I just bought some 12V100/90W bulbs they r brighter, but im concerned that they are also hotter and will melt my headlights.

[MP3Architect]

What is the voltage and wattage of you alls headlights. I just bought some 12V100/90W bulbs they r brighter, but im concerned that they are also hotter and will melt my headlights.
wont melt your headlights but you can watch your wireing harness start to smoke up. i plugged in some higher watt bulbs once on my mp3. they were nice and bright but the wires started smoking almost instantly. not recommended.

[mazda protege 2]

maybe you accendentally touched em , cause my buddy did that and his bulbs blew out in a few months

[red95_240sx]

oh, good point ur not supposed to touch them.

[maskedSONY]

If you want to use silverstars, look for Osram Silverstars, not the Sylvanna brand. I don't know what it is, but the Osram versions last a lot longer according to other drivers I've met. Another suggestion is Phillips Vision Plus as well.

I went the simple route and chose the Sylvanna Xtrabrights that are sold in pep boys - they are a bit whiter than stock and do provide greater brightness on the road. They've been fine for nearly 11 months now, and for what I paid it was worth the money ($22).

[chuyler1]

My silverstars barely last a year...pain in the but...save your receipt.

[Tom03es]

I think this October will mark 2 years for mine.

[RyanPitch]

pain in the but...save your receipt.

Why? You can't get 'em replaced, can you?

[chuyler1]

They should have a limited warranty. 90 days, 6mos, or something. I'm sure if you bitched...the squeaky wheel gets the grease. I stopped using the Silverstars though. Not worth the hassle.

[CTt3P5]

They should have a limited warranty. 90 days, 6mos, or something. I'm sure if you bitched...the squeaky wheel gets the grease. I stopped using the Silverstars though. Not worth the hassle.

x2 In two years, I have gone through two sets of Silverstars and now one set of Osram Silverstars (the Euro version which was supposedly better). Installed them in December and the DS bulb burnt out two weeks ago. I am currently contemplating HID's.

[mx-p5]

Do it Jeff!! You won't regret it!! Went HID in both Pro5's after both cars wouldn't stop popping headlights. I've had no problems with either car and the HID's

4300K Apexcone in my car, and 4000K Techone in wifey's

[SLA]

Over 1 yr with Sylvanna and still going strong.

[eszoom]

same set just over 2 years now... maybe i just jinxed myself lol

[Operator]

Do it Jeff!! You won't regret it!! Went HID in both Pro5's after both cars wouldn't stop popping headlights. I've had no problems with either car and the HID's

4300K Apexcone in my car, and 4000K Techone in wifey's

Only thing is, HID's in reflector based cars causes alot of glare.

[mx-p5]

That is correct, but Pro5 headlights handle HID's very well. Better than any other reflector based car i've seen. Parked next to a Prius with HIDs and it wasn't any different.

[CTt3P5]

Do it Jeff!! You won't regret it!! Went HID in both Pro5's after both cars wouldn't stop popping headlights. I've had no problems with either car and the HID's

4300K Apexcone in my car, and 4000K Techone in wifey's

Oh, still thinking about it. As of now I am really leaning towards a 4500k kit, the reason I haven't pulled the trigger is that it is a 50w kit.


same set just over 2 years now... maybe i just jinxed myself lol

Exactly why I bought them. Read nothing but good reviews about them so I dropped the $40 on a pair and 6mos later hear I am looking to buy bulbs yet again.

[MazdaSpeeder]

Sylvania Silverstars do suck...I think one burned out at 4 months with me, and the other at 5...I was thinking about Osrams, but I've heard some good things about Luminics as well...though I haven't seen many in the P5 crowd using them. I don't want to go HID...any P5s running luminics?

Also, touching the bulb doesn't make it burn out any faster...when bulbs burn out they do so because the filament burns, which has nothing to do with finger oil on the glass. The only danger with finger oil on the glass is the glass heating and cracking or the bulb exploding, in which case the bulb is definitely going to be burned out. But if you read about bulbs burning out, very few of them explode, so I would suggest that touching or not probably doesn't make any difference.

[mx-p5]

Oh, still thinking about it. As of now I am really leaning towards a 4500k kit, the reason I haven't pulled the trigger is that it is a 50w kit.



Exactly why I bought them. Read nothing but good reviews about them so I dropped the $40 on a pair and 6mos later hear I am looking to buy bulbs yet again.

Jeff, what kit are you looking at that is 50watt? Both my setups are 35 watt

[CTt3P5]

Sylvania Silverstars do suck...I think one burned out at 4 months with me, and the other at 5...I was thinking about Osrams, but I've heard some good things about Luminics as well...though I haven't seen many in the P5 crowd using them. I don't want to go HID...any P5s running luminics?

Also, touching the bulb doesn't make it burn out any faster...when bulbs burn out they do so because the filament burns, which has nothing to do with finger oil on the glass. The only danger with finger oil on the glass is the glass heating and cracking or the bulb exploding, in which case the bulb is definitely going to be burned out. But if you read about bulbs burning out, very few of them explode, so I would suggest that touching or not probably doesn't make any difference.

No experience with Luminics. My first two sets of Sylvania Silverstars lasted approx 6mos each. That is when I thought WTH I'll spring for the Osrams and 6mos later a bulb is out. Powerbulbs.com is selling the Osram nighbreaker which I am also considering but given my history with the others....


Jeff, what kit are you looking at that is 50watt? Both my setups are 35 watt

Techone....Gary doesn't have any 35w sets in an H7 in stock.

[mx-p5]

Ah! Shoot Zoom-It a PM. He was talking about pulling his setup out of his car

[CTt3P5]

Ah! Shoot Zoom-It a PM. He was talking about pulling his setup out of his car

I have pmd him....will have to shoot him another to see if he has decided on a price. Plus he couldn't find the bulb containers and was worried how he could ship them safely. But his setup is exactly what I want....4300k/35w.

[mx-p5]

I had a set shipped to me I had on my CBR with the bulb taped inside of a toilit paper roll. Sounds stupid, but, it did the trick. He then wrapped it in bubble wrap and set it in a box of packing popcorn. Bulb made it through UPS shipping that way

[CTt3P5]

Good to know. I just sent him another pm (twice hehe).

[RyanPitch]

Sylvania Silverstars do suck...any P5s running luminics?
Just ordered some yesterday, so maybe you'll hear back from me in 6 mos or so.

Went through so many Sylvania bulbs in the last 3 years it's not even funny. Hope the luminics are better. Although I called 'em and the 1 yr. warranty thing is over. They have a 90 day warranty.

[red95_240sx]

get on the HID boat...

[jigsaw12]

Check the light socket, my pass side headlight kept on burning out and a found that the contact in the socket was loose and shorting thus blowing the light. Since I've fixed the socket no more blown bulbs.

[jigsaw12]

Be careful with the HID light conversions I've done extensive research into them and there are no problems with the light it's the laws that are the problem. HID lights are only legal if the vehicle was equipped with them from factory if you add them on they are for off road use only. Now before everyone starts saying "I have them and I haven't had any problems" I'll let you know where I'm coming from. I'd love it if they were perfectly legal because it's the business I'm in. I did the research because I work for an auto accessory company and I wanted to start selling them but since our company policy is to actually care about the customer we always make sure that everything we sell meets two requirements that they aren't going to get the customer a ticket for anything and that it is a quality product. If you want to learn more about the HID lights and the laws type "Ford Focus HID lights" into a google search and you will find the focus owners group website and then read the HID 101

[chuyler1]

Here's an update on my experiences with the Silverstars:

I went through about 4 sets of silverstars each lasting about 6 months. Last year sometime I got fed up and purchased some genero-brand. They have lasted over a year so far.

[Operator]

Just some other brands out there.

Luminics (http://luminicsbulbs.com/)
PlasmaGlow (http://www.plasmaglow.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=26&osCsid=42759adbda0e729b8c014332154e4946)
MTEC (http://stores.ebay.com/mtecpower_W0QQsspagenameZL2222QQtZkm)
PowerBulbs (http://www.powerbulbs.com/product_cat.asp?cat1=38)
Phillips (http://www.powerbulbs.com/product_cat.asp?cat1=37)
Osram (http://www.powerbulbs.com/product_cat.asp?cat1=44)
PIAA (http://www.piaa.com/Bulbs/Bulbs.html)
Nokya (http://www.nokyausa.com/headlights.html)
Polarg (http://www.prolightstar.com/polibu.html)
automotivelightingusa (http://www.automotivelightingusa.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=10&zenid=0ca1d2ba93b6aca210f4e26515f7444c)

GE Nighthawks are also pretty good.