My 08 Mazda5 is eating headlight bulbs.

i try to do the same, but it is the wives car so who knows what really happens to it. plus, it has taken a few long trips (3000 miles round trip) in which the lights were on for a long time. They might have been off at the gas station, but that still means around 6 hours straight, then back on again for another 6 hours.
 
Both of mine burnt out within ~2 weeks - I too was surprised about being that close. Only 38k on the car as well.

Is there consensus on a brand/model of halogen bulb that works well?
 
Does anyone else's 5 eat headlights?

I'm about to buy my 5th headlight within a 2 year period. Let me say up front that I'm not touching the glass on them and the last time I installed them I wore surgical gloves just to be sure. Counting the originals this will be the 7th headlight in it since new (2007 - 43K miles).

The guy behind the counter at Advance (cause, you know they always right) made a remark about Saabs using the same bulb and that they went thru them quickly too.

I've been buying SilverStars, so maybe this time I'll just buy whatever is cheapest and see if that makes a difference.

I'm getting a little tired of this at around $25 a pop.

Oh, let me add the non HID bulbs in my 2007 MS3 are still the originals at 55K miles.
 
I have written about this too. I have had bad luck also, but I really like the extra light that the Silverstars give.

The short story is, if you contact OSRAM/Sylvania, they are more than helpful in warranty-ing your headlights if they are under 1 yr old. For the cost of an email, and $6 shipping, I sent two pairs of burnt out lowbeams to them, and in 3 days I had 2 brand new pairs on my doorstep.

(How many lightbulbs do you think your P1800 has gone thru in 40 yrs?) (iagree)
 
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If you're getting way less than a year, you should get Sylvania to send you free replacements. If they keep blowing that way, maybe you could get free replacements for life.

I'll never buy Silverstars again. They were nice and bright but they lasted only a year just about when the warranty expires. And they're not cheap either. I tried JDM PIAAs from Japan which were even more expensive, $60pr. Same thing, they lasted only a year. I've been using HID for several years on two other cars and I wont go back to regular halogen.

Now I'm running a Xentec HID kit w latest generation ultra slim ballasts on my 06 MZ5 which I've only had for 2 months. If this $40 kit lasts 3 yrs, I think I'll be ahead.
 
I've have had a set of ddm tuning HID's in mine almost since we picked it up new and we have 25k on it now. I had one of them burn out, but I think it was my fault for toucing it. Luckily DDM Tuning has a lifetime warranty on their bulbs so they swapped out for me no problem. (Luckily I was on vacation in Cali so I was able to just walk in and do it.)
 
Silverstars are junk, period. Don't last long and don't output much light. If you want long lasting and bright, go with HIDs. I've been running HIDs on my Mazda 5 for a year and a half no problem.
 
DKaz said:
Silverstars are junk, period. Don't last long and don't output much light. If you want long lasting and bright, go with HIDs. I've been running HIDs on my Mazda 5 for a year and a half no problem.
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Even among HIDs there are junk brands that don’t last long. Most of the cheap aftermarket PnP brands do not last long whereas the high quality OEM brands cost a pretty penny.
 
HID kits are getting better, and I can tell you that even the worst HID kits lasted longer than Silverstars.
 
Another headlight burned out

What is with the Mazda5 headlights? Every 6 months I have change these things out. Last fall BOTH of them burned out on the same day. Bad design? Bad quality bulbs? At $15-20 a piece, it's just one reason (with this car) not to but another 5.
 
HotDog88GT said:
What is with the Mazda5 headlights? Every 6 months I have change these things out. Last fall BOTH of them burned out on the same day. Bad design? Bad quality bulbs? At $15-20 a piece, it's just one reason (with this car) not to but another 5.
Click to expand...


I'd say its where you're buying your bulbs! I'm on my third set in 6 years. I recently converted to HIDs, otherwise I'd still be on my second set!!
 
After over 3 years, I threw in a pair of Sylvania ZXE low beams (Boxing day sale for $38/pair). I kept the original factory bulbs in the trunk as spares. As of right now, I have yet to replace a single bulb on my 5.
 
Negative on the fingers.

I doubt that buying a set of the same brand and type of bulb at Pep Boys is going to last an longer than a set from Advance Auto or NAPA, but I'll try a different brand this time around.
 
My 5 does not have DRL. I've been buying Sylvania's low end bulbs. I figure if these thing are going to burn out every 6 months I'm not going to spend the extra $$$ for more expensive ones. Hell, I don't even know what the difference is between the things.
 
Every 6 months is very frequent considering you don't have DRLs. I wonder if you have a short? Standard Sylvania bulbs should have a 500 hour run time, while long life bulbs should last up to 1,000 hours.
 
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